Refugium research

[mike wilson]

I will start off saying I'm not new to the hobby but have been out for 2 years now. I am in the planning stages of getting a reef tank up and running again (180 gallon). My question is this would a large refugium septate from the sump (say 75-120 gallon tank) be enough even if I was heavily stocked to eliminate the need for other filtration? I still plan to have a skimmer and some sort of carbon but prefer all natural for the rest.

 

[Lasse]

The Triton method normally recommend a refugium of at least 10% of the volume of the DT. If you do not know about this method - it is a method that recommend refugium and macro algae growth. With the very effective refugium lights that exist today you can have an effective refugium in that size. My refugium is about that size in a 80 gallon tank. However a larger refugium would make things better IMO. In time I think that a refugium of your size would take away the needs for GFO and so on - but in start - you maybe need other methods as well.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[mike wilson]

So if I put the refugium under the dt and had it drilled like a peninsula and only had a small secondary sump to hold the skimmer would the refugium be fine taking the full drain?

 

[Lasse]

My 30 litres of chaeto refugium get the whole drain - around 2000 litres a hour (around 500 gph). It works well. It's placed direct after the DT.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[mike wilson]

With a 180 I think I will have higher then 500gph not positive tough since the biggest I had in the past was a 90 gallon

 

[Lasse]

IMO - what´s a concern in this case is the turnover rate - in my case it is around 66 times an hour. It means - if you get a refugium of at least 10 % (18 gallon) - my figures correspond to a refugium turn over rate of nearly 1200 GPH in your case. I ha ve not a clue if I can run a higher turn over rate or not. However I think it is no problems to rise it a lot.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[mtraylor]

It solely depends on your nutrient import and export and how you set it up. I personally would always run a protein skimmer.

 

[redpine42]

IMO - what´s a concern in this case is the turnover rate - in my case it is around 66 times an hour. It means - if you get a refugium of at least 10 % (18 gallon) - my figures correspond to a refugium turn over rate of nearly 1200 GPH in your case. I ha ve not a clue if I can run a higher turn over rate or not. However I think it is no problems to rise it a lot.

Sincerely Lasse

Is it 10x the Fuge or DT? I thought it is 10x the DT which is insane flow.

 

[Lasse]

In his post he say that DT is 180 gallon. I state

if you get a refugium of at least 10 % (18 gallon)

I have a flow over my fuge around 528 GPH - my fuge is around 8 gallon -> turn over rate of 66 in the fuge. It works. If he will follow the 10 % rule -> fuge at least 18 gallon - turn over rate in the fuge - 66 -> 1188 GPH.

My turn over in my DT will be (flow 528 G) 6,6. His DT turn over rate in 180 gallon and 1188 GPH will be 6,6 For me - this is not insane figures of DT turn over

Sincerely Lasse