Refugium Reef Aquarium: Complete Insight
- May 09, 2021
- Anshika Mishra
- 448 0 0
As the name suggests, a refugium is an additional space separate from the main display aquarium that acts as a haven for an organism that would otherwise be consumed by the inhabitants of the show tank. There are some major benefits to a refugium.
The critters breeding a refugium make their way back to the display tank and makes for a healthy snack for many fishes and the corals. Also, the critters in the refugium stabilize water chemistry and help to process nutrients.
Why does a refugium need to be separate?
Tanks and other herbivorous fish are popular in reef aquarium today and would make short work or macro-algae. Also, fishes such as Damsels, Mandarin and Wrasses that like to constantly pick off any tiny part of copepods in smaller planktonic life, makes the beneficial algae and critters just disappear over time.
What invertebrates/anemones are good for a refugium?
Beneficial invertebrates are a mix of various amphipods, copepods, Mysis shrimp, mini brittle star and worms, which includes bristle worms, feather dusters and spaghetti worms. Occasionally, you will see refugium starter kits for sale, but you can grow your own easily.
By seeding the refugium with some live rocks from the main display tank. These populations will start showing up in no time. The great thing about these inserts is that they are detritivores, i.e. they consume uneaten food and waste from the main tank. In doing so, they break it down and convert it to biomass before nuisance algae and cyanobacteria get a crack out at it.
Set-up and sizing
The first thing to know is that refugium is not essential, like other pieces of equipment. In huge systems, the flora in faun outpaced the consumption of the fish, having said that, not everyone has the space for gains systems with only a couple of fish and this is why a refugium is a great option in the first place. How small a refugium can have and still be effective is a tough question.
It is recommended to always install the largest one you can reasonably fit. Having a small refugium is better than having a small refugium at all.
There is nothing wrong with having a refugium, that is much bigger than the display aquarium itself.
As for placement in the setup, there is a lot of discussion about the optimal order of things. Most people will say that the refugium should be fed water after filtration, such as the portion skimmer so the critters don't get skimmed out.
If you are really crazy, you can go one step further and the refugium located above the show tank and drain down into the display. So, as to protect anything from getting killed by a return pump. Just try to avoid exposing the microphone to a UV sterilizer. So, if you run UV, it definitely upstreams the refugium.
Reverse Daylight Photoperiod
A reverse daylight photoperiod stabilizes the tank's pH. You may or may not know but a typical reef tank's pH fluctuates throughout the day, as a function of the photosynthetic activity. At night the pH tends to dip compared to the day. Refugees being separate aquariums can be lit while the main tank is dark and vice-versa.
By doing this refugium algae pick up where the main tank stops, and this balance out the pH. Stability is vitally important. So, a reverse daylight photoperiod is a great idea.
What are the best macro-algae to keep in a refugium?
Macro-algae helps clean the water by binding up nitrates, phosphates and heavy metals. There are even entire filtration systems designed around the water cleansing property of algae. So, if your goal is ultimate filtration capacity, it might be some types of turf algae.
Most of the time's reef hobbyist focus on the most productive algae form while filtering their system, and that is fine. But, not a lot of folks pay close attention to all the types of micro-algae out there, but they are every bit as diverse and beautiful as corals.
Its entirely possible to establish a refugium, as a secondary show tank using decorative microalgae in place of corals. Most refugium are a lot of opportunity to do something artistic, but most refugium should rival the cleanliness and design of a freshwater planted tank.
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