Sand vs. Gravel...Refugium vs. UV Sterilizer?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

SeriousDude5

Aquarium Advice FINatic
Joined
Dec 28, 2004
Messages
582
Location
Connecticut
I am looking for information on these topics I want to go sand and refugium. But I have heard that UV sterilizers are better than fuges but they can depleate useful algea in your tank like Plankton. also I heard that gravel could be better than sand because it doesnt trap bacteria. Please let me know what you all do/think TIA.
 
Sand offers more suface area than crushed coral for calcium, ph buffering, and bacteria colonization than gravel. Bacteria are actually good, thay are what converts ammonia into nitrites and then nitrates.

UV sterilizers and refuges do completely opposite things, as refugiums allow extra life to grow and UV sterilizers get rid of the life in the water flowing through it.

I personally use sand and would love to have a refuge to grow chaeto and ulva for herbivore food and nitrate uptake, but I can't have anything on the floor (small children) and I am having a little trouble selling the $200 CPR AquafugePS to my wife :(
 
Alright thank you for your input I think I am going to go finely crushed argonite and fuge can other people please give me there input!
 
If you have the means to do a fuge then do as they are very beneficial. I use sugar sand in my tank and I am happy with it. I have alittle crushed coral that I wish I hadn't put in there.
 
Thanks Edmonton Eskimo I went out yesterday and bought 90 pounds of sugar sand for a 3-4 inch DSB and I hopped online to and got a 24 inch hang on the back CPR refuge with 18 watt jalli light, powerhead and sediment for a decent price of $160. I will post pics one I got it back up and running.
 
Back
Top Bottom