Refugium. DIY? Maybe A breeder box??

[SaltwaterTeen]

I want a refugium for macro, or coepods or amphipods, or a little tank for raising young. I was wondering if there is a good diy fuge or maybe I could use an in-tank breeder box and fill the bottom with live sand and add some macro?? Or do u know any cheap Hob Fuge???

 

[BillyZ]

I thnk CPR makes a HOB fuge... but if you're looking for multi purpose.. just go to walmart and pick up 10 gallon tank for $20.

 

[SaltwaterTeen]

And I would have to use a pump and 2 hoses 1 for bringing water into fuge and one taking out right??

 

[brndfrb]

yeah just like a sump. Or if you ar handy you can build a new sump with a built in fuge. Just use a glas tank and section it off or build one out of acrylic.

 

[sumphead]

How much room behind the tank do you have?

 

[mojo]

yeah just like a sump. Or if you ar handy you can build a new sump with a built in fuge. Just use a glas tank and section it off or build one out of acrylic.

How do you actually do that ... can you be more specific? If there's one piece of tubing coming from the tank to one section of the sump/fuge, and one going from the sump/fuge back to the tank, how does water flow between the sections?

 

[quarryshark]

You can build a partition in the center to about 1/2 way up. The water will flow over the partition.

 

[SaltwaterTeen]

I have about 2 1/2 - 3 feet behind the tank

 

[mojo]

You can build a partition in the center to about 1/2 way up.

How do you fix the sides of the partition to the tank, epoxy? How much room should be dedicated to sump, and how much fuge?

By the way, sorry SaltwaterTeen for cutting into your thread.

 

[sumphead]

If you use a tank you can use either glass or acylic and silicon works well. If you build a sump from acrylic then you use a product called weld-on. It's an acrylic bonder, but your cuts have to be perfect.

As for SWTeen I suggest a HOB fuge depending on if you skim or not. If you do what type of skimmer do you have to see if it would work well in a sump. Then decide from there.

R

 

[SaltwaterTeen]

I have found a really kick a** sump-based refugium by cpr and boy is it sweet for what is payed for, check it out

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/reeftropicals/aquafugepro.html

That whole thing is the refugium right?? I didnt know you could keep clowns in there or coral 8O I like it. it comes with everything, the skimmer, the lights, all you need to do is add sand and water and either macro, a few fish maybe?? A clown or two??? Corals??? I dont know much about refugiums but they look very helpful, they are like a quart, but I think they are better

 

[sumphead]

NOT A QT! I thinks that's what you meant by "quart" right? It can't e used as a QT tank as it shares the same water as your tank. You can't medicate in it nor use hypo salinity. Unless you know more about it, like the type of lighting and how effetive the skimmer is I wouldn't recommend it. A sump is supposed to be out of sight hiding your equipment and increasing water capacity. A fuge is to remove DOCs via macro growth exportation and provide an area free of predation for pods and such to replenish your main display by putting fish in it you are adding predation. Yes it can be used as an isolation area in the even you need to separate some fish for some reason but I wouldn't make it thier home. But I guess you could if you really wanted to, but why not just get another tank for that?

So are you not skimming now? You may find with a lighter bio-load some hobbyist aren't skimming at all anymore with the addition of a large enough refugium they export enough DOCs with Macro algea growth and the use of mineral/miracle mud or nutrient rich gunk to replinish trace elements. I realize your setup is rather new and at the moment there probably isn't a lot of DOCs and skimming isn't necissary at the moment.

Do you have an overflow box right now, or do you need one of those too?

R-

 

[BillyZ]

yea, the fish and coral in that pic for "marketing" The main purpose of the fuge is as sumphead explained, is for sand and macro algaes. Some folks add a brittle star and some snails for some basic clean up in there but I wouldn't recommend fish and deffinetly not corals.

 

[SaltwaterTeen]

I have no overflow, I have a seaclone 100 skimmer, a turb twist 3x uv sterilizer, and I own a bio wheel and a canister filter (Penguin 330 bio) (xP3 canister by filstar)

 

[SaltwaterTeen]

Oh yea, It wouldnt be used as a quarantine LOL

 

[Guest]

I would never pay that much for a fuge. I have a 55 gal fuge DIY. Its doing really well, and im going to add some fether calupera soon. All you need is a container, and an overflow box, and a pump with a ball valve on the return and your set

 

[BillyZ]

lots of folks just use a rubbermaid container even. all depends on what you want to do with it.