The lazy man’s way to avoid algae. Refugium set up tips for nitrate and phosphate control.
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- Опубліковано 12 вер 2024
- What is a refugium and how does a refugium work? Is a refugium the best saltwater tank filtration method? There's something to be said about growing algae to prevent algae and a refugium is our favorite way to filter a reef tank.
The fun begins! Follow along while we setup two different types of saltwater tanks that you can do right along with us. Here's your guide to setup a 40gal reef tank or 45gal All-In-One saltwater aquarium.
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I have looked everywhere for a detailed saltwater fish guide and I would like to thank you for this amazing guide. I hope everything with your tanks are going well and I wish you the best in your life and UA-cam.
Happy you mentioned the Tunze LED light. Available in different light coloring for several easy to go lighting solutions. Great product, great brand.
I’m glad this got suggested to me, I was trying to figure out why my chaeto wasn’t growing fast, I’ve only been running my fuge light for 8 hours, I’m gonna put it up to 12 hours to see where it takes me, so far I have copepods, asterina stars and baby Mexican turbos in my fuge, they love it in there.
Update: bumped up fuge light to 12 hours and my chaeto is growing like a weed now.
This is awesome!! What size sump do you have, I'm deciding on maybe buying the TUNZES 8831. they come in dit colors which do you have?
This new 5 minute salt water guide videos are awesome Ryan!
Ryan is awesome. Lots of info read/remembered and delivered so smoothly. Always appreciate info he shares
Hi I'm New here
.I have a couple freshwater tanks and would like to get into Saltwater. You certainly make it seem easy with this guide..Thanks for sharing
Thank you! Glad to hear that you're finding it helpful. If you run into any questions along the way, we're here to help!
The CPR was the first fuge I ever use many years ago. What a cool unit. Blast from the past.
I have three of those Tunzes. You will notice that submerging these lights will give you almost twice the intensity (have not measured the actual par difference but it is very noticeable) and will cool the light, improving longevity.
I have a 20 gallon 3 chamber sump. Would you recommend this on my size sump??
For someone looking to add a heavy duty Kessil H380 as a fuge light, you might want to wait. The next iteration will have an intensity control, which the H380 doesn't have, also it'll have a white light feature, so you if you need to do work in the sump and find it hard to see things clearly with the reddish purple light you can one touch that to regular white light.
Any algae talk is good talk, if you ask me.
Macro algae itself can be nearly as beautiful as coral
@@Lyle-xc9pg I've always wanted a macro-only tank, especially the blue and reds.
You say lazy man's but I'm into this method because I'm virtually homebound. Also I appreciate the challenge of eliminating water changes.
I criticize this channel sometimes because of the almost-always nod to the ultra high end equipment. Not everyone has multiple thousands of dollars just to get a 75 gallon mixed reef community going. Now THIS is the type of vid that will REALLY help a lot of newcomers. Thanks guys. Excellent video. Please try to keep doing an occasional vid for the 'little guy'
This hobby is going to run you multiple thousands of dollars, unfortunately. There just is not much of a way around it. You can buy the cheap stuff initially but you spend more money in the long run once you realize that you will end up with the more expensive stuff down the line anyway.
Yep. Agreed. I was in the hobby several decades ago. Much has changed. The cost of good equipment is why I've been gathering what will last before setting things up again. I don't want to set myself up for failure... or at least misery. Things have become crazy cool in the last few decades
Awesome Video BRS!
Thank you great great series thank you for past your knowledge to us thank you
instead of the 'save a watt' timer, why not just a smart plug? It's cheaper.
Nathan Griffin I’m using three 6 outlet smart plug, works fantastically.
A smart plug is exploitable by hackers to gain access to your network.
This has been such a great series. Thanks again!
I wish I could grow chaeto. I used to grow it nice and thick with a reflector lamp and a large CFL bulb. I've tried 4-5 times over the past couple of years, but it typically dies in a matter of a week or two. That Kessil H380 has only served as a $300 pendant to dangle over my refugium. I'm giving it one more go next week. I ordered chaeto along with Brightwell ChaetoGro. Maybe the prior attempts failed because of low iron, or other minerals. I have low nutrients (PO3: 4, PO4:N/A), but there should be just enough to support Chaeto.
