Any idea how deep I should make the sand bed in an HOB refugium?
Sand depth in HOB refugium?
- Thread starter Monk005
- Start date
why sand at all? what is the goal?
Don’t I need it for copepods?
throw some chaeto in there instead, it will be better for copepods than sand
Awesome!
Sorry to necro an old thread, but, I want to explore this topic further.
Whats with the shift away from substrates in fuges?
I'm willing to follow sound and more up-to-date advice, but... hear me out.
I like the idea of fuges, especially ones I can see. First off, because I really want to try my hand at a mangrove again. Also, I like the not just chemistry benefits of a reverse lighting cycle, but the benefit to my viewing pleasure.
I know, I know, I'm the deity of the tank, I can set the lights to whatever. But, not only am I a night-owl, but I'm up far longer than any sane daylight cycle should be, and I sometimes spend 16+ hours a day in my office - I'm in it by 10am at the latest most days, and while I may typically finish working between 6 - 8pm, I spend time in here otherwise, and it's often where I spend the last few hours of my day before bed.
So, I always enjoyed getting to look at the critters in my fuge. Cheato is great, pods are excellent... but neither, generally speaking, is interesting (well, pods can be, anyway). Sand sifting stars, snails, micro-crabs, all motoring around, doing their thing, however, I find fascinating.
I'll only have 3-gallons of volume for mine, which I intend to eventually split between cheato and sea lettuce. I'd been advised to ditch the substrate/mud/rubble and use matrix instead... though now that I'll have a much larger filter (since I got that recommendation originally), couldn't the matrix just go in the filter?
And, well, if I ever get the light, wouldn't a mangrove need/prefer something to root in? Wouldn't the fuge benefit a bit from a somewhat more complete ecosystem?
Or am I thinking about presentation here, whereas most folks are thinking of them purely as a part of the filtration process, and not something to actively look at? How much do I lose out by putting in an inch of mud, rubble and sand and some various appropriate critters?
Whats with the shift away from substrates in fuges?
I'm willing to follow sound and more up-to-date advice, but... hear me out.
I like the idea of fuges, especially ones I can see. First off, because I really want to try my hand at a mangrove again. Also, I like the not just chemistry benefits of a reverse lighting cycle, but the benefit to my viewing pleasure.
I know, I know, I'm the deity of the tank, I can set the lights to whatever. But, not only am I a night-owl, but I'm up far longer than any sane daylight cycle should be, and I sometimes spend 16+ hours a day in my office - I'm in it by 10am at the latest most days, and while I may typically finish working between 6 - 8pm, I spend time in here otherwise, and it's often where I spend the last few hours of my day before bed.
So, I always enjoyed getting to look at the critters in my fuge. Cheato is great, pods are excellent... but neither, generally speaking, is interesting (well, pods can be, anyway). Sand sifting stars, snails, micro-crabs, all motoring around, doing their thing, however, I find fascinating.
I'll only have 3-gallons of volume for mine, which I intend to eventually split between cheato and sea lettuce. I'd been advised to ditch the substrate/mud/rubble and use matrix instead... though now that I'll have a much larger filter (since I got that recommendation originally), couldn't the matrix just go in the filter?
And, well, if I ever get the light, wouldn't a mangrove need/prefer something to root in? Wouldn't the fuge benefit a bit from a somewhat more complete ecosystem?
Or am I thinking about presentation here, whereas most folks are thinking of them purely as a part of the filtration process, and not something to actively look at? How much do I lose out by putting in an inch of mud, rubble and sand and some various appropriate critters?
