Help stocking fuge

[Dingodan]

I just setup my refugium for my 25g reef tank and i need to know what to stock it with primarily for algae control in the display

 

[carey]

I have live rock, chaeto and caulpera in my refugium.

 

[Dingodan]

What do those do?

 

[Tomchong22]

Macro algae in the fuge is for taking in excess nutrient from the water so the hair algae and cyno can not grow in the dt. In my fuge I am growing, chaeto with liverock, phosphate reactor, algae turf scrubber and Xenia coral because it is a filter feeding coral.

 

[Dingodan]

What do the chaeto do? What is algae turf scrubber?

 

[Gregcoyote]

Algae turf scrubber is what I have used for the past 20 years, I built my own after reading a book Dr. Addy at the Smithsonian wrote.

It basically has brighter illumination than the main tank, causing algae to grow there before it does in the main tank, thus soaking up all the available nutrients for plant growth. The algae can be easily harvested for food, or thrown down the toilet. Many different kinds of algae works in these systems. Mine uses a dump bucket that creates a wave every 10 seconds.

 

[Dingodan]

Im wondering if i should have a 4 inch (fuge is only 7" deep) sand bed or mineral mud? What are the benefits? How much mineral mud would i want?

 

[Gregcoyote]

Im wondering if i should have a 4 inch (fuge is only 7" deep) sand bed or mineral mud? What are the benefits? How much mineral mud would i want?

I didn't elect to have a sand or mud bed. My stuff drains thru egg crate on a mesh and thats where the algae grows. Some live rock sits on the mesh.