Refugium

[31-2c]

Has anyone tried the Aquafuge Refugium? It is a hang on refugium. It seems a little narrow, but would fit perfectly in the small amount of space that I have.

 

[BROKER]

I have one. I like it so far. Nothing really to tell other than it is perfect for tanks that lack space.

 

[mtellin]

I would think if your somewhat DIY handy you may consider making one, Ive seen plans on here for them before and they didnt seem too tough, 100 some dollars for one seems rather steep even if it does come with a pump

Mike

 

[31-2c]

I would do a DIY if I had room under my stand. But I do not have the time or patience to try to build one that can hang on my tank.

 

[Roach]

I had one of those for awhile on my 40 gallon tank. It was really pretty cool. Had a good sized sandbed in it with come macro algae and a 14 watt PC over it. Took awhile to get established but once it did there were tons of critters in it. It was kind of pricey though considering it is just acrylic. You could probably make one for under $20.00.

 

[ekudl]

Posted: Sat Nov 30, 2002 8:52 pm Post subject:

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I considered using an AC500 for a refuge but the cost wasn't much different to buying an AquaFuge HOB Refugium. So I did today purchase the 18" one for my 20 Gl Nano and I love the design of it. It cost me about $120 from InlandReef as opposed to about $70 for the AC500. Very easy to setup, its runing now. No need to worry about siphons, leakage and everything else. Check it out at http://www.inlandreef.net/aquafuge.html
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[monkeyboy]

No need to worry about siphons, leakage and everything else.

Actually it does run on a siphon, and if it stops, it will slowly pump the top 4" or so out of your aquarium. I'm running 2 Aquafuge's on my 120, and have only had one flood (luckily i was there to hear the lovely waterfall sound :? ). Periodically i can see that the water level in the siphon chamber has risen, which means that i have to suck the air out of the siphon tube with a food squirt. I love the 'fuge, but i hate the siphon. I'm going to try drilling a hole in the top of the siphon tube and hooking it up to the feed pump via a venturi kit so it can fix itself.

 

[ekudl]

Hey Monkeyboy, I quess your right about the siphon, it may be a little misleading becasue the main chamber of the fuge is higher than the main tank so it appears that it just flows in but the siphon chamber water is the same level as the main one indicating that it does use a siphon. What is a food squirt and how do you flush out the chamber?

BTW, What do you keep in the fuge? LS and Macroalgea I assume, what types of Algea? I have read that keeping Caulpera can be chancy since it may go sexual.

 

[monkeyboy]

A "food squirt" is essentially a mini turkey baster. I pop off the elbow at the end of the siphon and suck the air out with the baster. You have to do it more than a dozen times to get all the air out.

The chance of caulerpa going asexual in my tank is unsettling, so i use all non-caulerpa macroalgaes. I keep dictyota, sargassum, halymenia, and ochtodes macroalgae, with the latter being the dominant algae. The sandbeds are as deep as the unit will allow, about three inches. They are filled w/ pods, mysid shrimp, and excessively reproducing strombus snails. Banggai babies go in the mostly cleared out smaller aquafuge. HTH

 

[ekudl]

Thanks Monkeyboy, is it highly suggested to 'suck' the air out? I didn't do it.

Where is Feeding Hills, MA ? I live in Woburn, MA about 12 miles North of Boston.

 

[monkeyboy]

Well, i suppose if water is spilling onto the floor, it would be highly reccomended. I'm sure there's other ways to do it, but this way works for me and it has to be done about every month. Feeding hills is right next to Springfield, a few hours away from boston.

 

[Anonymous]

After I saw that a CPR would be over $100 I built my own for under $15. It was really easy, i will send you plans if you want. all you need is a tablesaw, a holesaw, and some weld on. Plus a few plumbing parts(but I used electrical parts from lowes) for the in and outs. Add a rio 50 (or a minijet from a bucket of salt) and whalla! hang on fuge.

I do wish I would have used 1/4" instead of 3/16"-- its bowing now.

I dont have a light over it yet, I am looking for a cheap 13 w or so fixture.

B