hang-on refugium?

[dianeww]

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...64562&siteid=6

How does this product look for someone with no space to add a real refugium? Seems like a good idea to me as a novice. It's not very big, but better than nothing? Does anyone have one like this?

[steve r]

i have the 12 inch model by CPR. i think it is the one you linked. i really like it. i put sand and and rock rubble in it. i choose not to light mine. i think you provide a better enviroment for pods if you leave it dark. a few feather dusters have moved in to it and i put a bristle worm in there to help keep it clean. i will be selling mine soon ( i am moving up to a bigger tank with a bigger sump and fuge area ) PM me if you might be interested

steve r

[SYLVERXRS]

I have an 18 inch cpr hang on back refugium and i love it, I have zero space for anything. I have pods everywhere feather dusters everywhere. I also have mangrove shoots that are doing great. I would love to have a bigger refugium but this is better than nothing.

[austinsdad]

Great addition to your tank. Make sure you get the light kit that comes with it.
Got mine from Darin @ Captive Reefs. Hopefully they're still around. AA members get a discount too.

The light is called a Jalli PC hood. A 13w daylight bulb in a plastic hood. Looks real nice too. Try him @ sales@captivereefs.com. The light was $39 back in November when I got mine.

[dianeww]

Thank you all very much! This is looking like my next addition. It's on sale (the large 25" size) for 89.99 on-line at Drs Foster and Smith. My tank is 48", 75 gallon, so I think I'll go with the biggest one. But I can't find any lights at their site (seems odd). Maybe I'll go for the light at captivereefs.

These don't need anything else, do they, like their own filter? It comes with a powerhead. I'm assuming they just circulate water back and forth from the main tank as they arrive from the box. Is this correct? Easy to set up?

[austinsdad]

Yeah. Easy to set up. Comes with a pump. No filter needed. Pulls in thru the pump on one side in a protected area, fills up with water that flows over into the main area - where yu'll have your rock rubble, macro algae or whatever, then flows over into the return area and back into your tank.

Watcha gonna put in it?

[dianeww]

The only thing I'm thinking right now is that I'd like macro-algae. Suggestions? (I'm totally new at this! ) Oh, also if I can catch some mean-looking crabs, could they go in there?

[austinsdad]

Chaeto macro algae and rock rubble is what I'm gonna be using. Not sure if the crabs would have to be fed though. Will this HOB be up against the wall. If so, might not be able to see much in the fuge, but it'd still serve as a haven for pod growth (that's a good thing), and the macro algae will help absorb phosphates. If you can, light the fuge when the main is off for better ph balance. I couldn't since the fuge light was also lighting my main too much. Had to have both on at the same time.

Some use sand in their fuge. Anybody else? What do you put in your HOB fuge?

[dianeww]

It's going to have to be against the wall in back. My first thought was to hang one on one end of the tank so we could see it, but I can't figure a way to have it on there and still have the light fixture fit. (It would have to be the small version at any rate, and bigger has to be better.)

[austinsdad]

Bigger is better IMO, so the back sounds like it'd work better.

[malkore]

yeah, use Chaeto for the macro algae. for lighting, I just bought the little coralife 2x13w fixture, and used epoxy to attach a couple plastic L brackets (that hold cupboard shelves) to the sides, so it grips the top of teh fuge. It can slide left/right, but not front to back, so it cannot get knocked off teh fuge. That fixture grows chaeto so fast....that I could easily ship a fist sized clump every other week, and never run short.

[dianeww]

That sounds like a good idea for the lights, malkore.
Do the fish eat chaeto, or is it just to control excess nutrients?

[austinsdad]

Tangs might like it.

[yswong]

If I add a hang-on refugium to my tank, should I still keep my canister filter? Thanks.