# refugium / freshwater ?



## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

Anyone here ever use a refugium on a freshwater tank ? As in instead of a sump filter.
This is one of the units being considered.
Finnex External Hob Refugium Breeder Box Air Pump Shrimp Breeding | eBay
It is for a small freshwater tank. Would have the bio-media in it. Have been planning a DIY sump but/w air and at same level of tank top.
Then I saw this and realized it could just be purchased instead of built DIY and seem likely that it would be much simpler but the one I had thought of
was going to be made from one of those 2.5G tanks which have the slots in the top rim for Betta partitions. So this "store bought" one would not
have the volume as the DIY but likely much more simple to do in general.
But do they make any sense for freshwater ?


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## SavingOurSeas (Jul 16, 2013)

Raymond S. said:


> Anyone here ever use a refugium on a freshwater tank ? As in instead of a sump filter.
> This is one of the units being considered.
> Finnex External Hob Refugium Breeder Box Air Pump Shrimp Breeding | eBay
> It is for a small freshwater tank. Would have the bio-media in it. Have been planning a DIY sump but/w air and at same level of tank top.
> ...



*Anyone here ever use a refugium on a freshwater tank ? As in instead of a sump filter.* - Yes, I have. 35g plumbed into a 55g. However this setup is no longer running. I'm systematically converting all tanks but a few into saltwater. This is the plan anyhow.

What TWV is your aquarium? A 2.5 refugium wouldn't do much good with larger volume aquariums.

Yes, they absolutely make sense. To increase your TWV can only be a good thing, IMHO.

:fish-in-bowl: + :fish-in-bowl: + :fish-in-bowl: + :fish-in-bowl: = *w3:animated_fish_swimm


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

I'm just a tinkerer...can't leave well enough alone. Been perfecting a built in bio-filter that works great BTW and thought it might be apropo to move it outside
the tank for more room. Oh yea it's a ten gallon tank...lease locked for time being. I have the experience/w the built in to make it small enough to hide but
that design doesn't provide space for cepopods/other daphnia such as scuds to have a place without harassment from the fish. One important part of this is
the use of air instead of pumps to move the water to minimize harm to daphnia/fish fry. This photo shows the second generation built in but it takes too
much space up in the tank. Provides great "cover" for fish who are being messed/w or shrimp/daphnia etc. but just takes up too much room.
This is a side view of the filter.



A view when first set up and then how it looks now after 1.5 years.



Not to everyone's taste but just fine for me. Except of course were I to do it in a 55.


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## SavingOurSeas (Jul 16, 2013)

Raymond S. said:


> I'm just a tinkerer...can't leave well enough alone. Been perfecting a built in bio-filter that works great BTW and thought it might be apropo to move it outside
> the tank for more room. Oh yea it's a ten gallon tank...lease locked for time being. I have the experience/w the built in to make it small enough to hide but
> that design doesn't provide space for cepopods/other daphnia such as scuds to have a place without harassment from the fish. One important part of this is
> the use of air instead of pumps to move the water to minimize harm to daphnia/fish fry. This photo shows the second generation built in but it takes too
> ...


Ha! I know what you mean, I'm always trying to reinvent the wheel!
I think you did a splendid job on it. Kudos from me buddy!
I really like the rock work you did, that looks really nice!
I have zero experience moving water with air vs power head. I wouldn't have a clue off the top of my head on how to do things using air instead of power head.
Have you thought of doing a hang on the back project here, you could probably add another gallon or two. That would give you that space back inside the tank and also give you more TWV or are you stuck at 10 gallons in your lease?


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

Yea SOS it locks me down hard...almost. "We allow the tenants to have no larger than a ten gallon tank."
I don't know if your as devious as I, but in there did you see a limit on how many ? We won't ask them that question till it comes up.
Meanwhile back at the ranch...there is one in the living room and one in the bed room...LOL...
Bought a "Brooklyn" 29 G stand from Petco. Great little stands which come in 10/29/40Breeder/55 G I believe. Have the one for
the ten under my living room ten.
I already have the one for the 29 to use for this ten/w refugium. Have a 2.5 Betta tank for the Ref. 12" long x 8.5 high x 6 front
to back. Has 2 sets of partition slots in the top rim for dividing into thirds for Betta's. Still playing/w side or back placement though.
I will post construction photos in DIY section when completed.
Thought you might be interested...top view of that filter which shows much better what the shape is.


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## SavingOurSeas (Jul 16, 2013)

Good ol' tenant loophole 8P
I'm sure I would be if I was put in that position and no I did not lol
I'm sure it's not worth breaching the problem until there is actually a problem.
Could you show me the other tank? I would like that.
I really want to build my own stand, I'm just very picky and I'm not going to undertake it until I can go all the way and have every little detail to my liking.
Might as well add that 10 gallon refugium while you are at it!
I will be looking forward to your posts with your DIY project well underway!

Thanks for sharing, I was interested!
It does show it much better, how interesting.

Have you seen DIY King on Youtube? I think you would enjoy it.


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

I do have two tens and this is a couple of the pix. The gallery link is there also for a couple of "under construction" pix
of the first original built in DIY bio-filter both with and the "before" it was re-done/w rocks. Honestly I learn each time
and thus the obsession to build again to correct previous mistakes. On this one at first I made the intake without
the baffel and added it later. It stops the floating fish food from drifting over the filter. And actually is the reason that
on the second model, the pix you saw before, I put the intake near the bottom. Then when re-doing it I added too much 
rock. As in too many walls...seems too confined so next time it will only cover one end and the back.

The original tank without bio-media. That is najas grass(called guppy grass sometimes) I like it cause unless extremely
dense you can still see your fish in it.





Aquarium Gallery - Raymond S. Gallery

That tank while putting the rocks on it in the re-do.





What looks like a hole is the discharge of the filter with a piece of slate added so as to direct the flow towards
the middle front of the tank. A blank space exist at the end of the glass cover on both ends for hoses wires
and feeding. Just a piece of cut glass short on both ends intentionally.



The earliest and latest pix of it. March and 8/3/13



Took this pix one day after re-doing the plants and wood.


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

Later I will post this also in "builds" but I thought some may appreciate the "wild card" algae lover's tank enough that they might like
a closer look than the tank in the third pix in this thread so left top/bottom...right top/bottom.


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

SavingOurSeas said:


> *Anyone here ever use a refugium on a freshwater tank ? As in instead of a sump filter.* - Yes, I have. 35g plumbed into a 55g. However this setup is no longer running. I'm systematically converting all tanks but a few into saltwater. This is the plan anyhow.
> 
> What TWV is your aquarium? A 2.5 refugium wouldn't do much good with larger volume aquariums.
> 
> ...


The (both the present) tank is a ten G so adding 2.5 may help quite a bit...22-23% more.
I have never had a filter on either of these tanks in the usual way one thinks of a filter. The plants in the tank clean it as far as trapping
most floating particles and or whatever else a polishing pad might do. Carbon does nothing after a week or two. Which only leaves a
need for a bio-filter. Both tanks have "aria's" with bio-media in it that the water passes through. But they are built into the inside of the 
tanks and though you try, you can't hide them.
Thus the refugium idea as that would move the bio media outside of the tank. And I could therefor have the whole(LOL) tank back.
I keep telling myself that this is a "perfecting the idea" phase which I will apply to a 55 when completed. But the reality is that
I'm lease locked to a maximum of a ten G tank...for now...


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