Some stupid questions

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captmicha

Le tired.
Dec 6, 2006
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Maryland, USA
How do you keep a large enough supply of plankton in the water to feed filter feeders if you filter it really well? Or is that not a problem if you use a sump or a refugium as your filter? And what's the difference, if any, between a sump and a refugium?
 

Amphiprion

Contain the Excitement...
Feb 14, 2007
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Mobile, Alabama
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Andrew
Depends on the filter feeder and what they eat. Animals that like bacterioplankton will usually have an adequate supply, especially with a refugium. Other animals will be extremely difficult because of a distinct lack of the appropriate food. There are some that will be currently impossible to consistently provide enough of the right kind of food and certainly not without serious consequences to the tank. A refugium may increase larval concentrations and bacterioplankton, but that may or may not be enough depending upon many circumstances. That's rather broad and nonspecific, I realize, but that's how it is.

As far as refugia go, they can be in any container. In other words, a refugium can be anything that provides shelter to various animals and/or algae. They may be in a sump in most cases, but they are not a sump in and of themselves and can be separate.
 

captmicha

Le tired.
Dec 6, 2006
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Maryland, USA
Ok, I get the difference now between the two. The refugium isn't necessarily a filter.
 

Ace25

www.centralcoastreefclub. com
Oct 3, 2005
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www.centralcoastreefclub.com
Exactly, by the name, it is a refuge for critters to be safe from predators, like copepods, but almost everyone puts a macro algae (cheato) in there as well so it acts as a filter as well.
 

captmicha

Le tired.
Dec 6, 2006
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Maryland, USA
I think I read that live rock provides only enough filtration for a fish only tank and a meagerly stocked one at that... But I could be wrong.
 

Cheech

Global Moderator
Jan 13, 2000
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Montreal, Canada
you won't need the filters anymore.

Generally, you don't want mechanical filtration in a marine tank. Setup your fuge/sump, get lots of live rock, make sure you have good waterflow throughout the tank, and you'll be good to start.

Try to invest in am RO/RODI unit, and if possible a skimmer.


Then, you can start looking into a filter sock, or reactors for media (phosban, carbon).
 
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