*Freshwater* Refugiums

[Stickleback]

My original post was moved to SW which is understandable...

But this query was sparked off by reading DeepSeven's thread about Dwarf Puffers. Not wanting to hi-jack his thread, I thought I'd start a new one

Over in SW, Cmor gave me a link to an informative article, but it was really for SW refugiums.

Can anyone tell me any more about freshwater refugiums (refugia?)

Are they mainly to increase total water volume, or have they any other benefits?

Thanks

Glenn

 

[Lowryder]

The only FW refugiums I have seen are in tank ones.

External are used to increase total water and provide a place for some filter media. You could also raise food in them

Internal ones are for isolating sensitive critters.

 

[Deep Seven]

I wanted a refugium for all the reasons I've learned. More water volume, a place to put heaters, filters, etc., it's a place I can grow food for the main tank. In emergency I can use it to put a harassed fish in a safe place.

The biggest reason for me is I can grow animals to feed my main tank without them getting eaten before they can reproduce. Dwarf Puffers prefer live food, and they are messy eaters with unlimited food killing more then they eat.

 

[jsoong]

In addition to raising critters that might be eaten in the main tank, you can also raise plants (or algae) in a fuge.

I have seen setup like that on the net. The plants (usu. some sort of fast growing weed that is too unsightly to be in the tank) or green algae can remove your ammonia or nitrates. Helping to reduce your need for water changes and allowing for some overstocking of the main tank.

BTW - a fuge without any critters or plants is just a sump .... you can google that to get more ideas.