This refugium setup is simply the best!! So precise and detailed on the information and knowledge you're providing. Newyorksteelo keep up with these educational videos. You are the best!
Great video. You've got it all covered when looking at your videos as a whole. Now you just need a single complete filtration video for those that haven't followed you. I've seen the complete set of videos and you've got it all covered between them. You're a great resource. The time you've taken for these without pay is amazing. THANKS!!!
great work man i have established my 30 gal reef tank with 10 gal refugium and i agree with you to have filteration with skimmer and refugium i just simply love your videos great work man. good work ..............!!!!!!!!!
Loved the video loved the info I can't understand why anyone would do one without the other in this hobby you need to spend the money like it or not and you need both however Steelo your one of the few people out there that actually help and educate people i've been doing this hobby almost 10 years and the refugiums are new to me and you are fantastic with the videos and info and I just wanna say Thank you
Of all the videos on here, yours are some of the best. Getting ready to do a reef tank and am getting a lot of great information here. I have a 55 gallon and had it planted, but was having problems with algae. Even with lots of plants and two filters, one bio, one mechanical. Then watching videos and reading, realized that the problem was our tap water here has a lot of phosphates and nitrates in it. At least I can replenish with RO water clean sea is not far in the Fla. Keys.
I just made a separate refugium, as the sump that was given to me to start with, did not have one, and was no room to incorporate one into. I did not have much of a nitrate problem before anyway, as it was getting lower with time after first start up of a new tank. I used an old 2 x 1 x 1ft tank, a small extra pump to pump up to the New refugium, and gravity drop back to the sump. My Nitrates dropped to zero very quickly. I will now always incorporate a Refugium in the future. It worked for me.
Do you really wait about six months to do water changes?and just one ? if you dont have a problem with the water do you need to change it still.i have no problems with anything at this point and i still change the water about every 7 to 10 days(about 15%)?just wondering what you think.answer any time no rush.great vid very educational.cant wait to get my refugium up and running.I keep wongering if i should set one up or not but i do beleive anything would help in most cases.peace out
Im on day 2 of my 55 gallon tank. I have a hybrid sump . I have 2 filter socks and a protein skimmer in one chamber and a refugium with live rock chaeto and light fixture in another. Then the return pump in the last chamber. I have a smaller chamber with more live rock and 2 bags of chemi pure. Any suggestions? Do I really need live sand or miracle mud in the refugium? Thanks for all your help. Love the videos.
another excellent n informative video man, currently building a custom sump out of a 30g and a 20g the 30g will be split for drain/skimmer chamber on the left and the return chamber on the right. The 20 will be dedicated to a refugium with a DSB (which u introduced me 2) which will be fed from a "T" off the return line and will also drain into the 30g return chamber. Not an easy build for me espically since I keep changing and tweaking my ideas. want to do it right the first time ya know. Tnx
Joe I have to ask. First of all good job on the video. You have me wanting a Refugium now. However! What are thos fancy looking gadgets above your Refugium with the moving lights on them??
Good info Steelo , Really like you refuge setup ,I do have a question I've heard that cheato or other algea in the fuge can get into the display tank ,is that a concern or is there a way to prevent this ?
What up Steelo. Man i have watched so many of your videos i feel like i know you! Lol I need some more of your excellent advice. I have a fairly new system everything has seemed to cycle but it seems like my refugium has not really shown signs of growth. it seems like my chaeto micro algea has died off rather than grown! i had purchased some to place in system. do you need to leave the algea floating?? or can you hold it at bottom of fuge? does it take a lomg time to get a fuge established?
great video, very useful informations. I want to ask you how can you get rid of the micro bubbles coming from the protein skimmer and going into the main tank. I'm having a major micro bubbles problem right now with my red sea max 34 gallon tank, thanks
@newyorksteelo I think you just found the cause for my skimmer behaving like that! Couple of days ago i have removed my flexible drain hose and plumed the drain with PVC, i also installed Ball Valve on the drain to control the waterfall. The reason for that change was the Durso pipe i have installed in my overflowbox! I have magdrive12 for my return, traveling through UV sterilizer and the chiller! My system 50gal main, 20gal fuge!
Thanks for the reply ,man you must have a full time job answering all these questions ,it's great to see someone so dedicated to the hobbie, reef on dude !
Nice video Steel... Sometimes my EV-120 stalls and bubbles won't go all the way up to the neck of the skimmer, it could stay like that for a day or two! Can't figure it out!
Awesome video for a newbie like myself. I had a question for you. I am in the planning phase for my first aquarium. I have a small space below my planned aquarium. It could fit 2-3 5 gallon tanks in the storage place. Can I split up a sump / refugium into 2 or 3 tanks if I have it pumping from one to the next? Is there any type of tank flow that is needed?
