critters in the refugium

Exactly. which is why I ask about putting something into the fuge to eat it.

 

i have cyano in my fuge but no in my DT...maybe a lack of flow in that area of the fuge?
i keep nassarius in the fuge, but now im thinking about taking them out because of the risk of them cloggin the return.

 

I've been told that if it grows in the fuge it will hog all of the nitrates and nutrients--thus none available for the main tank--working for me so far

 

I just let Chaeto grow in the fuge but I dont have any growing in my DT. When I rip out a bunch from the fuge I do get stray strands in the tank but it never takes off. I guess it really likes the slow flow poor lighting I have down below.

 

I have a very large hermit in my fuge. He sifts through the sand, moves my chaeto around, and doesn't appear to affect my pods. Only complaint is I get a lot of pieces of chaeto on my return pump pre-filter.

 

I would have to agree both ways on this. I have a few turbos in my DT and I just throw them down into my fuge for a few days every other week or so. I leave them down there for a day or so just to do a little "house cleaning". I would not leave and kind of fish/invert or what have you for an extended period of time. Like Tangster says it should be a "refuge" for your macro's and pods etc. and be free from predators.

 

I don't have much experience, just read a ton. Nasarius are meat eaters. I thought they sift sand for food, but probably just hide in it. But ya, they do burrow and move. If you put them in the fuge, you need to provide then with meat, or they will just die.

What seems to keep DSBs healthy isn't the large sand sifting animals, but a large healthy population of fauna. Worms seem to be the tenders of a sand bed.

A DSB removes nitrates by providing a oxygen free zone. All that is needed to grow macro algae is favorable light/nutrients/ and conditions. I feel it is provided better in my fuge than in my DT. A refugium is to provide a safe place to support a population of pods. Which in turn has it's own benefits to the DT. You can do all three in one place. I try to provide the best conditions for those activities. Seems to me that adding in larger animals takes away from some of the intended puposes.

And yes, I have thought about snails, but it seems like a problem waiting to happen. I have grates on my intakes, butit is just a matter of time of them getting everywhere. Like was mentioned about the drain pipe. So I decided against it.