Refugium

[fishnterrapins]

Hi all,

At the moment I'm looking at upgrading my tropical tank from an external filter to having a sump. Looking round all the sites people have suggested on here I have come across this term refugium.

I know its probably a daft question but what is one and on a freshwater tropical tank do you need to have one?

Cheers

 

[Lateral Line]

Refugiums are salty territory. If you don't get a good answer here, ask in Saltwater Hardware, they'll tell you all about it. I honestly don't think they're a freshwater item.

 

[Betta5]

I dont see why you cant use one on a FW, defo ask on the SW part tho

 

[Lateral Line]

I didn't say you couldn't use one on a FW setup, I've just not heard of anyone doing so.

 

[Betta5]

I didn't say you couldn't use one on a FW setup, I've just not heard of anyone doing so.

I didnt say you said you couldn't. When you said its more SW, i thought i should just say that it could be used so they dont just give up. It adds to water volume (only a little usually). A safe place for inverts or small/recovering (not ill) fish, plants that fish will eat etc

 

[Lateral Line]

I didn't say you said I said you couldn't. Sorry, couldn't resist that!

With the typical outfitting of the refugiums I've seen, they would only add a little to water volume, whereas using the same resource as a regular F/W sump would acheive much more. I still think the best thing is to ask the salties.

 

[CFC]

In the SW world refugiums are as the name implies used as a refuge for critters that would otherwise be eaten in the main tank but are useful in their purpose, copipods in tanks where mandarin fish are present is one such use as the copipods are the sole food source for the mandarin fish but you don't want it to wipe out the entire population so you rotate rocks from the tank and refugium to ensure the supply is constant.

In a freshwater tank this could be applied in the same way to raise snails for puffer tanks or to cultivate plants in a tank where herbivorous fish are present but since both these items are readily and cheaply available it makes the complications of plumbing in a running a refugium obsolete.

 

[tmack]

Here are a couple links at Foster & Smith about refugiums:

http/www.drsfostersmith.com/product/NavR...=2004&Nty=1

http/www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=1116

They also have some other articles on them.