@newyorksteelo Thanks Steel, i think it is the oils in the new PVC especially the ball valve as i touched it inside with my finger and it was oily! So i'll give it some time! The watter params are good: Nitrate=0, Phos=0, PH=8.2, Ca=430, dKH=9.0! I will be getting ESV Strontium and Magnesium! Thanks again Steel :)
Hi. I have a 75 gallon tank with a 20 gallon 30x12x12 sump tank. I am thinking about putting a wet dry trickle filter, then refugium and then the return with a bubble trap! What do you think? If you suggest something else I will definitely go your way! Thanks bro!
Steelo I have a question, it seems in your videos that the water level in your skimmer is very low. Is this the correct water level for this particular skimmer or do you lower it for your videos? Because the neck always looks clean. Thanks, great videos BTW.
What algae do you recommend putting in a refugium for a 100g reef tank? So far, this is my list, 20 lbs live sand, as much live rock I can fit in there, a filter sponge (do I have to rinse the sponge? how often?), algae, and i am going to put copepods in the refugium for a future Mandarin Goby. What algae did you say eats up nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, and ammonia? chaetomorpha?
One more question Steelo. what refugium light do you reccomend i understand what kelvin u reccomend. but is there a LED refugium light out there you reccomend? i kinda want a economical fuge light so i can run 24 hours a day and not pull alot of power! what kinds of algea do you reccomend besides chaeto?? i have a softball size of chaeto and a couple mangroves in my refugium now do think this is all i need?
What do you think about a skimmer and canister filter setup? Excess capacity,...( I have skimmer for 65gal. And canister for 70gal, on a 46 gal tank.) chetomorpha is in a in-tank small refuge box
Sir, what size refugium would be required for a 220 gallon tank...Yes, I want one of everything in my tank...LOL I was thinking of buying a second aquarium for the refugium and adding glass panels to separate the compartments. Your thoughts?
hi steelo, question for u... on my refugium as soon as i close the door of the cabinet it starts appearing some humidity on the side of the walls, since i have plugs in it i would like to avoid it but the only solution up to now is to keep both door open... can you give to me advise on how to solve this problem??
i have a 20L with a 10gallon refugium and my buddy gave me a coralife 65skimmer my question is do I even need a skimmer since I have such a large refugium and is the skimmer too big where it will over clean the water
hi i have a 45 gallon tank that i have set up with a canister filter ment for 80 gals, a protien skimmer ment for 100 gals and 30 lbs of live rock i was wondering if u think i would have a algee problem in the long term i do water changes ever 3 weeks
I love every one of your videos. I have a wet dry. I am planning to make some tweaks to it and add a refugium and a skimmer. I live in Hawaii so I can get ulva just like that, can I just plant some ulva in my refugium.
@newyorksteelo one last question about sand beds, the sand for the viewing tank i collected was from the ocean which had worms and obviously bacteria growing in it already although the grain size is a little bit larger than the silicon grade sand, would it be wise for me to get the beach sand for the sump because of the life that's already in it or the dead silicon sand because its the finest i can get? the sand bed will be 15cm by 30cm by 60cm if that helps with anything (6 inch deep sand bed).
THANK U SO MUCH NY...If it was not for U i would have neva heard of a refugium. I have been in the hobby for a long time and have been going broke doing water changes. I don"t even do water changes at all!!!! When I take the water to be tested....they say my water is like bran new. And keeping that protien skimmer going 24/7 will keep your Tangs healthy. U DA MANNNNN
I know it depends on the amount of sand you have in your tank but how much live rock do you need. I have a 40 gallon with 30 lbs of sand. I am planning to add another 4-8 lbs for my sump. How much live rock would I need.
@newyorksteelo lets say the water where i want to get the sand has no to low levels of nitrates and phosphates would that mean the sand isnt leaching out nitrates and phosphates and would be safe to use? i have Redsea test kits which are very expensive and very high quality so i can test the ocean very accurately to see what i am actually putting in my tank.
sorry for all the questions but I am sort on money I if you had to choose between protein skimmer or refug which one should I get I may get both over time but I don't now which one first I also returned my sea clone thxx a mil
Hey NYS, if my tank has been at 0 nitrates, phosphate, ammonia, and nitrite, I dose for trace elements, and I run activated carbon for doc's, does that mean I can go without a water change for about a month? I dont even have nuisance algae, and i'm skimmerless.
Whats up Steelo ? First off I love your videos bro there great! I have a couple questions not necassarly regarding this perticular video. first question can you overskim a system? like intalling TWO diffrent protein skimmers with a refugium on a 150 gallon system. I have a skimmer in my sump seems to keep up pretty well but i was also thinking about installing a aqua c skimmer as well. what are your thoughts.
