sumps/refugiums

[whiirly]

Ok Im fairly new to the hobby and have been reading alot about
people using sumps/refugiums.Could someone please explain this
Why this instead of wet/dry filter?
i have a 110gal with a wet/dry with a built in protien skimmer.
My tank is going to be a fish tank with LR and some anemones
(spell check)
thanks in advance
joe

 

[buff1]

The wet dry filter is primarily for processing ammonia ( a by product of living organisms) into nitrates, which are less harmful. The bacteria that perform this function attach to every surface in the entire system. When you have a moderate amount of live rock, it provides enough surface area to process the ammonia without the need for the "bio balls" in the wet/dry. Most of the posters on this site are interested in keeping stony corals which require very clean water. Even a small amount of nitrates in the water can prevent them from thriving. Most of these reef keepers would use the wet dry as a sump and put a refugium or dsb (deep sand bed) in the sump both of which can remove nitrates and leave the water very pure. Hope this helps.

 

[Anonymous]

there are also advantages to using a refugium somewhere on your system. animals that quickly become prey in your display tank can prolificate in your refugium and provide a constant source of live organisms to feed your reef.
The wet dry can lead to nitrate buildup that would help fuel nuisance algae outbreaks.
the refugium can further help control nitrate buildup by harvesting macro algae inside it.

 

[whiirly]

this doesnt tell me what they are and or
how they work do i need them or is my
wet/dry good.is this some thing i should
be looking to add to my system?
thanks in advance
joe

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Whirly,

Welcome to the board.

I think you would be best served buy picking up a good reef book. The Reef Aquarium Vol. 1 and 2 by Sprung and Delbeek would go a long way in answering your sump refugim questions, and the follow up questions you will have from those answers.

Also, I think it would be very helpful for you to check out this thread
http://reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=6653

Hope to talk with you soon.

RR :mrgreen:

 

[Anonymous]

this doesnt tell me what they are and or
how they work do i need them or is my
wet/dry good.is this some thing i should
be looking to add to my system?
thanks in advance
joe

Whiirly, a 'sump' is like a wet/dry without the bio-balls.

A 'refugium' is like a wet/dry that has a layer of sand in the bottom instead of bio-balls.

So essentially, you already have a sump, it's just that you have other filter media in there that makes a 'wet/dry'.

These are the briefest definitions.

Welcome aboard!
po