too new to know what a refrigrium is?

i never really thought about what you are trying to filter when i started my first tank i would always think everything everything everything has to be filtered. so many things to learn though

 

pronounced like Re-fuge-ium

Try to locate a local reef club or forum in VA. I'm sure there are a lot of people near you that reef. Local contacts are the best place to get good deals and it always helps to know someone that can you can borrow stuff from in emergency situations ect. Keep the questions coming.


Central Virginia reef found by a click google search.

 

I would encourage you to keep reading the forums here. Past threads, etc. This is a great place to laern. I am only a few months ahead of you and starting out on this adventure. Keep asking questions. Lots of good and experienced folks here to help. Every time I find a word I don't know, or acronym, I google it... go read about it, and keep going. It is a new language.

The thing that confuses me is that there is no right answer. Lots of opinions and contradictions out there. But keep reading and asking questions. It is gradually becoming more clear to me, but I have a LONG ways to go. I think my questions are at least improving.

Enjoy the journey.

Mark

 

I would just like to add one more complication. Refugiums can be used for many different things. Depending on what you are trying to accomplish with it should determine how it's setup.

Here are a few common uses:

An area for growing macro algae for nutrient export.

An area for keeping reproducing populations of crustatceans/shrimp/pods etc safe so they can get back to the display tank for food/cleaning etc.

A dark/cryptic filtration area which can house various filter feeders and inverts that might like different conditions than can be provided elsewhere in the system.

You can also just keep a "refugium" that is basically just extra liverock that you couldn't fit in your tank but still want to have for biological filtration.

There are also remote deep sand beds that might be considered a type of "refugium" for denitrification.

Those are just a couple I've seen recently that I can think of off the top of my head, there probably are other uses as well.

Your "refugium" should set out to accomplish a goal (or goals if you can design it to accomodate more than one goal) and should be designed specifically to accomplish that goal IMO.
I'm no expert but I would suggest researching exactly what you want to do with it. I think there are a lot of poorly designed "refugiums" out there that are too small, have the wrong conditions, or are somehow inadequately designed out there so they really are just more maintenance and don't provide much benefit.

My 2c

 

I agree 100%,keep reading here,not everybody will always agree on everything,as there is not one perfect way to run your tank.But one thing here,you'll get a wealth of info and opinions from people thats been there and done that.I've been through 3 tank changes,upsizing and downsizing,never lost a fish,coral,or invert.99% of what i know came from this website!!

 

hahahah