FW Refugium

b_james · #1 12-08-2011, 09:25 PM

Anyone using a freshwater fuge for their system?

troni · #2 12-13-2011, 05:08 AM

i have not but it'd be interesting to see! i'm setting up a 90g i think i'm going to put sump and possibly a refugium.

ElGuappo · #3 12-13-2011, 07:21 AM

i have heard of people using skimmers on sumped fw systems. i have never tried or seen it tho...

SeaHorse_Fanatic · #4 12-13-2011, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ElGuappo

i have heard of people using skimmers on sumped fw systems. i have never tried or seen it tho...

On a very dirty tank like for koi, a protein skimmer sort of works, but otherwise no. At that point, you are much better off doing a simple water change. (my friend tried it as an experiment on his brother's koi tank).

What you are talking about for a refugium on a fw tank is what I like to call a "planted fw tank"

With my heavily stocked, over-filtered last planted tank, the plants did a very good job sucking up excess nutrients, to the point where I had to add Metricide as a carbon source and plants grew very well, water stayed good, and fish were healthy.

troni · #5 12-14-2011, 02:43 AM

i did some looking and a freshwater refugium would be like a nitrate sponge or somewhere else for benefictial bacteria. oh daphnia is suppose be good in it.

intarsiabox · #6 12-14-2011, 03:14 AM

I tried a HOB skimmer that I was using on nano on a FW tank to see what would happen and it would not produce any foam or climb up the skimmer walls.

b_james · #7 12-14-2011, 03:59 PM

I have also been told that Hornwart is good for a sump fuge.

BigAl07 · #8 12-14-2011, 04:19 PM

Foam Fractionation (Protein Skimmer process) only works "well" in salt water. Fresh water isn't dense enough and the Dissolved Organic Compounds can't get separated. You'd be merely using it as a large volume "Air Stone" and wasting a lot of energy with little to no benefit.

You can use a Protein Skimmer in a freshwater aquarium. A skimmer will not hurt the freshwater fish or degrade the water quality, and the freshwater will not damage the skimmer.

Ironically the term Protein Skimmer is a false one or at least not entirely accurate any more. It was at one time thought that Protein Skimmers only removed large molecules of protein from the tank but it's now known they remove many more than just protein which is why we use them so heavily in our reef tanks.

SeaHorse_Fanatic · #9 12-14-2011, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by b_james

I have also been told that Hornwart is good for a sump fuge.

Yup, grows like a weed, literally. I use it in my outdoor koi pond for nutrient export.