Refugium start up.

[A4edwin]

I bought a used small aguafuge 2. Was wondering if one of the refugium start up kits from algae barn would be worth the investment?

https://www.algaebarn.com/shop/starter-packs/refugium-starter-pack/

or would I be better off going with miracle muddy even live sand. Btw this is going on a 36bow front 

[GCL]

I am new to this. But I added the medium version to my 45g along with 1tray of miracle mud, some marine pure spheres and Chaeto and I’ve been very happy with the results. I looked into the packs too but I think it’s overkill unless maybe if you were starting up a new system using dry rock. Just my 2 cents. 

[A4edwin]

I ordered one of those packs it has some marine pure. But putting some miracle mud ina tray doesn’t sound like a bad idea. What’s your light cycle for the fuge

[Subsea]

On 1/7/2019 at 7:42 PM, A4edwin said:

I bought a used small aguafuge 2. Was wondering if one of the refugium start up kits from algae barn would be worth the investment?

https://www.algaebarn.com/shop/starter-packs/refugium-starter-pack/

or would I be better off going with miracle muddy even live sand. Btw this is going on a 36bow front 

 

 

That’s way to much money.   I have recently started up an AQUAFUGE HOB refugium as well as a modifying an Aquaclear 110 HOB filter into a high energy refugium on steroids.  I have a lot of experience and actually have air tumble macro production tanks with live zooplankton of varying sizes total volumes > 1000G.

 

to maximize your HOB refugium, seed the bottom with real  live sand like from IndoPacific SeaFarm.  Grow a matrix of macro with pods, both amphipods & copepods.  AlgaeBarn 5250 copepod three species order is a good investment in sustainable live food.

 

what is your main goal for the refugium?  If just a refugium, The micro inverts from IPSF.com and the copepods from AlgaeBarn are the gold standard,  from my experience with both places.  You don’t have toilluinate either.

 

I have a 40W reef tank light on the Algaefuge HOB and on the Aquaclear HOB filter at a flowrate of > 400 GPHr I have a 300W grow light with 4 red to 1 blue ratio and it grows some stuff.  Mixed macro with many large amphipods and AlgaeBarn copepods are in this high energy acrylic box.  When I can get a more professional photographer, I will make a video to illustrate what I see and it is full of zooplankton as a sustainable supply of live food provided thru nutrient recycling of inorganic nutrients into live organic biomass grown in tank.

[Pod Your Reef]

I love miracle mud but it can be a pain to deal with in an external Fuge, in that case the marine pure micro sphere or the glass ones would be an excellent option coupled with some apo pods.