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Best Substrate for Refugium?


Codeman

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In my new sump I am going to be turning my middle chamber into a refugium with live rock rubble, chaeto, possibly a couple mangroves, etc.

 

I was wondering what I should use for substrate?

 

Live sand, plain marine sand or some kind of mineral mud or bio sediment designed for fuges? Does it really make that big a difference?

 

Thanks!

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In my new sump I am going to be turning my middle chamber into a refugium with live rock rubble, chaeto, possibly a couple mangroves, etc.

 

I was wondering what I should use for substrate?

 

Live sand, plain marine sand or some kind of mineral mud or bio sediment designed for fuges? Does it really make that big a difference?

 

Thanks!

 

If I were you I would run it BB with just the chaeto. IME LR rubble isn't all that beneficial unless you don't have a whole lot of rock in your display. Again, IME, LR rubble in a fuge actually does more harm than good. You want very slow water flow through your fuge and all that rubble is an excellent trap for detritus. When I moved my tank a few months ago I installed a new sump / fuge and took out all the LR rubble I was using before. The coloring I'm getting out of my corals now is FAR BETTER than it was before. Also, my water is CRYSTAL clear now, there are a few guys on here that will vouch for that.

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If I were you I would run it BB with just the chaeto. IME LR rubble isn't all that beneficial unless you don't have a whole lot of rock in your display. Again, IME, LR rubble in a fuge actually does more harm than good. You want very slow water flow through your fuge and all that rubble is an excellent trap for detritus. When I moved my tank a few months ago I installed a new sump / fuge and took out all the LR rubble I was using before. The coloring I'm getting out of my corals now is FAR BETTER than it was before. Also, my water is CRYSTAL clear now, there are a few guys on here that will vouch for that.

 

Alrighty, I might do that.

 

It's right in my budget, too :lol:

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mangroves aren't the greatest way to export nutrients either, compared to cheato, it grows to slow and doesn't have the surface area to extract what we need out of our tanks. They are great looking but don't do what people set 'fuges up for.

 

They also prefer brackish water vs strait marine.

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