HOB refugium w/skimmer

I don't have enough room in my stand for a sump so I'm guessing that a HOB refugium is the way to go. I see some of them have a skimmer included and I like this idea. When I started my tank, I made the typical newbie purchase and got a Sea Clone. I don't like it and have read many bad reviews about this unit. Can I use a refugium with skimmer unit as the only source of filtration? Anyone have experience with these?

 

your main source of filtration is the LR in the tank, second being your skimmer. Make sure you have 1-2lbs of LR per gallon and then focus on getting a quality skimmer. The refugium, though very beneficial to your tank, is not specifically a filter. I don't know what kind of all-in-one unit your are thinking about, but I think I would go with them separate so that you can be more picky about your skimmer. Buy one that is bigger than you need so that you know it will be able to handle the work, and you won't have to upgrade later if you buy a bigger tank.

 

Well I went with a hob skimmer/fuge got it from aquatraders. It has worked very well for me. The only problem I have is that the tank it is on is next to my bed. The unit isnt noisy but the fuge light shines on me while I am trying to sleep and that just isnt working. So what I am going to try to do is build a simple sump and still use the hob fuge on it. Dont really know how I am going to do it. I have limited space underneath the tank or I would have done a sump in the first place. Anyway after a few months of tinkering with the hob fuge I get a very dark skimmate. I also have some very nice neon green cheeto and have pods. Lots of pods and some bristle worms along with some live rock rubble. Here is a link to the aquatraders site I have the smaller hob fuge and I also used there powerhead to run it. Oh I ended up just using a cheap clip on light from home depot and a cf bulb. I get better growth on the cheeto with it then the pc light with a 50/50 bulb that I bought with the fuge. http://shop.aquatraders.com/Hang-On-Refugium-with-Protein-Skimmer-14in-p/43016.htm