New to refugiums

[dacookster]

So I added a 5G refugium/overflow to my system. I added about 6lbs of cured LR. Since then of course diatoms and what looks to be dino's on my sand bed. My question is - do i try to syphon out the waste developing at the bottom of the rock in the refugium, just like you would a regular tank? It's pretty cramped but if I have to do it to preserve water quality - I will. Also, I think some of the LR is loaded with aptasia. Is this fine to grow/linger in the refugium, or should I attempt to eliminate it as well? Thanks all!

[skabooya]

from what i have read you dont need to touch a thing. you let the fuge go wild. But i dont have a fuge so i cant say for sure.

[dacookster]

Yah, when you see the display setups at the LFS, they sure look untamed to say the least. I'm just concerned about my dino/brown algae outbreak. Do I just let it balance out? I'm getting tired of syphoning cyano every three days and I'm going on a holiday at the end of May, and don't want someone to do anything other than feed the livestock. I have no close friends or relatives that know anything about aquatics, so teaching someone to feed my fish is as far as I'm willing to go. Plus, my setup is so small and sensitive that a single mistake in a water change would be disasterous. Hopefully the refugium does add some value to my system. So far everything I've done is more for the learning process than trying to achieve real success. I'm practicing for a custom 125G thats in the works.

[Myka]

The Aptasia will get into your main system, so you don't want them in the fuge. Are the dinos in your main tank or the fuge? Did you use cured rock rubble or fresh from the store rubble?

You don't want detritus settling anywhere in your tank. It should be siphoned out of refugiums, overflows, sumps, the main tank, etc. If it is really cramped, use a piece of rigid airline tubing on the end of a piece of regular airline tubing to siphon the detritus.

Lower nutrients to get rid of cyano. Removal of detritus will help. Add more waterflow to help get rid of cyano too.

[dacookster]

OMG - well, I attempted to deal with the aptasia issue in my fuge but the little guys are EVERYWHERE!!!! now what?? scrap the whole thing. They're growing on the glass and everything. I have a ridiculously huge bush of red macro algae, which I was hoping to downsize and sell, but there could be little aptasia's all over it. I've never seen anything grow and spread so quickly. What should I do - please HELP!!!!

[reefwars]

honestly where its just your refuge try placing an ad here to trade your liverock with someone for aiptasia free liverock i know theres always people looking for nudi food at an even trade. theres prob way too many and too small an area for manual removal and 5g isnt big enough for any fish that eat them. if you find someone to trade your liverock with drain your fuge or close it off from your display and scrape and thourly clean out your fuge to get rid of the rest.

unless you have fish that rely on the food your refuge grows then id say it might be a good time to start fresh with new rock and a clean fuge if it was a display id say fight it but since were only talking about a 5g refugium scrap it out and start fresh,aiptasia will find a way into your tank eventually.take the things youve learned from this refuge and apply them to the new cleaned one. be sure to unhook it from your display before doing any work so as not to upset anything or create any spikes of any kind.remember besides being a safe haven for pods and such your refuge should also help with nutrients not add to them so keeping it clean is a must to keep nitrates down and things like cyano from popping up

cheers

[reefwars]

aiptasia are actually really good filter feeders which is great for a refuge but the problem comes when they make it to your display as they have a powerful sting and reproduce in plague proportions and when your talking about hundreds of babies like you see in alot of refuges its near impossible to clear them away without the aid of something that eats them.

[Snaz]

For a aptasia in a nano tank I think you are best off with a couple of peppermint shrimp. In a large system you would need a ton of shrimp but a nano a nice young pair should clean up the main display in about four weeks(my experience) and then move one or both to the sump.