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Old 11/19/2006, 01:22 PM
pjf pjf is offline
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Join Date: May 2005
Location: Colorado
Posts: 2,227
Unhappy The Grass is Always Greener

Unlike a macro-algae filter, your DSB has the advantage of not requiring a light and light timer. In the remote DSB forums, you will find RDSB advocates (Anthony Calfo, et. al.) who believe that the unlit RDSB is far superior to macro-algae filtration.

If you are tired of cleaning a DSB refugium, consider cryptic zone refugia. A book and video CD is available at http://www.dynamicecomorphology.com/depublish.htm. In the “Advanced Topics” forum, there is a thread called “New refugium concept,” where a member started a cryptic zone refuge by accident. Cryptic zone refugia also have the advantage of not requiring a light & timer. You can also put live rocks in there.

I have a bare-bottom chaetomorpha refugium but I am not so quick to encourage others to follow suit. It does have the advantage of being able to withstand the fast water flow (~975 gph) without requiring a lot of cleaning and maintenance. I customized the refugium so water flows from the sump section underneath a glass partition to suspend the algae. Nevertheless, the same issue of keeping your refugium contents from the return is still there. A sieve (betta fish tank divider) keeps the algae from being swept into the pump chamber. Furthermore, the chaetomorpha I purchased had bits of caulerpa in it and now I have a caulerpa infestation in the main tank as well as another set of lights and timers in the refugium.