Refugium Performance? 12 Science-Based Techniques on Utilizing Algae to Avoid Algae in Reef Tanks

Love your videos

Been waiting for algae barn to have chato in stock for months now. I put some red ogo in the fuge that taking forever to grow & phosphates levels are still high.

Thanks for all of the videos, I've learned so much! If you had a small sump, which would you choose a skimmer or refugium? I'm guessing this will be a case by case decision but just wondering 😊

Great Video,, 2 Questions,, 1,, does the cheato need to tumble,, 2, Do you need to add a small wavemaker or powerhead in with the cheato.

Yup, I’m on the no water change schedule and just realized I DO have a refugium! I forget it’s there, and just if I don’t check the nutrients, typically nitrates will reach single digits and sometimes close to zero. Phosphates will usually be close to or under 1 PPM. Reason I don’t do water changes (tank is close to two years old) is I have no need to add or remove anything (this was my ENTIRE plan since the beginning!) Dosing All-For-Reef for minerals, alkalinity, and trace elements and nutrients kept in check. Have acros and they’re THRIVING! 😎👍🏼

Refugium verse Algae Scrubber, which is better?

I would love to see you guys replicate that copepod test you did on the 12 tanks but give them some chaeto and see how the results change. I'm setting up a new system at the moment and considering chaeto as a means of filtration and to see if it can help out compete those nuisance algaes we get when starting a new system but equally wondering when would be the best time to add it. I don't want to bottom out the nutrients in the tank early on. What would you advise?

Didn't you already do this same exact video?

Why are you guys repeating the same videos you did with the other guy ? Also where is 52 week of reefing season 2?

And it’s not Monday or Friday 😭

What's never really mentioned is that you have multiple macro algae options besides Chaeto. Personally, I prefer sea lettuce. It grows faster, I feel like it targets and reduces phosphates more, doesn't necessarily need to tumble, and doubles as a food for my herbivores. Usually comes with fewer hitchhikers, too.

Thanks for today’s video. Very informative.

I just started my fuge 2 weeks and after added 3 different lights (a Tunze refugium light, Fennex RL12 and an old Fluval I had laying around) I’m finally starting to see some growth in the Chaeto.

My nitrates are over 100ppm today.

But also growing in the fuge across the glass and bricks is a ton of brown or very dark algae. I will remove it but do you think once the chaeto removes the nitrates this bad algae will stop growing?

When I get a larger tank, I’m tempted to just go with a sizable refugium, some filter floss or socks and some biomedia. Would a skimmer even be necessary if you kept up on floss/sock change and water changes?

What would be the ideal placement for a uge? After or before filter roller and skimmer? Or before?

Can a refugium completely take the place of a skimmer? I currently have a filter roller and a skimmer, but I feel like my skimmer isn't as effective as it should be. My phosphates are at or near zero, but my nitrates stay around 30ppm

How about an Investigates on how to optimize an algae scrubber? I have an algae scrubber installed to help with sump space management, but it has never performed as well as my fuge with chaeto did.

High nutrients, dead Chaeto. Every Time!

it's so important IMO that even biocubes have a spot for a fuge

Algae is going to control the world :)

I’ve always ran a refugium in my nano AIO tanks without a skimmer. My latest set up I thought I’d give the nutrient export a boost and added a protein skimmer. It would be interesting for you guys to test out skimmers vs a refugium for nano tanks and large tanks as well

They never seem to work for me. I've tried chaeto about 10 times over the years with various lights and flow patterns. It always just slimes up with cyano and withers.

Does Refugium lights needs to be on 24hrs??

You should seriously get Thomas to help you with these vids.

Can you please provide the link for those baffles Ryan was taking about that stop thr algae from getting into the display?

Wait wait wait... So your telling me plants clean water better than all that non-nagural cleaning methods???

How much do the H.O.B refugiums cost?

How well do you think these benefits apply to display refugiums with different types of algae other than chaeto?

I wasnt cracy then when I was running my tank with refugium, no almost no nitrates without water change for. 3 months. Topmoff with kalkwasser and minerals.

What about having macro algae in the display? The look I’m going towards is a photo of a reef I took years ago and had a small area of macro algae (not sure what kind) in it. Would herbivores decimate it if I put it in the DT as opposed to only in the fuge?

Can you talk more about what kind of lights we can use? I am hoping that you can talk about some of the cheaper options so that we can spend our money on our fish and inverts rather than $250 lights.

Love it honest and down to earth as always

does dosing live phytoplankton effect the cheato in any way? thanks in advance

i find my refugium only drops nitrate and not phosphate. am i doing something wrong ?

Also aeroponic tower gardening. Put that fertilizer to good use !!!

If all 3 gave zero zero, why bother with a very expensive light?

Time after time, I cannot grow. Chaeto , but succeed with Ulva Lacuta and Caulerpa Prolifera.

Two questions:

1. When in the tank setup process should you setup a refugium before or after fish are added?
2. If refugiums works so well why do many hobbies have protein skimmers in there sumps as well?

How about a video for AIO aquarium refugiums...I have a IM 30 long and there are NO videos out there about getting one started or maintaining