@newyorksteelo How many lbs of live rock do you have in your refugium? Do I put less rock in the refugium because of the amount of space? My refugium is pretty big. 16" L x 16" W x 7" H. I say 7" because the wall pouring into the next chamber, the return pump, is 7" tall
Hey Steele, I have a 75G semi reef ( few corals, more fish ) and I run a skimmer rated for tanks up to 125 gallons. However my skimmer has yet to produce very much skim mate, I also run cheato morphs on the system. My nitrate reading is at zero and the system looks perfect, but it's only 4 months old. Is this a sign of a prosperous tank or a crappy skimmer
Hey Steelo. Your awesome as always man. I have 1 question. Do you think that placing 2 skimmers would actually cause more damage to the sistem by starving the bacteria on liverocks ???
hey STEELO, I have perfect water, like I have been doing several water tests and they all show up perfect. I have a 40 gallon system with 1 firefish and 1 percula clownfish. I do not have a lot of live rock because I wanted to keep it minimal. I have all the right equipment and so far, everything is good. what fish/fishes do you recommend I get?
I have a regular wave maker pump 800gph on my 90g tank. I been saving up for a vortech mp40 but I can only afford one. Figure I can keep my pump opposite of the mp40. Or I can go with the system u gave rj. What u think?
putting a skimmer before the refugium cuts down the red slime build up on top of the refugium?also i have a coralife 12 inch lighting with actinics lighting up my refugium. everything was great but from one day to another all my cullepra algae died. what lighting is recommended, my freind is doing good on his refugium with led's
I have a 55 gallon 6 fish with only a hang on aqua clear filter. Tanks been running for 7 months. Never changed the water no nitrates or ammonia. Do I still need a skimmer?
I wish I had the setup to support a refugium / Skimmer, as my Nano Mini 38g rimless tank has built in filter / overflow. No space for a skimmer etc except an after marked hang on which I have heard will not do much as you self stated (only 30%)... I guess my next goal will be a 55g with the option to have a SUMP in etc below the tank
What's up bro quick question I have a ten gallon fish only tank just two clown fish do u think its good to put just one enemany. Oh and I have a 20k light system.
hey steelo, could you tell me the dimensions of you refugium; skimmer compartment, refug, and return compartment. im building one. i built a wet/dry before but this is my first refugium. thanks man
I have the same system. I have been running my 90 gal main with 20 gal refugium for 6 mos with no skimmer. But, lately I have been having Cyanobacteria in the refugium only. Any idea what could have caused it? Is it because my system is not established yet? Please share if you have some experience with this issue. Thanks
@newyorksteelo Thanks for the reply. Is there an order in filter processes? I could have this all wrong.... sock filter, to protein skimmer, to refugium? Does one come before another?
hey, i love your videos, my sump is designed really badly so i'm redesigning it to basically look the same as yours(protein skimmer then deep sand bed,live rock and macro algae and then return to viewing tank). the one question is does the deep sand bed, live rock or macro algae also remove phosphates and other waste? because ive heard a lot that phosphates are actually a lot worse than nitrates and such.
Does it matter if you put ur protein skimmer before or after it hits the refugium center section? Mine runs into a sock filter into a section of pad and live rock, then into the ref center, then a se tion with chemipure and then I have it to whrre it flows into a section where its taken up by a protein skimmer and it dumps into another chamber with a sump backvto the tank it seems to be working fine but it has to be really fine tuned otherwise it sucks too much or slowly fills up the chamber
7 months into my system with skimmer an refugium, How can i get pass or deal with green algae after diatoms on sand bed and rocks, I have heard this is the good algae, but when do it go away, or what can i do to get rid of it! water levels are good, i have a 9watt uv sterilizer to help...
@newyorksteelo well, I have 100lbs of live rock in my tank altogether. I left all 100lbs of live rock in the aquarium while it was cycling. Now, I am thinking about starting a refugium! :) So can I move about 30-40 lbs of live rock from the aquarium to my refugium? and buy more live sand from my LFS for the refugium?
@newyorksteelo yeah ill probably wait at least 6 months before i get another one when i set up the 120g. sp the refugium has time to get established with lots of pods. What should i use for cycling the 120g? i was going to go with dead rock and seed it with the live rock that's in my nano. Was thinking of using 3 yellow tailed damsels.
