Is a refugium better than a skimmer?
They both do great things but very differently. A skimmer will remove organics before they break down, and a refugium will remove them after. The benefit of the skimmer in that regard is that the nitrates stay lower to begin with, where a refugium needs nitrates so it has to compete with algae in the display.
Is a refugium necessary for a reef tank?
You do not need a refugium to achieve a successful reef tank, but with so many benefits including a refugium in your system when possible has many advantages.
Is a refugium a filter?
People often put live sand or some sort of refugium mud to also aid in taking up nutrients and growing certain algae. There is even a type of refugium called a cryptic zone, which gets no light and is used to grow live sponges which are fantastic natural filters. But refugiums come in many different forms.
Are wet/dry filters good for freshwater aquariums?
If you have a freshwater aquarium with live plants, a wet/dry filter will over-produce oxygen and push out the CO2 necessary for your plants to thrive. In a reef aquarium, the bio-balls will over-produce nitrates and can cause harm to your corals and other invertebrate animals.
What is wet dry filtration?
A wet/dry filter also referred to as a trickle filter or a bio-tower, is an anaerobic filtration method. For those of you that may not understand the term aerobic, it means occurring or living ONLY in the presence of oxygen. In other words, it can only work when oxygen is present.
Do you need a protein skimmer if you have a sump?
A sump is purely a personal preference, IMO. They are terribly convenient, but not required. Honestly for a tank like that you might not need a skimmer so long as you do regular water changes.
Will a skimmer lower nitrates?
The answer is a definitive no! Protein skimmers do nothing to remove nitrate within the water. That thick, smelly gunk you empty from your collection cup is not riddled with nitrate. Skimmers remove waste before it has a chance to be broken down into nitrate.
Can I put fish in my refugium?
Fish, snails, shrimp, corals, crabs, corals, and copepods can all be put in the refugium. Though all of these animals can live in the refugium doing so could impact the goals you may have for your refugium.
What are the benefits of a refugium?
Refugiums provide many benefits to saltwater or reef aquariums. They: Provide existing aquarium inhabitants with natural food sources such as phytoplankton and zooplankton. Filter water naturally (dramatically lowering nitrate and phosphate levels) and decrease the frequency of water changes that are needed.
Do freshwater tanks need refugium?
To preserve and provide a robust food chain of invertebrates, the freshwater refugium is highly recommended. For a 5-gallon aquarium with 6 average tetras, for example, the invertebrate population within the aquarium would not likely produce enough food to keep the fish well fed.