refugium help needed

[adiver]

I have a 55 gal hex tank it has two small fish, a sally crab 10 snails a blood shrimp and 60Lbs. of live rock I'm running a Eheim wet/dry can 2227, 404 fuval w/carbon-and biosubstrait in it and a ramora skimmer,
it's been up and cycled for 2month my test look good and I would like to and a refugium prior to adding any corals, my ? is how big should the refug be and what needs to go in it.

 

[Anonymous]

The sizing of the refugium is the easy part, I would say that if you could make use of something on the order of 30 gallons or so you'd be golden. A pump to drive it (unless you get a complete package) would be your start. I don't know if you could use a hang-on-tank 'fuge, those are usually constructed for rectangular tanks.

A brief outline of what you'll need to house in the 'fuge would be (my own recommendation at least) a deep sand bed and macroalgae.

There is SO much information on this site (our library and Advanced Aquarist) and others that we couldn't begin to really address it all very well.

 

[Anonymous]

Go with the biggest one you have room for. But a small one, like ten gallons, would be good too. I'm about to add a ten gallon fuge to my 72 gallon becuase I don't have room for anything bigger and the tank is in my living room. Even a ten gallon container with a deep sand bed and some cheap lighing will help to up the limit of your bioload and create a good food source for your guests.

Good Luck