Refugium

[Sara7814]

ok....so tell me why i should have one.. or why i shouldnt.. pros/cons....
and yes my tank is going to be centered around SH's

[BLEEZY]

sorry i dont like the poll options, you dont need one but you dont not need one, and it doesnt not matter either way(excuse the double negative).
a refugium is a place where you allow macroalgae to grow, what this does is take up nutrients that microalgae normally need to survive. by limiting the food source from the microalgae you eliminate it. by routinely harvesting the algae you also take out the nutrients that are absorbed by them. a refugium is also a handy place to allow pods to flourish and to put in a fine sediment such as mud to trap detrius and act as another dsb to add to the food webs in your system. there is some debate as to whether or not the amphipods and copepods and such will not go into the pump area, this in my opinion is entirely untrue. i have a baffle that goes over and is located almost 6 inches away from the actual fuge spot and at leats a foot away from any area that pods would congregate in. yet i still se pods crawiling around in my last area of my sump right near the pump. just allow microalgae to grow near the pump. adding the proper species of phyto also helps but any dt's phyto will work. also there is debate as to whether or not a pump will crush up all the pods, i agree that some of the stronger impeller type pumps will kill some of them, but i add all my frozen mysis to the sump al allow my pump to bring it to my fish and none of the mysis are ruined, neither are bristeworms(the shorter ones) or copepods which i have caught from my fuge and put through the pump, or even large amphipods which i have caught and sent thorough. the other things that the fine sediment would contribute to the display tank will have many advantages even if not pod production. since your tank is a sh tank i think a fuge could help. if you are having a sump a fuge is helpful but the extra water space could also be used for settling traps and micron socks. the fact that such mechanical filtration would take out pods however would mean that the less mechanical filtration and more natural methods you use the better. sinch sh's generally dont produce too much waste althought the constant feeding would be a slight problem, a fuge WILL aid in live food production and it WILL aid in nitrate,phosphates and nutrient removal, and if a reverse light cycle is used, WILL aid in ph stabilizing. the tough question is which is better for your needs, a fuge or the space for other gizmos. the fuge would be helpful for fish that need to be seperated from the others and share the same water chemistry so as no aclimization is necesary.
in conclusion, a fuge is handy for nutrient uptake and for pod production, but may not make a noticable difference.
personally i like my fuge, it could just be an excuse for another tank but it is worth it to me.

[tashier]

I had the same thread going once and I learned quite a bit. I was diehard on getting a fuge once but quickly learned the opposite. It comes down to this:

A fuge requires nutrients in the water, you don't want nutrients in the water. By saying that you want a fuge means you want water dirty enough for the fuge to survive. You can clean your water well enough by wet skimming. The fuge is just added headaches in an already complicated hobby.

I'm not getting a fuge anymore.

[VWD]

You don't need one, You can have one, But on a seahorse Tank I see no need

[Sara7814]

thats fine that you dont like it. im just trying to see why i should have one.

[pledosophy]

I voted No. You don't need one, but you want one. There is a difference.

IMO refugiums add great benefits to the home aquarium for several reasons.

1. They provide a place for nutrient export. Yes they absorb nutrients, but that does not mean you have to add nutrients to have a refugium. Personally I don't like protein skimmers, but without a refugium IMO a protein skimmer is a great piece of equipment.

2. Macro algaes will remove nitrates. On seahorse tanks nitrates are a very common problem.

3. They provide refuge for pod life to reproduce without being hunted.

4. The pod life reproduction is valuable to the tank and corals in the tank, should you choose to keep corals.

I like refugiums. I will always have one. I like them as big as possible, but you do not need one.

[VWD]

It's not that I don't like them, I have a few up and running, They work and are pretty easy to take care of . but When You have the seahorse tank set up you will more then likely have it set up like a refugium. Live plants and all, You want it set up like that so the pods will grow in the tank the ponies are. Extra food for them. My seahorse tank looks like a really nice Refugium only bigger.

[VWD]

Sara , You can always add one after the tank is set up, You don't have to do it all at once.

[Sara7814]

ok that explains it then very well...thanks

[Hendersonracing]

Originally Posted by Sara7814

ok that explains it then very well...thanks

I have had mine since day 1 I figured why not just do the hard stuff right up front....Im in the porocess of trying to find some better lighting for my cheatomorpha can grow better...I have a 20" t-5 now.....someone told me to check lowes and get a 75 watt 5100k???? I was thinking of mabe adding 2 of them?

But to answer your question a fuge is good to grow copepods and collect phosphates & nitrates...some people don't like them because its another thing to clean....personally I use mine to keep the ph up at night...I have it on a reverse timer with the show tank....My ph hits 8.38 during the day and 8.25 at night....

[Twitterbait]

I would say don't bother... a good skimmer and some piles of rock for pods will do everything a refugium will do...