I see success with a 25$ dollar Amazon light and a diy Aquaclear refugim. That’s odd lol
Another great video. I have been binging on these whenever I have free time.
Any chance you guys could do a video on how to convert a built in sump ATO into a refugium?
Just bought this light! Gonna instal it in the last chamber on my 170 👌🏻
Same thing with fresh water use fast growing plant and you will be ok
Hi, really a great guide for beginners! Nowdays it is becoming more and more common to set upi macroalgae tanks. Some of those algae are really astonishing nice. Would you see adding some of those macroalgae in the tank (for instance in the RD E-170) as a way to have a "refugium" but inside the display tank? Thanks :-)
We've had a few tanks around the BRS office with macro algae in the display before, but long term, there are usually fish or inverts in those tanks that eventually start munching on them. You'd have to be really thoughtful about the other tank inhabitants if you want to put macro algae in the display area, but it's certainly not impossible.
@@BRStv thanks for the prompt reply! Indeed I didn’t think about this aspect. As beginner I should probably try to keep it simpler 😊
Is there a uk company like algae barn ? For clean cheato etc
Always awesome stuff!
Question: Would you recommend an Algae scrubber instead of a refugium? Thanks!
We would determine this based on space in the sump. If you did not have room for a large refugium getting an algae scrubber would be a good way to still get nutrient reduction, and not take space in the sump.
Is getting cheato from a fish only system safer than a reef tank? Less chance of getting the nasty stuff, great info love this channel
Maybe slightly just due to less chance of hitch hikers coming from frags, but this could still have pests within it. We would get macro from a trusted pest free source!
Following this guide for my first tank. I have an E170 but my phosphates are climbing (currently at .41 ppm) Did you solve this by more water changes, carbon dosing, etc?
I hope they compare the costs between the 2 at the end
Could I put a small refugium in a Evo 13.5 second chamber and fix a light on the side of the glass, as I would like to add a ai prime HD to the aquarium so a light above would not fit many thanks great video as always 🙂
This is a great question why nobody answer it ?
So what goes first, the refugium or skimmer?
If you're following an algae heavy nutrient export method like Triton, they'd tell you refugium first. In reality, we've not seen a major difference in results either way.
I got sea lettuce instead of chaeto? Is it still good? It grows fast.
Yes you can still get removal from this! With chaeto you can get a lot of plant in a smaller area, so it may be more effective. We are sure you are still seeing benefits from this though.
Hi Marcel, Sean from AlgaeBarn. Sea lettuce is our fastest grower, and under ideal conditions, can double in under 3 days!
I just feed a little more with refugium keeps the tank in a perfect happy state
My cheato was a success from get go. It grew immensely large the first week. And then overnight, it started melting. No difference in light schedule either, as a matter of fact I only had it on a few hours anyway. Not sure what's causing the melting
Sorry to hear that! Situations like this are always frustrating when there is seemingly no explanation for the problem.
What kind of crab is at 1:18??
That would be a pom pom crab. Super unique and cool creatures!
Can I add a refugium in place of me filter socks? My sump dose not have a dedicated spot. And don’t really want a hang on back one.
If you wanted to eliminate your filter socks, you could certainly use that space for a refugium. Just keep in mind that you won't be able to easily remove detritus from a refugium like you can with filter socks. In other words, there is a trade off by going with one over another.
What light would you recommend for the large size HOB refugium??
