Refugium advice

[PFisher]

When I move this spring I will be adding a refugium to my tank, probably a 10 gal. The main tank is a 33 gal.

My question is wheather to use Miracle Mud or a deep sand bed in the refugium. I have heard good things about both.

[Bob I]

I have run a refugium for a long time. In mine I just have some Aragonite. The aragonite works fine. I am not willing to pay $100.00 for a little bag of mud.

[sumpfinfishe]

I would use sugar size aragonite. It will pack a nice sandbed, which will keep clean with the use of hermits, snails and such. This sand will also not take long to turn into some of your own magic mud.

Cheers, Rich

[Seriak]

On my 25 I use a DSB of suger sized aragonite with a couple large peices of LR. I am transferring all my hermits from the mian tank to this tank for algae control. I also have a million and one little snails the size of a pin head that come out at night to clean the rock and glass.

[BCOrchidGuy]

I use sugar aragonite PLUS Mineral Mud from J&L, I just have the MM at the outflow area and my calupera seems to be really happy there. I notice it roots there alot quicker than anywhere else in the refugium.

[r_wellwood]

PFisher,

What is the purpose of the refugium? Is it for nutrient export to reduce/elimate unwanted growth in the main tank?


Ryland

[PFisher]

Ryland,

Nutrient export is the main reason behind it, I have a bad hair algae problem currently. I want to get into corals soon, but would like to eliminate the hair algae first. I also have a six-line wrasse that picks the main tank clean of any sign of pods, this will give them a safe place to grow.

Patrick

[r_wellwood]

Well, if the refugium is going to remove nutrients and starve the main tank, I wouldn't recommend putting crabs or snails in the refugium. Let the refugium grow some macros and other algae and get 'ugly'. No sense in adding the refuge and it just being an extension of the main show tank.

I have used Mineral Mud (1/3rd cost of Miracle Mud) with sugar sand in a 10G refugium and it worked well. The Mineral Mud basically seeded my refugium with bugs and worms, and the macro algae goes nuts once it roots.

One last recommendation - if you are going to grow a macro that has a high growth rate, make sure you have easy access into the refugium. You will need to prune the marco algae on a regular basis. Have fun.

Ryland