Do I need a refugium??

Help me reduce my Nitrates PLease.

I have a 125ltrs tank which I think is about 33 US gal or about 27 UK Gallons. I have about 22kg of live rock so I roughly have 100ltrs of water (22 UK Gal).
I have removed all of my sponges except the bubble stop and a polishing pre filter pad. I run active carbon and phosphate remover changing at the correct times.
I recently took 90% of the water out in an attempt to lower the Nitrate levels. Original it was over 100ppm but I put this down to moving the tank and removing the live sand bed which stirred up all the muck. I have left the bottem just glass thinking it may be cleaner that way. On the 90% change it reduced it down to about 30ppm but I do regularly change the water but just cant seem to lower it. I buy my water pre mixed from my local marine stockist and that I have tested ok.

I have two clown, one cardinal, one foxface and one algae blennie.
I feed half a cube of frozen brine shrimp every other day
I have one Korila 3 and the skimmer return and standard filter pump.

Are hang on refugiums any good?
Will I still need a skimmer?
I have attached a photo. Any comments on layout very welcome.

 

nice tank

was there fish and such in their when the nitrate was 100?

you might want to look into a hob fuge or a sump
there is nothing wrong with hob fuges if thats what you are asking

I would still keep the skimmer

 

Theoretically, if you did a 90% water change, which you should never do, you should have had about 10 ppm nitrates. I think first that you should cut back on feedings, I feed every other day and only about a 1/5-1/4 of a cube. I have a clown, sixline, yellow watchman, yellow tail and flasher wrasse. Also, how did you test the water you get? Are the test kits old?

Do you have a skimmer? You say you have a skimmer return, ask if you need a skimmer.

 

I have a v400 skimmer more than need for my tank.
Does hob stand for hang on back?

 

Sorry forgot to mention that yes the fish have all survived no problem.

 

yes.

 

Ok Sorry new to all the terms.

With that I take it you have a pump inside the tank and a gravity flow back into the tank. The miracle mud and algea in the ref. But does the light for the fuge go over the hob if so i imagine it looks pretty ugly?