A refugium can be as simple as a protected area of a tank with some macroalgae. Sunlight shining into the tank can grow macroalgae as fast as fish can eat it, making a home for bugs of all sorts to grow and reproduce. A pile of rocks or a clear hang-on box with lots of large holes can keep herbivorous fish away from the algae. A HOB filter with a separate small light can be a simple RDP Refugium.
It's not a mistake not to have a refugium but there is a long list of the organisms that can grow in a protected space and what benefit they can have for a reef aquarium. Here is a brief explanation:
#1 - brightly lighted Macroalgae provides gas exchange and keeps nusiance algae from growing in the display
- nusiance algae in the Refugium can sometimes keep it from growing in the display
- microscopic bugs of all sorts grow and reproduce which feeds the coral and small fish; copepods, amphipods and mysid shrimp are the most common
- worms of all sorts including bristleworms, again spawning feeds coral
- RDP (Reverse Daylight Photosynthesis) Refugia, brightly lighted at night and off during the day which evens out the pH swing which naturally occurs in an aquarium. This does not mean that an algae dense aquarium like that pictured above must have a large swing in pH. When the water circulation is set up right and the surface water is open to the atmosphere, sufficient gas exchange occurs to offset the effect.
This inevitably leads us to the idea that if water moves fast enough, in the right direction for gas exchange at night, with daytime light growing algae fast and properly controlled by snails, hermits and herbivorous fish, we should be able to create a beautiful and healthy refugium-less reef aquarium.
Edited by Mark Peterson - October 31 2009 at 9:14am
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blasterjr wrote:
