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- Hey, it's Thomas here,
and today we're doing a review
on the CPR Aquatics AquaFuge 2 hang-on refugium.
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- So refugiums are nothing new.
Hobbyists have been benefiting from them
for many, many years now.
The simple concept of having a separate, safe space
for growing beneficial microorganisms
that go on to feed our fish and other livestock,
along with the ability to grow various algae
and macro algae outside of the display,
where it can be managed and utilized
to uptake excess nutrients from our systems
are fantastic examples of why refugiums
have been a staple in our hobby
since their conception many moons ago.
The fact is, not everyone has an aquarium setup
that allows them to easily incorporate a refugium.
Some basic sump designs may not have
the space inside them to allow for a refugium.
All-in-one tanks often don't have
enough space in the back to incorporate a refugium
that's gonna be easy to take care of,
let alone easy to light.
And maybe, just at the beginning of setting up your tank,
your budget didn't really allow you
to have a refugium on there.
But we got a solution for that.
Thankfully, CPR Aquatics is in the game
of making reefing gear for those of us
who lack drilled aquariums or easily modified tanks,
meaning there is an all-in-one solution
to getting a refugium on your aquarium.
The AquaFuge 2 hangs on your tank or sump
and provides 2.5, 3.6, or 4.7 gallons of refugium space,
depending on the model.
The baffle system prevents substrate and inhabitants
from becoming disturbed,
while allowing for adequate water flow
to prevent stagnant areas within the refugium.
The back of the AquaFuge 2 is black,
which eliminates light spill from the refugium
into the display tank.
The included pump sits inside your display tank
then pushes water into the refugium,
meaning any adult copepods, amphipods,
or other microorganisms that leave the refugium
will flow gently out of the grated outlet chamber
without being minced up by pump impeller
on the way to your display tank.
This also means that the AquaFuge 2 is self priming
and will restart on its own after a power failure.
The grated outlet also helps prevent
unwanted pieces of macro algae,
like strands of chaeto,
from making its way out of the refugium
and into your tank.
The optional LED bar fits nicely over the refugium
without taking up much space,
thanks to the provided stands,
and makes the AquaFuge 2 an easy turnkey refugium solution.
Well, that said, for a few bucks more,
you can get the version without the light
and then upgrade to the Tunze 8831 Refugium LED.
It's completely waterproof
and mounts elegantly with a magnet,
meaning you could even mount the light
below the surface of the water
to minimize light spill into the room,
and the algae-geared spectrum of the Tunze
will provide optimal light for algae growth.
The AquaFuge 2 is also an excellent option
for those who want the full benefits of a refugium
over something like an algae reactor or an algae scrubber,
but in an area that's a lot easier to remove and maintain
than, say, directly in your sump,
where it can be a lot more cumbersome
to actually clean up when it's time to clean up.
And we all want clean sumps,
because a clean sump means a clean display
and a happy, healthy reef.
So a good option.
You should think about it.
I think there's also a solid argument
to be made for using a hang-on refugium
instead of a typical hang-on power filter,
for those reefers out there
looking to maintain a small reef aquarium.
Not only is this gonna add more water volume
than a typical power filter would.
But the added benefit of a refugium
can outperform typical biomedia
found in most power filter options.
Not to say that you couldn't run both,
but if space on the back of the tank is an issue,
I would definitely take the refugium over a power filter.
Now, personally, I would have loved to see
the sides and bottom of the AquaFuge 2 blacked out as well.
A lot of reefers are gonna be using this
directly on the back of their reef aquarium,
and those blacked out panels
would have helped a little bit more
with light spill into the room,
especially since many of us reefers
are gonna be running the lighting on the refugium
opposite of the lighting on the main tank
for that pH stability effect.
You might get a little bit more light spill into the room.
It's not a huge deal.
Just woulda been a little bit nicer, in my opinion.
With that said, I'm really just splitting hairs.
The solid construction and easy-to-use format
of this particular hang-on refugium
makes it an excellent option for any reefer
looking to add the benefits of a refugium to their system
who may not already have the space or ability to
on their current filtration setup.
So, if you're in the market for a refugium
and you're looking for one that hangs on, boom!
I would not hesitate to pick this one up.
But before you add any refugium to your system,
check out this video right here
on our top 15 refugium mistakes,
where Ryan and Randy are gonna walk you through
all of the mistakes that you can make with a refugium
and how not to do it,
and better yet, how to do it right.
So check it out.