Whats a refugium

[blout]

Dont mean to sound stupid but whats a refugium what does it do what does it look like any pics and info needed

 

[bob`_your_dog]

There are many types, and I am no expert. But bassically they are like sumps, tanks under your tank, They will have plants in them and all sorts of critters. BUt they work on a oppisite timmer to your day lights so that basically you have constant daylight in your tank which helps keep the Ph stable, the also help remove other elements aswell. I'm sure some-1 has a more scientific answer though. But there are other types i dunno if they are called refugiums but they are refuge tanks for housing small delicate creatures thats would normally get eaten or killed in your main tank, and they are plumbed into your main tank and share the same water

 

[ste2k3]

Not stupid at all. A refugium can be as complex or as simple as you like. It is there to give refuge to any little pods worms etc that would normaly get eaten in the main aquarium. it can also house types of algae to help with filtration, sometimes even sponges/tunicates which can filter out types of bacteria which may harm corals. if you do a google image search for refugium, you should find loads of different types. The latest is a miracle mud refugium which is a different type off filtration on its own. this is a picture of a miracle mud refugium above a sump with algae and mud.

There are so many different types/designs/functions that its hard to explain what one is.

ste

 

[blout]

so i could turn my sump into one of them without to much trouble ( any hint on where to start i already have lights)

 

[pleder]

Miracle Mud meaning it's a miracle"anyone pays for the dirt from my backyard"mud. Not to sound to mean but I don't know of anyone who has had success using this product on a long term basis, You might be better off with live sand, some rubbe rock, and some good old fashion macro algae.

The easiest in my humble opinion is a CPR HOB refugium. It is pretty much plug and play. I filled mine with goods from a little known web dealer at seawaterexpress.com . They are great for controling PH, pod production, not to mention a little additional water. the macro will help with nutrient export reducing micro algae.

You can build your own quite easily with some rubbermaid containers if you are looking for a cheap way out.

 

[blout]

Thanks guys ill give it a go

 

[ostrow]

It's something GL teases you about selling a nice setup on but then disappears into the void.....

 

[Opcn]

A refugium is anything that gives refuge, useually they are on display and you can use them to house that lion fish who will eat the other fish or the baby clownfish who will be eaten, or the macroalgea that your tang would reduce to a nub in 3.2 seconds. Navarre has acctually had great success with a miracle mud knock off and my LFS Just put a 55 gallon miracle mud sump on there 500 gallon display.

 

[Navarre]

I do agree that anyone who pays the price of Miracle Mud really needs to question how good it is. I use Mineral mud which is about half the price and does the same thing on the bottle

Its true that livesand or liverock with macro algae can do just as good a job i guess but each to their own. Mineral mud (and i guess all mud based sytems) release trace eliments back into the water (imnot sure exactly but i think iron is one of them).
Macro algae loves to grow in it and from the test results i have seen which were 2 sumps side by side under the same lighting, the macro alagae grew faster in the mud than it did in the sand.
The mangroves also seem to prefer the mud.

My sump is actually a layer of Mud with a layer of livesand, then a layer of mud with a final layer of livesand.... well that was at the start.. now its completely mixed up from all the life that burrows through it

The new system i run though will have mud/rubblezone and cryptic zones built in so i hope to cover many different types of filtration with this method.

 

[blout]

so whats the deal with MM i heard you have to change every so often is that true

 

[Navarre]

hm... good question.

The manufacturers say this because they explainthat after a period of time, the trace eliments that are released by the mud get used up and thus its wise after 12 moths or so to take out some of the mud and replace it. If you check the eco systems design for a MM sump they have mud partitiions that help to keep the mud in place in higher flow sumps, its also easy to change the muid like this as you can remove a section per moth etc to get a working cycle on the mud change.

However...

You can of course look into this a bit sceptical and feel its just their way to get more money ouf ot you by buying a constant supply of the stuff. This mud system has onoly been running since May2004 so its not up for renuwel yet, unfortnately the new system will probably be online before then too so i cant give any first hand details. Most people i know have not had the system long enough but the few i have talked with have not changed the mud and have seen no visible differences.

 

[Great Lakes]

One thing not mentioned.

The classic/original refugium is placed above the main display.

A refugium is a refuge for pod life. Many of your tank inhabitants can easily strip liverock of pod life. A refugium is, in essence, a nursery for pods.
This is why the classic example, and the HOB, work the best. Pods are fed into the display tank by siphon and gravity. There is some question as to how pods survive a trip through the impeller to be introduced into main tank from a sump.
Your sump will also have a higher water flow through it. Not truly ideal nursery conditions.

GL

 

[Malawiandude]

yea for pods is main reason why i got mine..cuz i wanna keep a mandrine down the road... they also make HOB types like my CPR:

 

[blout]

i have millions of pods and other things in my sump do you think they would bennefit even more if i ad some rock and micro algae

 

[Navarre]

My sump is infested with pod life yet if 1% actually got to the maintank i would be amazed. Even the ones that do find their way into the return pump are hardly likely to survive the impeller ride!
As has been mentioned, a gravity fed over the tank refugium is much a better option