Refugium Only?

[Feelin_Salty]

I have a 90gal tank, and the guy at my local fish store talked me into using a refugium and not a protein skimmer. But I'm now starting to wonder if I should add on a protien skimmer as well. I only have 120lbs of live sand in the tank right now, and about 150lbs of live rock in the mail. Will a refugium alone be good enough to support my system?

[flamingo]

First of all I owuld recommend a filter in any tank that can have one on it, even if you have live rock. Live rock is only biological filtration really, still need mechanical and possibly chemical if you can.

You don't need a refugium unless you want one, personally if you ask me it seems like you have enough live rock and a big enough tank for water parameters to be pretty stable already. You can add a protein skimmer, classified as chemical filtration so you got that category down. It'll stop organics and what not from going through the nitrification cycle and raising nitrates and all. Provides many other things but won't go on.

I would personally add a canister filter or a good HOB power filter and the skimmer.

[Reefneck]

Will this be a Fish only or a Reef system? If fish only you don't need a Refugium. If a Reef, A Refugium is very useful at keeping Nitrates down.

A Skimmer is definitely needed unless you are using the "Ecosystem Method" and utilizing the ecosystems Miracle Mud and all. A very costly setup but very nice. With a Normal Refugium with a sand bed the you DO by all mean want/need a skimmer.

A Canister filter is not a good long term filter for a saltwater tank nor is a HOB power filter. A Canister is good for weekly/monthly use to polish the water but is not necessary.

IMO, Get a good skimmer (Coralife Super Skimmer is a good buy on a budget). If you can afford/want the best, Get a Deltec or ASM. EuroReef is another decent brand. But by all means, Get one.

[TheOldSalt]

IF your refugium is illuminated 24/7, and stuffed with caulerpa, and big enough, then it can run the tank by itself once it's matured. However, a skimmer is VERY handy even after all of that, and pretty much essential until then. Get one. A big one. 150 lbs of rock is going to create a lot of waste while it settles in those first few weeks.

[Osiris]

O yea it will be messy until it matures. I ran a skimmer on mine for first few months before i took it off and switched to a refugium about 50% the size of the tank, just much quiter and more my liking. But TOS is right, gonna be messy for awhile so skiimmer would be first good idea versus the fuge right off the bat.

[Fishfirst]

a skimmer is one of the best tools of the trade, why pass on it? A fuge definately isn't worthless though, use both. The more filtration the better, however a canister/hob filter can accumilate detritus and it can create a lot of nitrates which isn't a good thing in a reef or fowlr system. However, its pretty handy in a system with only fish.