Hey steelo im thinking of Starting up a 150 gallon tank im thinks of doing a mangrove filter and a wet/dry filter with a skimmer the problem is I've never done a mangrove or refugium in general idk should I use macro algae or mangroves or do both?
i just set up my fuge so if i get a ball of chateo and bag of carbon ill be good? (i also have a 4 inch deep sand bed) oh ya its also a cpr fuge check out my lastet vid to see the fuge set up
NYS, Just picked up a used Bak-Pak, and I need to figure out to hang on the back of this JBJ. I'm going to have to squeeze this in their. You are absolutely right, this tank is limited and I knew that from the very start but the space I have at home is limited and so is my budget. NYS, If I can't squeeze this Bak-Pak in here do you have any suggestions? It's the same Bak-Pak that you've had in the past. You reviewed it on one of your videos. Thanks for all you do!
Not sure what to tell you here. You may have to modify the Nano to make it work, if that's even a possibility. There are other HOB Skimmers with smaller profiles such as the Aqua C Remora S that may fit but you'd have to plan ahead.
NYS, I'll try to modify it! If not I can always use it on a bigger tank should I decide to go that route and use the JBJ as a quarantine tank? Thanks for all the feedback and advice! I'm a native New Yorker myself from Harlem, NYC, residing in the Carolina's. Peace!
@newyorksteelo Actually i did upgraded my return pump to a magdrive12 when i bought UV unit and honestly it still have so much flow that my 600gph overflow box was on it's limit and i had to install a ball valve on the return to throttle it down a bit :)
@newyorksteelo i have a skimmer i am just not running it and my nitrate levels have stayed at 0 you should read the book the german system which is a reef tank and the only tek they use is lights the and they do water changes every i want to say 5 days i thing they might have used a power head i have to read the book again but i deffinetly recomend it that is what im trying to do with my tank but note if i have a spike i will start running the skimmer
Hey New York Steele! I'm curious about what kind of lighting do I need in my refugium to grow chaetomorpha algae and red mangroves. I've had it for two weeks and haven't seen it grow at all. I need your opinion on what kind of inexpensive lighting would work? Or is that he issue? I also heard of people saying to make the algae tumble. Is that true? Thank you so much.
Making the Chaeto tumble could help but its not a necessity. I grow out my chaeto without tumbling it and it grows like wildfire. No specific expensive light needed. A simple power compact light that is close to or at 65K is all you need. You could get a more expensive LED light but its a matter or preference. One thing to keep in mind here is that Chaeto, much like many other Macro Alga, can take time to acclimate and take off. Once the conditions for it grow favor it, it will take off and grow like crazy. Another thing to keep in mind is that Macro Alga requires proper levels of calcium and alkalinity to grow, as well as high PH. Its not like nuisance algae that grows under poor conditions. Macro algae grows and thrives under favorable conditions so make sure to keep up with checking those water parameters and give it time to start taking off. Good luck.
Yes you can. There is no set rule for how you set them up. As long as you have them up and running, that's what counts. I will however say that running the skimmer first will work slightly better because it can be fed the dirtiest water first, but any which way you set it up will work too.
Ok, thanks. Glad I stumbled onto this video; clear and to the point. Why do people have to make this sound like some kind of magic trick (keeping healthy tank). Should be required viewing before buying your first fish.
What's a good hang in the back skimmer? The one you have is way too much for me right now:( what's a skimmer for my 75 tank would you recommend? Not too much money but a good quality one
This refugium setup is simply the best!! So precise and detailed on the information and knowledge you're providing. Newyorksteelo keep up with these educational videos. You are the best!
Great video. You've got it all covered when looking at your videos as a whole. Now you just need a single complete filtration video for those that haven't followed you. I've seen the complete set of videos and you've got it all covered between them. You're a great resource. The time you've taken for these without pay is amazing. THANKS!!!
Thank u for all the post.I started a reef tank 6 months ago and im getting a lot of great info from ur videos!!
great work man i have established my 30 gal reef tank with 10 gal refugium and i agree with you to have filteration with skimmer and refugium i just simply love your videos great work man. good work ..............!!!!!!!!!
Loved the video loved the info I can't understand why anyone would do one without the other in this hobby you need to spend the money like it or not and you need both however Steelo your one of the few people out there that actually help and educate people i've been doing this hobby almost 10 years and the refugiums are new to me and you are fantastic with the videos and info and I just wanna say Thank you
Of all the videos on here, yours are some of the best. Getting ready to do a reef tank and am getting a lot of great information here. I have a 55 gallon and had it planted, but was having problems with algae. Even with lots of plants and two filters, one bio, one mechanical. Then watching videos and reading, realized that the problem was our tap water here has a lot of phosphates and nitrates in it. At least I can replenish with RO water clean sea is not far in the Fla. Keys.
your videos have helped me a ton on starting my reef and adding a sump...i plan on getting a hydor slim skim skimmer soon.
A good, clear and easy to understand video. Now it all makes sense, well done.
Thanks for the much appreciated feedback.
