Refugiums & Algae

[mygreengoldfish]

Has anyone had good luck with refugiums because it seems like there are quite a few advantages to having one like lower nitrates and less need for a skimmer. After seeing someones tank at http://www.wavespring.com/justin/reef/fulltank.html they seem like they can allow easy maintenance of even hard to take care of corals like sun corals and Dendronephthya.

Also what are good ways to take care of hair algae. I currently have an algae blenny, a court jester goby, several large astraea snails and a dozen blue leg and scarlet hermit crabs. My tank is 65 gals, I have around 70 pounds of live rock and a ES5-3 Euro-reef skimmer. What organisms like to eat hair algae?

 

[benjen]

My mexican turbo snail and cerith snails team up with the scarlett reef hermits to wipe out hair algae. The hermits cut long strands and the snails clean up everything short with the ceriths handling the niches and the turbo taking care of all larger surfaces. I've also had a hatching of baby snails that eat hair algae as well.

I think most advanced reef keepers use refugiums. There are dozens of ways to set one up, including in sump, hang on back, and in-tank refugiums. I use a very simple rubble pile as a refuge for pods right now, but plan a more advanced refugium when I have some more spare cash. My nitrates are zero because I use a DSB and I already have a skimmer, so it's not a pressing need.

 

[mogurnda]

There are several good reasons for a refugium.

First, growing macroalgae will reduce nutrients. I haven't seen evidence of huge reducitons, but I'm sure mine helps.

Second, keeping the fuge on a light/dark cycle helps to stabilize the tank's pH. Usually the pH drops at night when photosynthesis ceases. If there are actively photosythesizing critters in the fuge, it keeps pH up. [Edit: I meant keeping the fuge on a reversed light dark cycle]

Third, you can get tremendous reproduction of amphipods, mysis shrimp and all sorts of worms in the protection of a fuge. They provide a constant source of zooplankton. However, don't think for a second that it will help with species like dendronephthea. Very, very few people have ever kept it successfully, fuge or not.

As Ben said, it can be as easy as buying a HOB unit like CPR makes, or it can be bigger than the main tank.

Of all the snails I have tried, turbos do the best job on hair algae (again, agreeing with Ben).

 

[mygreengoldfish]

I do have a 20 gal. sump under my tank with a good amount of space. Is there anyway I can set up a refugium without taking my tank apart? Also, is there any die-off or problems with adding sand to and already set up aquarium?

 

[mogurnda]

Sure, if there's a place in your sump you can put a light, then you can make a fuge there. You will want to put a baffle in to separate it from the rest. A piece of acrylic secured with silicone sealer works well.

What else is in your sump right now?

 

[mygreengoldfish]

Right now I have a euro-reef skimmer, a submersible heater, a return pump and a large filter sock to catch debris from the overflow. But how do you glue with silicone because it doesn't work underwater and needs a day to set?

 

[mygreengoldfish]

and the sump is a simple glass tank with no dividers or anything

 

[mogurnda]

But how do you glue with silicone because it doesn't work underwater and needs a day to set?

You would have to empty the sump for a day or two.

I have essentially the same stuff in my sump, and made room for a 11"X12" fuge. It's a bit tight, though, and there are a few bugs yet. You could certainly try a smaller division at first.

 

[mygreengoldfish]

Do you think that I could just put my heater in my tank and keep it for two days without a protein skimmer? I only have two hardy fish, a starfish and a cleaner shrimp. Do you know of any other way I could do this without draining my sump?

 

[mogurnda]

The tank will be fine for a few days without a skimmer.

Another possibility, though, is to drop some kind of in-tank fuge into the sump. CPR makes one, as does precision marine, or you could probably build something. Just a box that water can flow through that will contain a wad of macroalgae and small invertebrates.