Benefits of keeping fish in a refugium

[AdamHorton]

I know that some people keep fish in a refugium, but I don't know what the benefits of that are. I understand using a refugium as a temporary holding place for fish; such as a place to keep fry to raise them until they are big enough to survive in the main tank, or maybe as a place to keep a fish who's overly stressed by the aggression of other fish until things can calm down.

However, I know that some people keep fish in refugiums permanently, such as small clownfish. Are there other benefits to this that I don't know of?

 

[Mitchell0605]

There is a lot of natural food running around in a refugium like coepods that the fish can feed upon easily. Some people also keep them in there because they became aggresive or were eating things they shouldn't, but didn't want to get rid of them. One guy I heard about kept a pair of Maroon Clowns in his fuge because he already had a normal Perc pair in the DT and he didn't want to get rid of either.

 

[austinsdad]

No benefits, just druthers some time.

 

[melosu58]

The only fish I would keep there would be fish or inverts that are banished for being bad. I personally would not go out and buy some for the refuge.

 

[mrg02d]

How about taking the bad fish or invert for a "ride"? I live near the coast...Might taking something for a ride and dumping it be okay?

Matt

 

[Etunes]

I live near the coast...Might taking something for a ride and dumping it be okay?

Matt

That is NEVER ok. Imagine if you get a established population into the ecosystem and it upsets the balance of things. This can have a HUGE consequences in the environment, even for a small fish. Besides it is illegal. I live in FL and we have this problem contently because people think that.

The only fish I would keep there would be fish or inverts that are banished for being bad.

Thats funny.

 

[AdamHorton]

Well, I could think of all sorts of reasons not to put a fish in a refugium, and it looks like the only benefits of doing that are either temporary, or result from unforeseen circumstances, mostly related to aggression.

I saw a video a while back of a beautiful refugium some guy had. There were a couple of ballasts and in one of them, there was a deep sand bed (about 7-8") and on top of that there was an anemone and a clown bonded to it. It looked great and I wondered why that sort of thing wasn't in the display tank where everybody could see it. Maybe that guy was just a weirdo...

 

[austinsdad]

I've had fish in my fuge that got sucked down thru the overflow. Too much rock to remove and go fishin'. I also at one time had a feather duster there and is also where I preferred to keep my emerald green crabs. Had an urchin too. Bottom line, there are just times when certain things are not preferred in the main for compatability or other reasons.

I saw nothing wrong with, and enjoyed the ability to keep a diversity of life in my system, albeit in the sump. Where only I was able to enjoy it. But wait!!! It was my tank to enjoy. So Adam. You callin me a weirdo???

Just pullin your leg.

 

[AdamHorton]

umm, I'm calling the guy that would spend the money on a separate lighting system for a refugium that wasn't in his display a weirdo.

I also enjoy the diversity of life my refugium brings, I have macro algae and copepods down there, and I totally get why you would want to have inverts down there. I just didn't see why you would have a fish down there when I thought it would always be happier in the display tank. I just cleaned up my refugium (see this thread: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f20/tweaking-my-sump-refugium-plumbing-128246.html ) and was geeking out about how only I get to see the pods running around and such...

 

[melosu58]

A good example is that when I took down my eel tank I had a CC star that could not go in my reef. I put him in the fuge and he`s been there for a couple yrs.

 

[Zer0]

I also enjoy the diversity of life my refugium brings, I have macro algae and copepods down there, and I totally get why you would want to have inverts down there. I just didn't see why you would have a fish down there when I thought it would always be happier in the display tank. I just cleaned up my refugium (see this thread: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f20/tweaking-my-sump-refugium-plumbing-128246.html ) and was geeking out about how only I get to see the pods running around and such...

That's my main reason for finally turning to a sump/refugium. I love the diversity of life that it brings into the equation. Especially if you begin to get different types of LR or rubble that will bring in new critters for you to look at. It's like looking in to an underwater jungle. Refugiums are awesome, and not just because they can help the entire tank system.