What in the world does a refugium do?

[Boomerblaster]

Nooo! Not another hundred dollars lol! But i was considering buying this refugium from thatfishplace (Aquafuge Refugium RF12 (AFSM) (CPR) , it is located in my area. To be honest i really don't even know much about refugiums. Can someone enlighten me on this topic? I am not very handy, and would like a nice solid product to buy. Is this refugium good? Do i need to buy any extra parts? Thanks! I'd really appreciate the help! I have a 20 high and have the 20 package deal coming from TBS saturday!

 

-Jonathan:

[Reefer_Buddha]

A refugium is a body of water physically separated from the main tank, but which shares a common circulation and water supply, for the purpose of growing beneficial animals and plants.

[NanoAmyDee]

Fuges started as a was to grow important food sources for plant loving fish and corals, as well as clams. Some also use them for nurseries. Some (including me) use them as an alternative to skimmers. They provide natural filtration that is second to none.

[trmiv]

With some nice macro algae, they can be great at reducing nitrates. My tank was running about 10ppm nitrates before I put my refugium on. Now with a nice clump of chaetomorpha in there a for 4 or 5 days, my nitrates are at zero.

[phenom5]

basically, like everybody else said...provide extra filtration, reduce nitrites...which in turn reduces nussence algea growth, and provide a safe haven for pods...

[C_Ellenzweig]

If it's big enough to include a "sump" area, you can also get some stuff like your heater and skimmer pump (if you have a skimmer) out of the main tank.

 

Colin