Whats in your refuge?

[Slicktrax]

other than macro algae, what do you have in the fuge?  i have heard that hermits are not desireable because they eat anything they get there claws on.  other than that, i dont know if anything should or could be in there.

[REDPYRO]

i had some LR...if its closed in with egg crate you can put some snails that are large enough to not fit through the holes

i also used to keep a damsel in there (he was forbidden from the tank)

[verper]

Pods, pods, and more pods 

[bigfalcon36]

you'll get plenty of pods from Micki.  I would maybe put a small powerhead in yours Rick, to help you force the water through your macro.  Once that sand bed is established in there, you could get a diamond goby, so that he cuold help you turn the sand over.

You will also want a float valve for you ATO system once you get the RO unit hooked up.

[Slicktrax]

i have a mag 7 pushing water through there , plus an occasional extra push of water from my second overflow.  pods should show up quick, i used my rock from the old sump in here.  i already have one anenome by the return pipe.  how about peppermints?  would they do ok?  i have read that breed like rabbits, which makes good fish food.  do they eat macro?

[aquavista99]

lots of life (snails, pods, worms, crabs etc), live rock (about 25 to 30 pounds)  and lots of macro algae in my fuge...pics attached

I am not concerned about crabs or other little critters who may eat macro algae. My macro grows so quickly that I welcome the additional help. So long as the pep. shrimp don't get sucked up in the return pumps, they should breed like crazy as well if you decide to add them.

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[verper]

how about peppermints?  would they do ok?  i have read that breed like rabbits, which makes good fish food.  do they eat macro?

I don't think so.  My emerald crab did though- both the macro and the peppermints. 

[Slicktrax]

my tangs would have a hayday with all the red algae.  i am going to have to hit you up for some of that at the next get together.

[aquavista99]

my tangs would have a hayday with all the red algae.  i am going to have to hit you up for some of that at the next get together.

I have two types of gracilaria growing in my 40 gallon sump. Yellow and red gracilaria. The Yellow seems to be taking over, but it is the exact same stuff as the red. My source is from Indo Pacific Reef farms in Hawaii. They sell it as "Tang Heaven." I am sure I could spare some for your tangs. I just need to make it to a meeting first.

I attached some new sump pics taken today. I have sponges and tiny starfish in my sump (along w/ everything mentioned above) as well.

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[marinelife]

According to Anthony Calfo and Robert Fenner, you should not have shrimp in your refuge as it will keep the fuge from working correctly, the shrimp will eat on the macro algae you have and other beneficial life forms. They say Crabs are the worst animals you can have in you refugium. What you need to figure out first is the function the refuge is going to do as there are many. Also it is never really a good idea to mix algae in the same refugium as it will compete with each other and can cause water quality issues, it is best to pick one kind of algae and use that one. Cheato is the best as other caulerpa algae species can die and hurt your tank. You can also use live animals such as xenia, feather dusters and much more.

This is what I have, a 100 gallon tub of Cheato, I split my sump and have a mangrove tree (soon to add more) and some other algae growing there, it is not yet finished. I am also adding sponges and sea squirts to the 300 in protected areas, these two are mainly for the fact that I have no skimmer but would help in any refugium. I also have may xenia type corals starting to grow in the 300.

[slandis3]

well the type of system i am going to build for my 200g tank will consist of  a 100 gallon sump. This will house my return pump at the end. The middle of the sump will have mangroves and some alges. I will have a 55g refugium. This will have some frags from my main tank, shripm and other critters. The idea of my refugium is to let my shrimp put offspring back into the main tank as part of the food supply.  Also a good place for cocpods to reproduce safley without being disturbed buyany fish. I have my refugium setup this way on mu 65g reef and my mandrin is fat and happy, thanks to all the stuff that comes out of my refugium. My refugium sits above my main tank, it is fed by my return pump and then flows directly back into the maint tank via gravity feed.

[aquavista99]

I use my sump to grow macro algae as a living filter to remove ammonia, nitrates and phosphates. I prefer growing gracilaria  because I also like to offer my herbivore and omnivore fish with a live, natural seaweed diet that is high in nutrients and natural fibers. Gracilaria is consumed by humans in many parts of the world as well. Based on my personal experience, a healthy supply of gracilaria also eliminates diatoms, hair algae and other nuisance algae from the display aquarium as well. Most of the critters in my sump consist of amphipods, small snails (strombus maculates) that breed in my reef, tiny brittle stars, and worms.

[Hunter21]

Aquavista, What's that algae called in your second picture of your first post, the branching stuff??? that's the exact same stuff that's growing on my rock in the front of my tank, that my clown sleeps and hosts in all the time!!! 

[aquavista99]

Aquavista, What's that algae called in your second picture of your first post, the branching stuff??? that's the exact same stuff that's growing on my rock in the front of my tank, that my clown sleeps and hosts in all the time!!! 

I don't know. It is a mystery macro that came in as a hitchhiker from live rock from the Gulf of Mexico.

[Hunter21]

same for mine!!! lol

[terry]

Thats where i keep my seahorses.