HOB Refugium!

[snyderju]

I've been considering getting an Aquaclear 70 or 110 and converting it to a HOB refugium. My girlfriend today however was like "hey, you know that breeder box we have laying around we never use, could you convert that into a refugium?" I'm thinking why not? Here is the breeder box. It works using an airpump. I was going to get some acrylic and cut new compartments for it and silicone them in. I would put maybe a prefilter in the first compartment and that would overflow into the main compartment with sand and chaeto algae and live rock. the last compartment would be for carbon and maybe phosphate reducer. Do you think this could work? It is going on a 29 gallon.

 

[little_fish]

I think that would work fine, but I would turn the whole thing into a fuge area

 

[beeguiles]

I don't see why it wouldn't work! I would go for it

 

[kilo]

I have the exact same thing, the air pump doesn't provide enough flow I think. But im making do. I'm using 12oz Fiji mud, cheato, rubble rock' +jebo 13 watt clip on light

 

[snyderju]

Cool! okay so instead of using an airpump I saw online someone used a powerhead. So I'm modifying my maxijet and hooking it to the intake of the breeder box with some 1/2 inch tubing. Below is a picture. Also you don't think I should have any compartments? just have the water come straight into the fuge and have LR and I was thinking a deep sand bed and the algae of course?

 

[little_fish]

skip the DSB, it wont be of much use and could potentially cause more problems

 

[kilo]

I use only one baffle, I stuck carbon in the intake chamber, and left the rest open for macro algae, don't put the gate in the return, it will help get pods in your tank

 

[snyderju]

Could I go with a shallow sand bed with live sand? What problems will sand cause?

 

[little_fish]

you really dont need the sand in there, it will just take up space that could be used for the macro algae and rubble rocks

 

[snyderju]

Stupid Marineland Maxijet pump should have know it wouldn't work for anything other than being a powerhead. In circulation mode the thing rattles so loudly and when you hood up 1/2 inch tubing and use it as a pump it makes even more noise. We have a Koralia mini pump on the way hopefully getting here today along with the light we ordered for the fuge! Just need to find a place to get some cheap chaeto any suggestions?

 

[markrj]

Found the same problem with the Marineland Maxijet.

Very noisy.

Returned it to the lfs.