Hey guys how do I setup a refugium. what plants do I use. Do put shrimp in there to clean up poop and extra food. will clams work like sponges? Is it true if they die there is an ammonia spike?
How do I make a refugium
- Thread starter catfishguy
- Start date
I have a 20 gal tank in a window that is fed from my sump, and drains back to it as a freshwater refugium.
I use papyrus for plants, but have also used water hyacinth, cryptocorne, java fern pothos, and whatever grows well in it. I believe the kind of light you use, will be the determiner of what kind of plants are for you.
For animals I use rishi and gammarus shrimp, snails, and sometimes the fry of whatever fish is spawning at the moment.
Don't know if you are doing fresh water, or salt, but clams are a bit iffy in fresh, if they do not get enough food, they easily starve unseen (because they tend to bury themselves) and can quickly and easily foul the system.
I use papyrus for plants, but have also used water hyacinth, cryptocorne, java fern pothos, and whatever grows well in it. I believe the kind of light you use, will be the determiner of what kind of plants are for you.
For animals I use rishi and gammarus shrimp, snails, and sometimes the fry of whatever fish is spawning at the moment.
Don't know if you are doing fresh water, or salt, but clams are a bit iffy in fresh, if they do not get enough food, they easily starve unseen (because they tend to bury themselves) and can quickly and easily foul the system.
Very nice Duanes!
A refugium can be a lot of different things, it depends what you want to accomplish. If nutrient export is the goal, then what is shown is great. If the goal is to provide a place for planktonic food as is common in a saltwater set up, then I would avoid shrimps and fish as they will eat what you are trying to provide to the main tank. At any rate in my opinion clams are a bad choice as they don't only use, but manufacture their own, waste products. In my salt fuge there is a deep sand bed and a few macro algaes that I regulary harvest, no animals have been purposely added.
A refugium can be a lot of different things, it depends what you want to accomplish. If nutrient export is the goal, then what is shown is great. If the goal is to provide a place for planktonic food as is common in a saltwater set up, then I would avoid shrimps and fish as they will eat what you are trying to provide to the main tank. At any rate in my opinion clams are a bad choice as they don't only use, but manufacture their own, waste products. In my salt fuge there is a deep sand bed and a few macro algaes that I regulary harvest, no animals have been purposely added.
My sump "fuge" pothos, lights, fry growout
View attachment 1053727
Sent from my SCH-R950 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
View attachment 1053727
Sent from my SCH-R950 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
