Refugium Setup

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Essentially, a refugium is nothing more than a refuge from predation. Sessile inverts and other delicate species need a place to call their own and the advent of the refugium was just the ticket! Isolated, but connected to the main display tank the refugium allows for common water filtration while at the same time keeping more aggressive fish from impacting it.

I have seen a few ideas that allow light to be redirected over the refugiums but they were stop-gap measures. Better to have a proprietary lighting system designed strictly for the refugium. A 6500K and a mono-phosphor 7100K blue provide nice lighting for a tank this size. I recommend Energy Savers Unlimited (ESU) Coralife bulbs, or similar OSRAM lighting. These are ideal units that feature twin OSRAM fluorescent bulbs in a neat aluminum reflector. By shallowing the water column, via the sand bed, these OSRAMS will give the intensity needed for your refugium inhabitants. Being just 9 watts each, they radiate at a 75 watt, incandescent level! That's equal to 150 watts of incandescent light on a 10 gallon tank! Plenty of beneficial illumination. I used eggcrate cut to the inside dimensions of the tank frame and simply placed the reflector on this. Instant light hood! The reflector keeps stray light out of your eyes and keeps the rest of the room comfortable.

In conclusion, all we are striving for here is to provide a safe and quiet haven for our animals to flourish. I allowed caulerpas to grow, and even cultured some halimeda algaes as well! :thumbsup:
 
So, if I'm planning on putting refugium mud, mangroves, and some macroalgae in there, what else should I add? Feeder shrimp? Sand sifting inverts? Snails? Amphipods and copepods? (What are those anyway?)
 
bluedempsey said:
Essentially, a refugium is nothing more than a refuge from predation. Sessile inverts and other delicate species need a place to call their own and the advent of the refugium was just the ticket! Isolated, but connected to the main display tank the refugium allows for common water filtration while at the same time keeping more aggressive fish from impacting it.

I have seen a few ideas that allow light to be redirected over the refugiums but they were stop-gap measures. Better to have a proprietary lighting system designed strictly for the refugium. A 6500K and a mono-phosphor 7100K blue provide nice lighting for a tank this size. I recommend Energy Savers Unlimited (ESU) Coralife bulbs, or similar OSRAM lighting. These are ideal units that feature twin OSRAM fluorescent bulbs in a neat aluminum reflector. By shallowing the water column, via the sand bed, these OSRAMS will give the intensity needed for your refugium inhabitants. Being just 9 watts each, they radiate at a 75 watt, incandescent level! That's equal to 150 watts of incandescent light on a 10 gallon tank! Plenty of beneficial illumination. I used eggcrate cut to the inside dimensions of the tank frame and simply placed the reflector on this. Instant light hood! The reflector keeps stray light out of your eyes and keeps the rest of the room comfortable.

In conclusion, all we are striving for here is to provide a safe and quiet haven for our animals to flourish. I allowed caulerpas to grow, and even cultured some halimeda algaes as well! :thumbsup:
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Did you just read a book or something. :headbang2
 
^
yes exactly. my mind is like a sponge... can't get enough knowledge
 
spryandspringy said:
So, if I'm planning on putting refugium mud, mangroves, and some macroalgae in there, what else should I add? Feeder shrimp? Sand sifting inverts? Snails? Amphipods and copepods? (What are those anyway?)
Click to expand...

when you get the macroalgae, mud, etc. most of the little critters will come aboard on that stuff -- i guess the mud is supposed to be straight from the ocean and is filled with all kinds of good stuff - make sure you build a deep sand bed so the critters have a good place to burrow and feed


as for lighting i leave mine on 24hours a day - i got one of those coralife miniaqualights, there great -- if you dont leave the lights on constantly i guess certain species of macroalgae will begin to spawn and it becomes uncontrollable
 
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