I just made a separate refugium, as the sump that was given to me to start with, did not have one, and was no room to incorporate one into. I did not have much of a nitrate problem before anyway, as it was getting lower with time after first start up of a new tank. I used an old 2 x 1 x 1ft tank, a small extra pump to pump up to the New refugium, and gravity drop back to the sump.
My Nitrates dropped to zero very quickly.
I will now always incorporate a Refugium in the future. It worked for me.
Do you really wait about six months to do water changes?and just one ? if you dont have a problem with the water do you need to change it still.i have no problems with anything at this point and i still change the water about every 7 to 10 days(about 15%)?just wondering what you think.answer any time no rush.great vid very educational.cant wait to get my refugium up and running.I keep wongering if i should set one up or not but i do beleive anything would help in most cases.peace out
Im on day 2 of my 55 gallon tank. I have a hybrid sump . I have 2 filter socks and a protein skimmer in one chamber and a refugium with live rock chaeto and light fixture in another. Then the return pump in the last chamber. I have a smaller chamber with more live rock and 2 bags of chemi pure. Any suggestions? Do I really need live sand or miracle mud in the refugium? Thanks for all your help. Love the videos.
another excellent n informative video man, currently building a custom sump out of a 30g and a 20g the 30g will be split for drain/skimmer chamber on the left and the return chamber on the right. The 20 will be dedicated to a refugium with a DSB (which u introduced me 2) which will be fed from a "T" off the return line and will also drain into the 30g return chamber. Not an easy build for me espically since I keep changing and tweaking my ideas. want to do it right the first time ya know. Tnx
Joe I have to ask. First of all good job on the video. You have me wanting a Refugium now. However! What are thos fancy looking gadgets above your Refugium with the moving lights on them??
Good info Steelo , Really like you refuge setup ,I do have a question I've heard that cheato or other algea in the fuge can get into the display tank ,is that a concern or is there a way to prevent this ?
What up Steelo. Man i have watched so many of your videos i feel like i know you! Lol
I need some more of your excellent advice. I have a fairly new system everything has seemed to cycle but it seems like my refugium has not really shown signs of growth. it seems like my chaeto micro algea has died off rather than grown! i had purchased some to place in system. do you need to leave the algea floating?? or can you hold it at bottom of fuge? does it take a lomg time to get a fuge established?
great video, very useful informations. I want to ask you how can you get rid of the micro bubbles coming from the protein skimmer and going into the main tank. I'm having a major micro bubbles problem right now with my red sea max 34 gallon tank, thanks
Great vid ! I'm pretty sure this will positively help alot of people and cut down on some of all the question your flooded with
@newyorksteelo I think you just found the cause for my skimmer behaving like that! Couple of days ago i have removed my flexible drain hose and plumed the drain with PVC, i also installed Ball Valve on the drain to control the waterfall. The reason for that change was the Durso pipe i have installed in my overflowbox! I have magdrive12 for my return, traveling through UV sterilizer and the chiller! My system 50gal main, 20gal fuge!
awesome vid, im just starting a nano reef and this sure does help.
Thanks for the reply ,man you must have a full time job answering all these questions ,it's great to see someone so dedicated to the hobbie, reef on dude !
Nice video Steel... Sometimes my EV-120 stalls and bubbles won't go all the way up to the neck of the skimmer, it could stay like that for a day or two! Can't figure it out!
There are 2 boxes under your cabinet with lights on them that go back and forth. I was curious to what those where. Some sort of monitor or heaters?
Awesome video for a newbie like myself. I had a question for you. I am in the planning phase for my first aquarium. I have a small space below my planned aquarium. It could fit 2-3 5 gallon tanks in the storage place. Can I split up a sump / refugium into 2 or 3 tanks if I have it pumping from one to the next? Is there any type of tank flow that is needed?
@newyorksteelo Thanks Steel, i think it is the oils in the new PVC especially the ball valve as i touched it inside with my finger and it was oily! So i'll give it some time! The watter params are good: Nitrate=0, Phos=0, PH=8.2, Ca=430, dKH=9.0! I will be getting ESV Strontium and Magnesium! Thanks again Steel :)
Hey man. cheers from brazil, I would like to know what do you think is better, deep live sand or miracle mud in the refugium?
What kind of lighting do you need for refuge, watts and light itself(t5, bulb)?????? Love the vids too.
Hi. I have a 75 gallon tank with a 20 gallon 30x12x12 sump tank. I am thinking about putting a wet dry trickle filter, then refugium and then the return with a bubble trap! What do you think? If you suggest something else I will definitely go your way! Thanks bro!
I am also trying to get some coraline boosters(plates) should I get it to make my tank look and be more healthy.
Steelo I have a question, it seems in your videos that the water level in your skimmer is very low. Is this the correct water level for this particular skimmer or do you lower it for your videos? Because the neck always looks clean. Thanks, great videos BTW.