Depending on how much space you have to work with, check out the Tunze refugium light.
www.bulkreefsupply.com/ecochic-waterproof-refugium-led-light-8831-00-tunze.html
I have a question even though your channel is 99.9% salt water I have a freshwater tank but I have a nice sump that has a spot to use as a refugium .Now of course There are people who say there’s no reason to use that on a freshwater tank but there’s others I strongly disagree I’d like your opinion and what would you use in that spot some people say sand and lava rock other say use mud I just don’t I see using mud. And of course there’s a small chamber between the rerugium And where the pump goes should that have some type of filter media in there even though I am using a sock I would still think there be a chance of debris getting to the pump particularly if you use lava rock or sand.I could always put bio balls out of my old sump in there. This tank was basically set up to be a saltwater tank it’s only 55 gallons but I have a hard enough time keeping up with cichlids it’ll be a while before I attempt a saltwater tank but I do love watching your channel you’re very meticulous and you are very informative and with the information that you pass along Thank you for taking my question
So do I need to follow algae barns steps by adding they’re bacteria to the refugium and then wait a week to add the chaeto? Or since I’ve added nitrifying bacteria to the tank it’s “established” enough to just throw the chaeto into the fuge in my sump and let it do work?
It's not a bad idea to wait to start your refugium as macro algae can consume ammonia and cause the cycle to take longer than usual. We went through this with our ULM tanks when we tried to start a refugium right away. In our opinion, it's best to wait until you are starting to see nitrates/phosphates before getting the refugium started.
Yeah I got chaeto from my lfs and that’s how I got aiptasia everywhere
Me too :(
Can’t cheato melt with to much light? I heard no more than 6 hours or it could kill your cheato, is that true?
Too much light is bad, but for chaeto, that's usually more about light intensity rather than overall photo period. Many reefers will illuminate their refugium opposite of their display, or upwards of 12-14 hours per day.
I wish my sump was larger and had room for a fuge. However, I'm interested in the new standalone algae scrubbers (eg Clearwater) vs one of these hang on the back fuges. I'm not sure if either would be sufficient for a 300g with the room I have, but do you have any comparisons of that? I know the scrubbers are still pretty new so data is probably limited.
Hey I have a Meleves Reef 3 chamber sump that's 20 gallons. Would this tunzes be the correct size for for my chaeto chamber???
YOO whats that crab at 1:14?
Sir can we keep cheto morpha with activated carbon in our sump
I use a sump that has two water paths one to the Refugium and one that skips the refugium to carbon socks. I am cycling my tank what percentage of water flow should I try to achieve through the refugium>? I was told 5% that seems low to me compared to the clip in this video.
I would think of it in terms of just getting flow through the mass of chaeto. there's really no hard rule of thumb for water flow through the fuge, but we have found the most success having ample circulation throughout the fuge chamber which can easily be done by adding a pump or powerhead.
I just need a straight answer from an expert. Assuming you have 180gal mixed reef tank, with a stable population of medium sized fish and adequate filtration...how much cheato do I need?
If your goal is to maintain chaeto as a main filtration method, using the Triton recommendations of 10% of the display volume is a good place to start. In your case, somewhere in the 15-20 gallon size for a refugium would be ideal.
Well imma buy some from brs
On the e170(rear sump only), could you run an Algae reactor such as the Tunze Mar-3181? Maybe the reactor pump and return line could be placed in the return pump chamber or?
You could certainly run an external algae reactor, but it does get a little messy when you have to harvest the macroalgae from it due to a siphon being created.
@@BRStv Hmm, check valve?
What are your thoughts on miracle mud? I've used it before and had good success with it but, I've been out of the reef game for about 3 years.
We tend not to use it, because we don't have any solid proof that it performs better then if the chaeto is on its own.
@@BRStv thank you for your response. When I used it before, I used along with chaeto.
Why not get the *refugium* going before you add the corals?
Instead of buying a hang on back refugium how about any cheap hang on back box filter that you just put the *living Macro algae*as long as you can get it a good light cycle?
You could start this beforehand given you had nutrients in the system. You could also use a HOB filter box for macro if desired.
I guess I should have mentioned adding between your first fish and the corals. Would that help stabilizing the tank ammonia cycle?
At what point do you recommend adding chaeto to the refugium? Day 1? After initial cycle?
We usually suggest setting your refugium up as soon as you start to see nitrates and phosphates. Without nutrients in the water, most chaeto will just slowly turn to mush.
@@BRStv this is perfect, and needed to know this. Just finished plumbing my sump getting ready for the CYCLE❤️
My chaeto always clogs the teeth that goes into the baffle for the return section causing the ato to throw more freshwater in the tank how can i solve that?
