- Hi, this is Wayland from Marine Depot.
Today, we're taking a closer look
at the benefits of refugiums
and how to set up one in your reef tank.
(upbeat music)
In biological terms, a refugium is a remote location
that protects and supports a wildlife population.
A reef refugium is based on this principle
and works specifically to benefit your reef tank.
The idea behind a reef refugium
is to provide an isolated environment
separate from the main aquarium
for the cultivation of macroalgae, plankton,
and biological denitrification.
Here's how it works.
Macroalgae removes phosphate and nitrate,
thus lowing harmful nutrient levels.
Pieces of rock rubble provide a place
for macroalgae to attach.
The bacteria in the rubble will remove nitrates
through the natural denitrification process.
Refugiums also act as a live food nursery
for arthropods, copepods,
and other microorganisms that corals and fish love to eat.
In the early days of reef-keeping,
many aquarists thought a refugium had to be
at least as large as the main aquarium to be effective.
These monster refugiums were 100% do-it-yourself,
requiring drilling through glass and planning skills.
And also, they took up a ton of space.
Today, we're fortunate to have ready-made refugiums
specifically designed for reef aquariums.
There's in-tank, hang-on,
and integrated sump solutions for placement under your tank.
The first step on your road to refugium greatness
is to decide what type is suitable for your tank.
Let's talk about a few popular ones on the market,
the CPR CITR 2 in-tank refugium needs no water pump.
The flow-through acrylic design attaches inside the aquarium
or sump with suction cups.
All you do is add a light, macroalgae, rubble,
and maybe some sand, and you've got a refugium.
The Eshopps' CUBE Nano Refugium has a chamber for algae
and rock but can also house a protein skimmer.
Just connect it to the main aquarium,
add a return pump, and a small LED light.
If you've got the room, a trigger system sump
integrates a refugium area and provides plenty
of additional room for a protein skimmer,
filter socks, and other equipment.
This is a true, all-in-one, under-the-tank solution.
Some all-in-one reef aquariums have room
in the filter compartments to create a drop-in refugium.
Rubble and macroalgae can be used instead of filter sponges.
You can also consider a hang-on refugium,
such as the AquaMaxx HOB-R.
The AquaMaxx HOB-R is an excellent choice
for existing aquariums that have no additional room
for equipment under the tank.
The unit hands securely off the back
or side of your aquarium
and includes a small pump
to move water through the refugium.
Once you've sorted out the type of refugium,
here's a few advanced tips
that will make your 'fuge perform it's best.
Choose the right macroalgae.
Many reefers have great success with chaetomorpha algae.
It's a fast grower, removes nutrients,
and it's easy to harvest and provides a great habitat
for microfauna to grow and reproduce.
Halymenia or dragons breath algae
are also top performers that grow fast
and would do great inside a refugium.
Caulerpa is another very common refugium inhabitant.
Though it's very popular, it comes with some side-effects.
Caulerpa is very prolific and hardy,
which is great for refugiums.
But it also means that it can easily choke out
competing algae for light and space.
Caulerpa can also send spores throughout your display tank,
and when this dies in the process of sending spores out,
the absorbed nutrients and toxins are released
into your aquarium water.
Many aquarists refer to this as going sexual
because it's a natural reproductive mechanism.
The result can be a massive infiltration
of very resilient caulerpa in your display aquarium
that can choke out your corals for real estate.
It will also reduce your water quality.
In the wild, caulerpa is known to produce and release toxins
that ward off herbivorous predators of algae.
In our aquariums, these toxins have been credited
with causing problems with thin corals,
specifically, SPS corals.
Furthermore, many of the corals we keep
would never naturally occur
in the same area as caulerpa species,
so why would you expect them
to thrive together in an aquarium?
The lesson here is to be cautious of caulerpa.
Macroalgae needs light to grow.
In-tank and hang-on refugiums usually receive enough light
from the main aquarium light.
Refugiums located remotely or under the tank,
however, need a light source.
A basic full spectrum LED fixture is perfect
for this application,
and we stock a number of excellent options.
You can also find a number of DIY plans online.
The truth is that any full spectrum light source
will grow macroalgae,
but some lights are certainly better than others.
The spectrum of light being used
for refugiums has been a hot topic as of late
because science has proven that particular color spectrums
will promote a higher rate
of photosynthesis within macroalgae.
Therefore, more and more companies are releasing LED lights
with a heavy red and blue color spectrum
for maximum algae growth.
The new Aqua Illumination Fuge Light is a prime example
and has certainly helped boost the rate of growth
in our own refugiums here at Marine Depot.
Here's another tip.
An advanced 'fuge technique is to illuminate the refugium
opposite the lighting schedule of your display tank.
The idea is to balance the effect
of oxygen production and CO2 removal.
During the nighttime,
photosynthesis stops inside your aquarium,
and the corals no longer uptake CO2.
This leaves an increased amount of CO2 dissolved
in your aquarium water, which then lowers your pH level.
By running your refugium at night,
the algae inside the refugium will continue to uptake CO2
and help reduce the natural pH swings inside your tank
that occurs each night.
As macroalgae grows,
it's important to periodically harvest a portion
by removing it from your refugium.
Nutrients stored in the algae cells can leak out,
especially if the algae starts to die back.
Harvesting ensures that the nutrients are completely removed
from the aquarium.
This also opens up space for new macroalgae to grow
and to continue absorbing undesirable nutrients.
Here's another tip.
A very common practice when harvesting macroalgae
from a refugium is to take the removed clump of algae
and shake it gently in the aquarium water.
This will release the pods
and other beneficial organisms back into the refugium
or directly into your display for your fish to feed upon.
Seeding your refugium with copepods is an excellent practice
especially with newly established aquariums
that may not already have an established,
stable population of pods.
Using Miracle Mud or Fiji Mud as substrate in a refugium
has some additional benefits as well.
But it's certainly not required
to reap the benefits of a refugium.
Personally, I do not use substrate in a refugium
for the simple sake of keeping things clean.
I typically will use just a few pieces of rubble rock
with a large clump of chaetomorpha.
Generally speaking, the flow rate
through a refugium is fairly slow.
You really don't wanna be rushing water through it
because this can disturb some
of the beneficial processes going inside your refugium.
High flow will also spread substrate
or bits of algae throughout your display.
Setting up a refugium has never been easier,
and the benefits are real.
No matter what type of 'fuge you set up,
your reef tank is sure to benefit
from less nuisance algae, lower nitrates and phosphates,
and lots of live foods for your fish and corals.
Thank you for taking the time
to learn about refugiums today.
I hope you've found this information helpful.
If you did, please hit the like button below to let us know.
Until next time, take care and happy reef-keeping.
(upbeat music)