Help!! Refugium Issue

So I'm not happy with the refugium section in my 3 chamber sump. The tank being a 93g cube (30x30x24). The middle section is only 8 x 14.5 x 10 inches and holds approximately 5 gallons of water. I've tried using it as a refugium but it doesn't appear to be enough to handle my nutrient load as I'm still having algae issues in the main display. I'm not saying refugiums in general aren't helpful, but mine is less than 10% of my display volume, so it's not big enough IMO.

Any suggestions on what could replace the refugium? Right now there is just live rock rubble and chaeto in the refugium section. I thought perhaps a bio-pellet reactor and keep the rubble?

Water flow:
Filter sock -> Skimmer -> Refugium -> Heater/Return Chamber/ATO

 

How about a chaeto reactor?
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I'm not sure that would do much more than I already have. I think I would need about 5 of them lol

 

turf scrubber?

 

It's possible, it would be a very tight fit if it does fit. The plus is I run one on my 75g and really like it, but there's a bit more room under that tank since it's not a cube. The units can be bulky and run about $300 - 400.

 

Carbon dosing?

 

I'm considering making one. I can feed it off my return. I'm tallying about $70 with the lights and PVC.

 

Many options open for you. Start with the most effective first as it will show the best performance. Mine is carbon dosing and regular additions of bacteria. You're correct, the fuge isn't big enough.

 

I built a sump/refugium of a 40 gallon breeder to get the size of refugium I wanted holds 30 gallons in all the bought a light of a guy who moved from Colorado it was for growing weed I put that over my refugium and started carbon doseing vinegar I now pull enough hair algae and trimmings from other algae to fill my big dip net full every 4 to 7 days

 

Petco 20 Gallon for $20.00, then go to local hardware store and get 4-5 pcs of glass for your baffles. Tube of silicone and about a half hour. Ask around for some cheto and make a scrubber if you have time. Try to keep your tank as natural as possible. That way there is nothing to break or go out of wack and trash your tank.

 

How powerful is the light on your refugium, and how often are you harvesting cheato?

 

I use a cheap Home Depot clamp light 100 watt. Put a timer on it so it runs for 8 hours a night. Change the bulb every month or two. Give away some Cheto every month or two. Just gave away a bunch or I would send you some. After building a vertical scrubber that clogged every week or two I just lay the screen on top of the Refugium water and it works fine.

 

There is no way that would ever fit under my tank. There's a picture of the sump in the stand over on my build thread (that needs updating). I would agree a larger fuge would be beneficial but there is no room for it in this situation. Tank Build! - 93 Gallon Cube Build

I use a Par 38 bulb that runs for 24 hours a day. I used to pull out about half the cheato every 2 or 3 weeks. But I haven't pulled any recently. I have been stirring it recently to make sure nothing is getting clogged.

 

That's what I'm leaning towards right now, I think a bio-pellet reactor, skimmer, carbon & GFO would be efficient for the space allotment.

I agree that's it not big enough. Problem is finding the most effective method

 

It may be time to replace the bulb, and maybe move it closer.

 

I could agree that I'm miss-handling the maintenance of my fuge space, but I just don't understand how 5g space of chaeto could support the 100g total of water?

 

Didn't see Your tank... Maybe 1-2 reactors?

 

The same way a turf scrubber or algae reactor takes out nutrients from large systems. It has to grow fast and you need to keep it harvested with good flow.

 

If you fundamentally like the concept of running a fuge as a means of nutrient export I'd recommend taking a look at the Triton method. I'm not suggesting going full throttle into their lab water testing and dosing program, but their refugium concept is pretty interesting. They advocate a refugium of 10%-20% of your display volume. In your sump the refugium should be the first chamber, then the skimmer, reactors, and then return pump. They also encourage a variety of macro algaes.

Everyone has their own method for things in this hobby, but if you like the fuge concept I think it may be worth looking at.