What algae do you recommend putting in a refugium for a 100g reef tank? So far, this is my list, 20 lbs live sand, as much live rock I can fit in there, a filter sponge (do I have to rinse the sponge? how often?), algae, and i am going to put copepods in the refugium for a future Mandarin Goby. What algae did you say eats up nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, and ammonia? chaetomorpha?
One more question Steelo. what refugium light do you reccomend i understand what kelvin u reccomend. but is there a LED refugium light out there you reccomend? i kinda want a economical fuge light so i can run 24 hours a day and not pull alot of power! what kinds of algea do you reccomend besides chaeto?? i have a softball size of chaeto and a couple mangroves in my refugium now do think this is all i need?
What do you think about a skimmer and canister filter setup? Excess capacity,...( I have skimmer for 65gal. And canister for 70gal, on a 46 gal tank.) chetomorpha is in a in-tank small refuge box
Do you recommend overflow box or drilled tank. I heard overflow box can cause flood if the U tube fail.
Sir, what size refugium would be required for a 220 gallon tank...Yes, I want one of everything in my tank...LOL
I was thinking of buying a second aquarium for the refugium and adding glass panels to separate the compartments. Your thoughts?
can you look at my diy sump and tell wether to use miracle mud or live sand with live rock
hi steelo, question for u... on my refugium as soon as i close the door of the cabinet it starts appearing some humidity on the side of the walls, since i have plugs in it i would like to avoid it but the only solution up to now is to keep both door open... can you give to me advise on how to solve this problem??
i have a 20L with a 10gallon refugium and my buddy gave me a coralife 65skimmer my question is do I even need a skimmer since I have such a large refugium and is the skimmer too big where it will over clean the water
@newyorksteelo or any other "orders" of filters... one to the next that you think are good?
hi i have a 45 gallon tank that i have set up with a canister filter ment for 80 gals, a protien skimmer ment for 100 gals and 30 lbs of live rock i was wondering if u think i would have a algee problem in the long term i do water changes ever 3 weeks
I love every one of your videos. I have a wet dry. I am planning to make some tweaks to it and add a refugium and a skimmer. I live in Hawaii so I can get ulva just like that, can I just plant some ulva in my refugium.
@newyorksteelo one last question about sand beds, the sand for the viewing tank i collected was from the ocean which had worms and obviously bacteria growing in it already although the grain size is a little bit larger than the silicon grade sand, would it be wise for me to get the beach sand for the sump because of the life that's already in it or the dead silicon sand because its the finest i can get? the sand bed will be 15cm by 30cm by 60cm if that helps with anything (6 inch deep sand bed).
THANK U SO MUCH NY...If it was not for U i would have neva heard of a refugium. I have been in the hobby for a long time and have been going broke doing water changes. I don"t even do water changes at all!!!! When I take the water to be tested....they say my water is like bran new. And keeping that protien skimmer going 24/7 will keep your Tangs healthy. U DA MANNNNN
I know it depends on the amount of sand you have in your tank but how much live rock do you need. I have a 40 gallon with 30 lbs of sand. I am planning to add another 4-8 lbs for my sump. How much live rock would I need.
@newyorksteelo lets say the water where i want to get the sand has no to low levels of nitrates and phosphates would that mean the sand isnt leaching out nitrates and phosphates and would be safe to use? i have Redsea test kits which are very expensive and very high quality so i can test the ocean very accurately to see what i am actually putting in my tank.
sorry for all the questions but I am sort on money I if you had to choose between protein skimmer or refug which one should I get I may get both over time but I don't now which one first I also returned my sea clone thxx a mil
Hey NYS, if my tank has been at 0 nitrates, phosphate, ammonia, and nitrite, I dose for trace elements, and I run activated carbon for doc's, does that mean I can go without a water change for about a month? I dont even have nuisance algae, and i'm skimmerless.
Sup steelo ?!, how many hours a days do you run the light in your refugium ? thx
What about an UV Sterylizer? Is it good to have with skimmer and refugium?
Whats up Steelo ? First off I love your videos bro there great! I have a couple questions not necassarly regarding this perticular video.
first question can you overskim a system? like intalling TWO diffrent protein skimmers with a refugium on a 150 gallon system.
I have a skimmer in my sump seems to keep up pretty well but i was also thinking about installing a aqua c skimmer as well. what are your thoughts.
@newyorksteelo How many lbs of live rock do you have in your refugium? Do I put less rock in the refugium because of the amount of space? My refugium is pretty big. 16" L x 16" W x 7" H.
