Refugiums
What is Miracle Mud?
Various types of mud substrates are used in marine aquarium systems. They are particularly useful in refugia when growing seagrasses and/or mangroves. Muds are often rich in certain essential minerals and trace elements, which they release slowly as ...
What is a Freshwater Refugium?
Given the immense popularity of refugia in the marine aquarium hobby, you might be left wondering if they work in freshwater systems. While they haven’t quite caught on yet on the freshwater side of things, they are just as applicable. Freshwater ...
What Does A Refugium Do?
What does a refugium do? Refugia continue to become more and more popular in the marine aquarium hobby. This is in large part because of a growing reliance on natural water filtration/treatment methodologies. But, mainly, this is because they ...
What Can You Put in a Refugium?
Theoretically, a refugium can be set up like any kind of aquarium system. Thus, if it is large enough, you could put virtually any aquarium species in it. Of course, you might have to make some special, additional accommodations; for example, if ...
How Long Do You Leave Your Refugium Light On?
One area of ongoing experimentation by aquarists is the refugium photoperiod. To date, no one has proven that a particular refugium lighting regimen is ideal, at least for all systems. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like any are harmful! Planted ...
How Does a Refugium Work?
A refugium is an auxiliary tank that is connected to the “main” tank. While the main tank is used mostly for display, the refugium serves mainly utilitarian purposes. In short, refugia naturally turn unwanted materials such as dissolved and ...
How Big is a Refugium?
A refugium must be large enough to function properly. That is, not just keep a bed of macroalgae alive, but also provide enough space to allow for continuous growth. Without continuous growth, nitrate and phosphate removal ceases. Worse, if an ...
Do I need a Refugium?
If you are new to the saltwater/reef aquarium hobby, you may or may not have heard the term "refugium". Chances are that you have heard of a refugium since you are here. However, that term can be confusing, especially because it means different ...
Can I Put Fish in My Refugium?
So you’ve got a big, healthy refugium attached to your main tank. Just sitting there, without much movement in it (well, aside from thousands of little scurrying pods). Especially if your main tank is chock full of fish, you might start to wonder: ...
What Kind of Light Do I Need for a Refugium?
Nowadays, almost all refugia have macroalgae and other types of plants in them. This means that they require a light source of their own. Luckily, there are now aquarium lighting systems that are specially designed to provide the very high intensity ...
Popular Articles
How do I Acclimate my Copepods?
Hobbyists are often told to carefully acclimate new additions to their aquarium. Fish and inverts such as snails and shrimp need to be acclimate (corals do not), but what about copepods? Are you supposed to drip acclimate them or float them? Do they ...
Will my filtration / pumps kill the Copepods?
A lot of hobbyists, especially those with a mandarin or other finicky fish, find themselves concerned that their pumps or filtration system will kill copepods, causing a smaller population. Is this something you should be worried about, or is it ...
How do I store copepods?
While we strongly encourage you to introduce all of your copepods into your system when you acquire them as this will be a healthier option than storing, we understand sometimes the circumstances may not allow that and so in this article we'll be ...
Are Copepods a Good Sign?
There are tons of little critters and creatures that can make their way into your aquarium. Some are good, others are neutral, and some are very bad. Some will help keep your aquarium clean, while others will feast on your corals. It can be hard to ...
Why is My Chaeto Brittle or Crumbling?
Growing macroalgae in your aquarium as part of your filtration system can prove to be very beneficial. Macroalgae such as chaeto can help with nutrient export, gas exchange, providing a habitat for copepods, and cleaning the water of harmful ...