Refugium

[Doug]

Do you guys think its helpful on a full blown sps tank? {no polls}...

I have one coming with my sump. Never used one before just my turf scrubber which I wish I still had, {its in the Brandon dump}. I thought of using the refuge just with some rock and sand and as a frag tank. Its only 12in. by 13in. by 18in. H.

Thanks

[Aquattro]

I think some people use them, others don't. I do not personally. Just another thing to manage and maintain IMO.

[asylumdown]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

I think some people use them, others don't. I do not personally. Just another thing to manage and maintain IMO.

Ditto. It really all depends on what you're using the fuge for. If the point is nutrient reduction, it would need to be pretty large relative to your total system volume to be super useful in that regard. A turf scrubber would be a way more efficient use of the space. If you're just using it as a place for things that wouldn't otherwise make it in the display to grow to round out the ecology, I suppose there's no harm. Whether or not that will have any qualitative or quantitative impact on the growth rate/colour of your SPS is another matter entirely. I'd be hard pressed believing that an identical system run without the fuge chamber but all other things being equal would look all that different at the 1 year mark. But if it provides a psychological benefit and makes you feel like the system is more holistically complete, I'd say that's value in and of itself.

I have a fuge chamber in my sump. I have rock in it now but only had light over it for 4 months. The light was spilling in to other chambers of the sump and all my equipment (skimmer, reactors, etc.) were getting covered in coralline algae. I noticed zero difference in the tank overall when I took the lights off the fuge chamber.

[StirCrazy]

I didn't have one on my big tank, then I did, didn't notice a difference with SPS, I had it going just for pods for my Mandarin.

Steve

[04V10]

I have a HOB filter converted into a fuge, and I haven't seen any better results compared to when it was just a normal filter. I'm thinking of getting rid of it. Except, it does hold a bit of live rock that would otherwise clutter the display. So I might just turn the light off and call it good. Plus what asylum said about the alge, people forget they will have to manage that part as well if there is light spillage.

[Doug]

Originally Posted by StirCrazy

I didn't have one on my big tank, then I did, didn't notice a difference with SPS, I had it going just for pods for my Mandarin.

Steve

Thats actually one worry I have Steve. I,m buying a male but trying to find one eating brine/mysis. My female only hunts. My pair in Brandon that I gave to Mike both ate everything.

I figured 1 ft. sq. would be a good frag grow out or at least for the amount I would do to sell local.

Perhaps I should just cancel the fudge and go with a larger sump and/or the 30in. model skimmer instead of the 24in.

[Doug]

Originally Posted by 04V10

I have a HOB filter converted into a fuge, and I haven't seen any better results compared to when it was just a normal filter. I'm thinking of getting rid of it. Except, it does hold a bit of live rock that would otherwise clutter the display. So I might just turn the light off and call it good. Plus what asylum said about the alge, people forget they will have to manage that part as well if there is light spillage.

Ya I tried that on my 20g with my AQ 110. Never did like it. I lit mine with the main lights hanging over the tank.