I say 7" because the wall pouring into the next chamber, the return pump, is 7" tall
Hey Steele, I have a 75G semi reef ( few corals, more fish ) and I run a skimmer rated for tanks up to 125 gallons. However my skimmer has yet to produce very much skim mate, I also run cheato morphs on the system. My nitrate reading is at zero and the system looks perfect, but it's only 4 months old. Is this a sign of a prosperous tank or a crappy skimmer
@newyorksteelo thank you... I have started watching them... good stuff. Thanks again...
Hey Steelo. Your awesome as always man.
I have 1 question.
Do you think that placing 2 skimmers would actually cause more damage to the sistem by starving the bacteria on liverocks ???
hey STEELO, I have perfect water, like I have been doing several water tests and they all show up perfect. I have a 40 gallon system with 1 firefish and 1 percula clownfish. I do not have a lot of live rock because I wanted to keep it minimal. I have all the right equipment and so far, everything is good. what fish/fishes do you recommend I get?
I have a regular wave maker pump 800gph on my 90g tank. I been saving up for a vortech mp40 but I can only afford one. Figure I can keep my pump opposite of the mp40. Or I can go with the system u gave rj. What u think?
hey steelo i noticed you have an airbubbles bubbling in your refugium. why?
putting a skimmer before the refugium cuts down the red slime build up on top of the refugium?also i have a coralife 12 inch lighting with actinics lighting up my refugium. everything was great but from one day to another all my cullepra algae died. what lighting is recommended, my freind is doing good on his refugium with led's
can i use cheato into sump without sand or magic mud? i put in arcelic box.. can it function??
I have a 55 gallon 6 fish with only a hang on aqua clear filter. Tanks been running for 7 months. Never changed the water no nitrates or ammonia. Do I still need a skimmer?
I wish I had the setup to support a refugium / Skimmer, as my Nano Mini 38g rimless tank has built in filter / overflow. No space for a skimmer etc except an after marked hang on which I have heard will not do much as you self stated (only 30%)... I guess my next goal will be a 55g with the option to have a SUMP in etc below the tank
What's up bro quick question I have a ten gallon fish only tank just two clown fish do u think its good to put just one enemany. Oh and I have a 20k light system.
wow i must have the most simple reef system ever...and whats better miracle mud in a refugium or live sand?
hey steelo, could you tell me the dimensions of you refugium; skimmer compartment, refug, and return compartment. im building one. i built a wet/dry before but this is my first refugium. thanks man
I have the same system. I have been running my 90 gal main with 20 gal refugium for 6 mos with no skimmer. But, lately I have been having Cyanobacteria in the refugium only. Any idea what could have caused it? Is it because my system is not established yet? Please share if you have some experience with this issue. Thanks
@newyorksteelo Thanks for the reply. Is there an order in filter processes? I could have this all wrong.... sock filter, to protein skimmer, to refugium? Does one come before another?
hey, i love your videos, my sump is designed really badly so i'm redesigning it to basically look the same as yours(protein skimmer then deep sand bed,live rock and macro algae and then return to viewing tank). the one question is does the deep sand bed, live rock or macro algae also remove phosphates and other waste? because ive heard a lot that phosphates are actually a lot worse than nitrates and such.
Does it matter if you put ur protein skimmer before or after it hits the refugium center section? Mine runs into a sock filter into a section of pad and live rock, then into the ref center, then a se tion with chemipure and then I have it to whrre it flows into a section where its taken up by a protein skimmer and it dumps into another chamber with a sump backvto the tank it seems to be working fine but it has to be really fine tuned otherwise it sucks too much or slowly fills up the chamber
I have a 120 gallon saltwater tank with a wet/dry system. Can I turn the wet/dry into a refugium?
hey steelo can i use a 10 gallon refug on my 55 gallon tank bro??
7 months into my system with skimmer an refugium, How can i get pass or deal with green algae after diatoms on sand bed and rocks, I have heard this is the good algae, but when do it go away, or what can i do to get rid of it! water levels are good, i have a 9watt uv sterilizer to help...
this was super useful information thank you i really appreciate what you are doing
Thanks for the feedback.
@newyorksteelo well, I have 100lbs of live rock in my tank altogether. I left all 100lbs of live rock in the aquarium while it was cycling. Now, I am thinking about starting a refugium! :) So can I move about 30-40 lbs of live rock from the aquarium to my refugium? and buy more live sand from my LFS for the refugium?
would this still apply with hob equipment to seeing im running hob equip on a 260ltr setup.for last yr and a half.
Sorry but do you need live rock for a refuge or corals. Is there any alternitive
Awesome - Thank you for 'enlightening' me!
hey , great video
i'm a newbie
the plan is to have a tunze9006 skimmer and a intank refugium as it's going sumpless
is it all good ? thx :D
Good video and advices, thanks
Another great vid NY very informative thanks 4 the info. U the man New York
@newyorksteelo yeah ill probably wait at least 6 months before i get another one when i set up the 120g. sp the refugium has time to get established with lots of pods.