Try using some mesh to keep the Chaeto out of the teeth. The AquaMesh works great for this!
Does CPR refg leave room for light? I have the IM 40 with Kessil 360x right in the middle. I really want to add a refugium but the big box looks like I would need to move/replace the light? do you guys know if I can add one on to my set up. It looks like your lights are connected to your back wall likes mine.
These will not leave much clearance room for a lights mount. We have these mounts placed on backwards to accommodate this!
I have a Biocube all-in-one. Is there a refugium set up for my tank?
You could try to turn one of the rear sump chambers into a small refugium, but given the lack of space back there, it may be more trouble than it's worth.
Thinking of adding a fuge on my redsea 250 can i still grow copopods in it as i have a uv light
If you use sea lettuce, can you eat it?
We don't recommend eating anything out of your aquarium
@@BRStv bummer
Do you need carbon media with a refugium, I’m about to set my fuge up
Carbon and refugiums with macro algae do different jobs. There would be value in running carbon on a tank with a refugium. Benefits like reduced yellowing pigments in the water and reduction of odor being the most common two.
@@BRStv thank you so much, so if I run the carbon and a refugium. Do I have to have a media reactor or can I just put carbon in a bag? And if so where should the placement be? Maybe under the filter socks? Lastly where should my UV sterilizer go in a sump set up with a refugium?
how early should u add cheto to a new tank setup?
We'd suggest adding chaeto to the tank when you have nitrates and phosphates in the tank worth reducing. Until then, we've found that the chaeto will sort of fall apart in a new system.
How do you get the chaeto to roll in the refugium?
You can use a powerhead to get this motion in the chaeto. As it grows it will become harder to achieve this.
What rock did you use in the nano Tank? It is reef rock 2.1?
This is Real Reef rock! (:
www.bulkreefsupply.com/55-pounds-real-reef-rock-mixed-sizes-real-reef-solutions.html
I added broken pieces in my JBJ 24 with cheato in middle chamber I have tons of pods living in it
This video was 6:35. I need my 1:35 back!!!
Jac Buc haha
it also a cheaper method cheatos
1:17 does anyone know what crab that is?
pom pom crab. Holds two anemones. Can't remember why I didn't immediately purchase one. I think it's because they rarely come out during the day. Can't be sure tho
Pom poms crab. There epic you definately need one ;)
Hey, do you have to place the refuguim before or after the skimmer?
After skinner and mechanical filtration
We generally add this after the skimmer. This helps to avoid getting macro algae in the skimmer pump. (:
What should I do when my refugium is infested with green hair algae?
It doesn't sound fun, but manual removal is going to be your best friend in that case.
@@BRStv yeah I have been trying it. On my second batch of chaeto. At $20 for just a small golfball size gets pretty expensive to keep replacing. Once it gets infested not much you can do but throw it out. I am trying turning off the light for a few days to see if I can kill some of it off and manually remove it.
Put your light over refugium on a timer it should be on at night when main tank lights go out mines set up this way I have no problems with hair alga got tons of pods in there to
I watched the brs refugium series again and it appears that BRS had the same problems I am having. They had to restart the experiment because GHA grew in the tank with the h380. I have the h380 Horticulture light and it is so powerful that there is more than enough light to go around for cheato and gha. I've since move to Ulva chaeto and red ogo for macro algae. Yes my h380 is on a timer plugs into my Apex and it's on for 10 hours at night when the tank lights are off. Since moving to the new algae's things have been good. I would equate this success to having a large amount of macroalgae to begin with and multiple types. One little golf ball size chaeto is not going to be able to compete the GHA. The ulva in particular has been growing like mad. Seems to have doubled or tripled in size within the first week. Another benefit my Tang seems to love to eat ulva. No need to buy Nori sheets anymore. If I did my build again I would probably skip on the h380 light given that it doesn't have an intensity dial. Kessil looks to have released a new light that has an intensity dial. The AI Prime refugium light would probably be another good choice.
Eric Eddy nice going I have a small grow LED I think $24.00 on ebay very little heat and no algae problem
Can’t tell y’all how many times I’ve accidentally clicked on this video