HOB Filter vs HOB Refugium

[cerulean_blue]

I have a 29gal SW Reef tank. It's been up for about 3 months no issues really. I have about 40lbs of LR and an Aquaclear 70 filter running.

I would like to populating my tank with enough copepods so I can get a mandarin in the future.

So I am wondering if I can switch my Aquaclear 70 into a HOB Refugium? I've seen posts on how to do it, my question is can I JUST have the refugium w/o the filter?

Thanks

 

[Ingy]

Do you have a hob skimmer right now?

I am also looking at making changes to my 30g with just a filter. I can't keep up with the nitrates despite adding a cheato ball and light to the filter box. I'm currently doing 20% weekly wc and doubling up this week.
So I am interested in what you find out. I will be following this (if I can figure out how to on my phone).

 

[cerulean_blue]

Do you have a hob skimmer right now?

I am also looking at making changes to my 30g with just a filter. I can't keep up with the nitrates despite adding a cheato ball and light to the filter box. I'm currently doing 20% weekly wc and doubling up this week.
So I am interested in what you find out. I will be following this (if I can figure out how to on my phone).

I do not have a skimmer. I use seachem purigin in my filter and that keeps the nitrates very low, I've never seen it higher than 10ppm.

 

[Newfiereefer]

If you want to do reef , best to avoid any mechanical filtration and use skimmer and LR for filtration , filters can quickly turn into nitrate factories , where as a skimmer will simply remove the waste from you DT preventing it from creating nitrates, I have a coral life 65g HOB skimmer , and a fluvol 206 canister that runs chemi pure and a phosphate media ( no sponges what so ever ) I use to have a nitrate problem with a 20% weekly WC , since I switched to this it's been 3 weeks with no WC and nitrates still at 0. As for a HOB refuge, with all the LR u have u should be able to keep a mandarin eventually.
Hope this helps