To 'Fuge or not to 'Fuge.... That is my question

[strgazr27]

I was originally planning on running a 40 breeder as a sump with a nice 'Fuge section but that plan may change. The sump for my 65 may need to fit under the stand which will likely rule out a section for a 'Fuge unless I make it myself (Not a big deal - Just MORE money ) OR go with a VERY small area for one.

Please don't turn this into a bash session. Just looking for wether you guys feel they are mandatory to a degree or a nice bonus if you have the room.

Thanks!

 

[fishman1069]

I would say its a nice bonus to have one. If its gonna be to small tho' I dont think its woth it. When I first setup my 75, I had a 20 lng sump with a 6gal fuge in it. I really dont think it made a huge difference. I started to notice the power of a refugium when I added a 30 lng display fuge to the system. Once I had more room and a diversity of macros my trates and phos hit the floor lol. I guess what Im tryin to say is, if your gonna do a fuge try to go big.

 

[Arati]

Fishman got it right imo

I have said it many times, small fuges are almost worthless for nurient export. Infact they can make the tank worse , think filter pad (cheato) if the owner doesnt keep up with them.

my 65g has a 3section 33long for a sump. in my 6-8 gallon fuge area I have a few big pieces of live rock. no light and I think its been an improvement over when I ran cheato in that same section.

.02$

 

[btldreef]

i noticed quite a difference with stability in my tank after adding a refugium. i have a 155g display 20g fuge and 30g sump. the fuge has 4" sandbed, chaeto, caulerpa, and live rock w/ some sponge. ph definitely smoothed out, nitrates lowered significantly (i feed heavy), and its an extra check to make sure phosphates stay at zero.

 

[Alex]

If the amount of nutrient export can not be achieved then its not necessary and yes live rock would then be a better choice. although if its purpose is for pods and the like then a small one is an excellent idea, it can provide a great breeding place free of predators.

 

[prattreef]

If the amount of nutrient export can not be achieved then its not necessary and yes live rock would then be a better choice. although if its purpose is for pods and the like then a small one is an excellent idea, it can provide a great breeding place free of predators.

+1

nice discussion on this subject on the current Reefthreads podcast.

 

[Imbarrie]

I have a small fuge to grow fresh macro to feed tangs. I also like to check the micro fauna in there.
I think it's worth the time if it's not too much time.
My next fugue is def going to be proportionally larger.

 

[strgazr27]

Thanks for the replies everybody. Looks like I will be doing a bit more construction work to fit the 40....

 

[tosiek]

Forgot who said it but for a fuge to work to its maximum it needs to be anywhere from 70-100% your system volume. 30-50% You can safely say its helping while providing pod housing and all the other pro's.

 

[strgazr27]

Thanks tos !

 

[afernandez]

I'm def going fuge-less my next time around . I'm thinking of pulling the plug on mine :/