HOB Refugium

[Dgameman1]

I currently have a HOB Marineland 150 Filter

My display tank is 29 gallons high

Now. I've been looking around for making them into a fuge.

My questions are, I got a chaeto and just placed it in the filter. Do you suggest I take out the filter cartridge? It does mechanical filtration and has carbon inside of it as well

What do you think I should do about the biowheel as well?

Anything else you suggest I put into the filter? Live rock? Sand? I also want to start a pod farm in there so that when I get my mandarin dragon, he can eat.

What do you guys suggest all in all?

 

[Chief910]

I want to know how this turns out I love the idea and might try it myself.

 

[BigRedsReefs10]

You'd need a light for it. IMHO it's not gonna help very much for either nutrient reduction or as a "pod farm". Please do not put a mandarin in a 29, you will not be able to support it and it will slowly starve.

 

[Dgameman1]

You'd need a light for it. IMHO it's not gonna help very much for either nutrient reduction or as a "pod farm". Please do not put a mandarin in a 29, you will not be able to support it and it will slowly starve.

I just ordered a light. This one to be exact

And I believe I've been breeding pods for a while now. I have a lot of live rock. Why do you say it won't support it? Just curious

 

[bribo12]

Because they devour hundreds of pods a day. Unless it eats frozen it would starve in that tank

 

[BigRedsReefs10]

Because they devour hundreds of pods a day. Unless it eats frozen it would starve in that tank

^that^. You need around 100 lbs of LR to support a mandi

 

[Chief910]

Will LEDs do the job? Just asking so I can follow

 

[Sniperhank]

Refugiums become more effective from 2 things, size and lighting. Small ones can only export smaller amounts of nutrients, where larger will be able to export more. Then the quality of lighting will also assist in the growth of the algae that you are growing...better lighting will = better growth, with then = better nutrient export.

 

[Dgameman1]

Refugiums become more effective from 2 things, size and lighting. Small ones can only export smaller amounts of nutrients, where larger will be able to export more. Then the quality of lighting will also assist in the growth of the algae that you are growing...better lighting will = better growth, with then = better nutrient export.

I put two filter pads, chaeto, and in thinking about putting in a tiny love rock underneath the chaeto and my lights arrive Tuesday!

 

[Sniperhank]

So, you are limiting the amount of macro algae you can have further? That will make this even less effective.

 

[Chief910]

Ok so practically no pads just algae and lights maybe some sand and rock rubble? Would that work good

 

[Sniperhank]

Just the algae. Sand and rock won't be enough to have any benefit is you already have one pound per gallon of both in rock and sand in the display.

 

[Dgameman1]

Just the algae. Sand and rock won't be enough to have any benefit is you already have one pound per gallon of both in rock and sand in the display.

I just added a tiny rock that went right where the biowheel used to be

 

[Chief910]

So I took out the carbon pads left a little filter pad to reduce flow a little and added led lighting to help the pods and algae I bought