View Full Version : refug or eheim
hello im lookin to do a smaller reef tank now between 40 and 60 im wondering what should i use a hangf on refuge or the eheim wet dry? they are arround the same price.... any help greatly appreciated
Nic :)
Zoodiver
10-30-2005, 3:28 PM
Both will suit your needs, but I'd go eheim if it where me doing it.
mkpeters6
10-30-2005, 4:44 PM
i used a ehiem wet/dry before for a saltwater setup and i was not a fan of ( i would have prefered regular ehiem pro II) the casister does not have an auto prime, and it has a strange way of working (the pump slows down every few minute or so and then kicks back up) it was hard to tell if the prime got lost or not
i would set up a refugium w/ a protien skimmer (a bak pak 2 would be a good choice for that size tank) instead of a canister filter if you plan on doing a reef tank
frontosa_man
10-31-2005, 11:02 PM
i used a ehiem wet/dry before for a saltwater setup and i was not a fan of ( i would have prefered regular ehiem pro II) the casister does not have an auto prime, and it has a strange way of working (the pump slows down every few minute or so and then kicks back up) it was hard to tell if the prime got lost or not
i would set up a refugium w/ a protien skimmer (a bak pak 2 would be a good choice for that size tank) instead of a canister filter if you plan on doing a reef tank
:iagree: the fuge it much better for a reef tank. look in the saltwater fourms there is a thread with good info about using a fuge.
frontosa_man
10-31-2005, 11:05 PM
here is the link
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6721
good luck :thumbsup:
i got a 40 gal oceanic in today and the refuge gonna get a reef tank up again just gotta get more money now i love the holidays and christmas and all but why do they cost so much :swear: money ill keep posted on progress
MaJiKTeRRoR
12-20-2005, 9:02 AM
How much stock are you putting in your reef? A Bak-Pak is an ok skimmer but if your going all out with your reef there is better choices for a protein skimmer. Refugiums are very affective but what are your reasons for using a Refug over a Wet/Dry?
used a large one on my 90 came highly recomended from the guy i delt with and worked great
AquaticAggression
12-20-2005, 10:42 PM
The refugium is more natural type of a filtration it should be used in conjunction w/ a sump of some sort for mechenical filtration ie carbon, etc...
zipperfish45
12-20-2005, 10:57 PM
A refug provides a good place for plants which remove nitrates as well as a place for small organisms to thrive and breed which in turn supplies food for species in your tank
MaJiKTeRRoR
12-21-2005, 8:47 AM
It also makes it nuisance algae less likely in the main tank.
i never had a problem with algae in my 90 didnt have any problems till it crashed im gonna stock it with a manderin fish cause i love them and miss mine a few hermit crabs and shrimp thats all it will be mostly corals havent decided on them yet o yea a star fish too i gotta figure out what species and all but i need $$$$$$ money first
andynyc
12-21-2005, 9:59 PM
I would advise on not getting a Mandarin until your tank is at least a year old. Mandarin's are very hard to keep mainly because they are quite picky eaters. They are beautiful fish, but I can't understand why they're even sold since the majority of them do not survive in our fish tanks. They feed off copepods and other pods that live on the live rock. An established tank (at least a year+) can provide these pods.
A refugium would be a great idea if you decide to make it a reef tank. A refugium can provide the necessary breeding grounds for pods and, along with caluerpa, can help minimize nitrate levels.
ive kept them before i know how hard they are to keep i finally got one to live longer than 6 months when my tank crashed
ogre929
12-25-2005, 10:55 PM
Just use live rock for your filter. I've set up dozens of tanks by just getting live rock and smelling it. if it smells like salt water it's pretty much cycled. It's probably not the most scientific way to test if live rock is done cycling or not. but it's been really reliable for me.
Refugiums are pretty nice and I've ran a couple, however, they do require maintenence and they take time to start working. The anerobic bacteria take time to grow and start breaking down the nitrates in your tank. And only certain specias of macroalgae work well for refuciums. If you want simple I suggest just live rock until you get a hang of the reef hobby then start toying with other cool things. However NEVER use a wet dry filter for a reef tank. This produces way too many nitrates due to the aerobic bacteria in such abundance.
Also, I've kept mandarins and scooter blenny's and psychadelics and for some reason they take to brine shrimp. Though they were introduced into well established tanks. I had one baby psych that i got at a whopping inch long and in no time flat he was 3 inches long. the sucker grew like xenia.
ogre929
12-25-2005, 11:08 PM
some pics of my old tanks and stuff
ogre929
12-25-2005, 11:46 PM
check out this little bugger
ogre929
12-26-2005, 2:23 PM
thanks, i took em with a pos sony digital camera.
just need to get the rest of the stuff lights etc.... and ill be on my way back into the salt water world