how to light a refugium and what to put in a fuge?

[Cozen89]

I've heard you are suppose to light the fuge at night while your main tank lights are off. Why is this and what purpose does it serve? Does it make a big difference from just lighting the fuge and tank at the same time?

Also what do you all put in your fuges? So far I have LR rubble and chaeto. Do you recommend sand? Any living creatures to put in there? Anything to help speed up the growing of pods?

Thanks.

[CaptRon]

The way I understand it is Ph tends to drop when lights turn off in the main tank. Using a reverse lighting schedule help maintain Ph 24/7. I've never tested with my fugeless system to see what the difference is though. you can put anything you want in a fuge that may need to be separated. Most put in macro algae like chaeto or culerpa along with LR rubble to grow copepods. Some will even put xenia in there to soak up some nutrients. IMO, sand isn't neccessary but can add more life to the system. Miracle Mud is an option too. You might want to read up on deep sand beds (DSB) if you are interested in them

[rustybucket145]

1. Not a rule, some people prefer it but in many cases it's just not practical. For instance if I only lit my fuge at night it would also be lighting my main tank b/c they are right beside each other. So no this is not necessary or required by any means.

2. LR rubble, Chaeto, Sand, Mud, Turtle grass, Frags, Emerald Crabs, Shell Rubble, Mangrove trees, Shells... LR, all types of inverts/pods/worms, snails, hermits.... That's about it.... :D

You should get a cup of sand and or chaeto from someone with a very 'active' fuge. This will give you a good diverse starting point for life in your fuge. You can feed Phytoplankton (which pods eat) to speed development of the fuge but it's not completely necesssary.

[Scooter12ga]

Lighting the fuge at night helps keep the pH more constant. At night pH tends to drop because of rising levels of CO2. By inducing photosynthesis in your chaeto at night it eats up some of the CO2.

I have LR rubble, chaeto, sand, a small bad hitchhiker crab, and misc hitchhiker sponges in my fuge. I also have a handfull of larger shells (from a wal-mart shell pack for the hermits) that I figure is good at impersonating LR rubble by providing some surface area for bio activity and hiding places for pods.

Other people have farmed xenia and aiptasia in their fuge whereas others have created bethnic zones for sponges and other sessile creatures to help in nutrient reduction. These techniques probably are not recommended for a beginner but it gives you an idea of the possibilities.

[Victor1046]

I saw this on melevesreef.com interesting!!!!!!

http://www.melevsreef.com/fuge_bulb.html