What should i use for cycling the 120g? i was going to go with dead rock and seed it with the live rock that's in my nano. Was thinking of using 3 yellow tailed damsels.
Hey steelo im thinking of
Starting up a 150 gallon tank im thinks of doing a mangrove filter and a wet/dry filter with a skimmer the problem is I've never done a mangrove or refugium in general idk should I use macro algae or mangroves or do both?
do you reccommend bio-balls or a refugium because i am not sure what one to get
i just set up my fuge so if i get a ball of chateo and bag of carbon ill be good? (i also have a 4 inch deep sand bed) oh ya its also a cpr fuge check out my lastet vid to see the fuge set up
Thanks again NY. Well made.
NYS,
Just picked up a used Bak-Pak, and I need to figure out to hang on the back of this JBJ. I'm going to have to squeeze this in their.
You are absolutely right, this tank is limited and I knew that from the very start but the space I have at home is limited and so is my budget.
NYS,
If I can't squeeze this Bak-Pak in here do you have any suggestions?
It's the same Bak-Pak that you've had in the past. You reviewed it on one of your videos.
Thanks for all you do!
Not sure what to tell you here. You may have to modify the Nano to make it work, if that's even a possibility. There are other HOB Skimmers with smaller profiles such as the Aqua C Remora S that may fit but you'd have to plan ahead.
NYS,
I'll try to modify it! If not I can always use it on a bigger tank should I decide to go that route and use the JBJ as a quarantine tank?
Thanks for all the feedback and advice!
I'm a native New Yorker myself from Harlem, NYC, residing in the Carolina's.
Peace!
@newyorksteelo Actually i did upgraded my return pump to a magdrive12 when i bought UV unit and honestly it still have so much flow that my 600gph overflow box was on it's limit and i had to install a ball valve on the return to throttle it down a bit :)
@newyorksteelo i have a skimmer i am just not running it and my nitrate levels have stayed at 0 you should read the book the german system which is a reef tank and the only tek they use is lights the and they do water changes every i want to say 5 days i thing they might have used a power head i have to read the book again but i deffinetly recomend it that is what im trying to do with my tank but note if i have a spike i will start running the skimmer
Can I use a aglae scrubber to or is that overkill
why are protein skimmers not used in freshwater tanks? or are they?
how long should i leave my Refugium light on?
how much dose you hole systeam and tank coast
putting a skimmer before the refugium cuts down the red slime build up on top?
@newyorksteelo will emperor angel fish eat this macro?
is the sea clone a good Skimmer
Hey New York Steele! I'm curious about what kind of lighting do I need in my refugium to grow chaetomorpha algae and red mangroves. I've had it for two weeks and haven't seen it grow at all. I need your opinion on what kind of inexpensive lighting would work? Or is that he issue? I also heard of people saying to make the algae tumble. Is that true? Thank you so much.
Making the Chaeto tumble could help but its not a necessity. I grow out my chaeto without tumbling it and it grows like wildfire. No specific expensive light needed. A simple power compact light that is close to or at 65K is all you need. You could get a more expensive LED light but its a matter or preference. One thing to keep in mind here is that Chaeto, much like many other Macro Alga, can take time to acclimate and take off. Once the conditions for it grow favor it, it will take off and grow like crazy. Another thing to keep in mind is that Macro Alga requires proper levels of calcium and alkalinity to grow, as well as high PH. Its not like nuisance algae that grows under poor conditions. Macro algae grows and thrives under favorable conditions so make sure to keep up with checking those water parameters and give it time to start taking off. Good luck.
NYS thank you so much. I just bought a bulb with 6500k lighting with 800 lumens so, I think that should be enough.
you didn't mention if you put carbon in too-do you? in your old diy setup
Hey newyorksteelo was just wondering if it is ok for a protein skimmer to be after a refugium
Yes you can. There is no set rule for how you set them up. As long as you have them up and running, that's what counts. I will however say that running the skimmer first will work slightly better because it can be fed the dirtiest water first, but any which way you set it up will work too.
Good Video, thanks
also is this good Eshopps Hang-On Protein Skimmer thx
Ok, thanks. Glad I stumbled onto this video; clear and to the point. Why do people have to make this sound like some kind of magic trick (keeping healthy tank). Should be required viewing before buying your first fish.
Thanks for the feedback. I agree. Its a lot easier than it looks :)
What's a good hang in the back skimmer? The one you have is way too much for me right now:( what's a skimmer for my 75 tank would you recommend? Not too much money but a good quality one
The AquaC Remora S Hang On Back skimmer is by far one of the best. It will run you about $200 though, but its worth it.