Testing Refugium Part I: What we found about PAR and refugium size! | BRStv Investigates

Need refugium lighting? Here's some! brs.li/Fuge_Lighting
Today on BRStv, we have a brand new episode for our series, BRStv Investigates. In this series we explore popular reefing theories, products, methods, and what the manuals are missing, with a focus on putting them to the test!
In this installment, we put Chaetomorpha to the test and discover some surprising results! We tested four refugium scenarios with four different fuge lights and quickly found how effective they were at removing nutrients in the tank. On top of that, we made some educated guesses on proper sizing of a refugium that may turn the fuge size conversation upside down!
So stay tuned and join the larger conversation as we take a closer look into the effectiveness of a refugium and refugium lighting, give you a new perspective on nutrient control, and help make reefing a bit more fun and easy for you and your tank.
There’s much more to investigate as we continue this series, so keep an eye out for future episodes where we test bulb efficiency, aquarium heater accuracy and more!
Legal Stuff
The purpose and content of this video is to provide general information regarding the products and their applications as presented in the video. Aquatic Sales Solutions, Inc. and its officers, directors, employees and agents disclaim all express or implied warranties, in any way, related to the products and their application as presented in this video, make no representation or warranty regarding the products and the application as presented in this video and shall not be liable for any direct or indirect losses or damages of any type, including but not limited to punitive damages, or from personal injury or death resulting from or in any manner related to the video, and the products in and contents of the video. The viewer expressly agrees that Aquatic Sales Solutions, Inc. and its officers, directors, employees and agents shall not be liable for any damages or losses related to the products in and content of the video and hereby agrees to hold the foregoing harmless from any such losses or damages.

[@jyoung11]

This is not Bulk Reef Supply.... this is Reef Scientist! You guys are really pushing the science of reef-keeping. Strong work fellas.

[@oceanriderforever]

As a marine biologist, I give my approval of this test, as this is based on scientific fact, and not guesses.

[@jeffjarry4257]

For a refugium light what watt light would be to much lets say 1000w led im just wondering And what's the lowest watt can be used thanks

[@Bearbotx]

I don't think people realize BRS is a company, selling products but here they are making these amazing videos for all these questions we want answers to. I truly appreciate that, I don't know any other company in the world that does this amount of effort for a community. we appreciate you BRS team

[@raygiannamore]

I've been following this channel for quite a while. The content you provide is extraordinary. Proving or disproving assumptions based on science is right up my alley. Thank you and keep up the great work.

[@captainwin6333]

Agreed. Im not even a fish keeper but follow this channel. :)

[@AxcelleratorT]

+

[@ronbeatty516]

Right on! Science matters!

[@shubidubi88]

@@captainwin6333 keep watching and soon you will be

[@russmaleartist]

Your dedication in your thorough testing is most admirable -- I'm sure many will say along with myself, that your interest in helping your viewers/customers goes beyond duty and is most appreciated.

[@russmaleartist]

Welcomed!

[@danarodriguez376]

This is one of my favorite videos of yours to date especially since most of the conversation in regards to the benefit of refugiums is mostly conjecture. This is an awesome start to really nailing down whether or not what many of us are doing is really working or not. Thank you!

[@ronbeatty516]

BRS is amazing for taking the time educating reefers around the world by using the scientific method. Thanks so much!

[@KlimovArtem1]

Great test. I can confirm that even smallest Chaetomorpha refugium can make a big difference. I run it in a small back section in my Nuvo 20. There is a constant water flow and I provide very bright light (LED). The algae doubles every 1-2 weeks and I prune it regularly. I don't run any skimmer or other filters, no reactors, no gfo, only filter socks. I feed generously and let nitrates swing between 5-30 ppm, but phosphates are always undetectable. And grow SPS ! So, my tiny Chaetomorpha refugium definitely works. No hair algae in display. And, btw, as soon as I started the refigium after cycling the tank few months ago, I noticed a quick the drop in nitrates (from ~50 to just 5ppm), and there was no light yet in the display at that time.

[@renedegrauw9561]

Ryan & Team, I have had reef tanks in the past (15 years ago) and I am looking to start again, watch the BRS series of KZbin videos have been amazing, you guy's are going to save me alot of heart ache and stress for my next reef. Your video's are always "on the money" by this I mean objective, comprehensive as base research and facts, not merely hearsay ...... thanks. Keep up the great work and thanks guy's, Rene - Perth Western Australia

[@jesusllano5005]

To me this is the best aquarium Channel around. this is an excellent test and will show how effective refugiums really are and how much you need to actually filter to your specifications

[@fanhojm]

Agreed

[@kellie9274]

You guys are one reason I love this hobby--it really feeds my inner nerd, lol! Thank you for the amazing research and constant input of knowledge and shared expertise!

[@GlassBoxAquatics]

Great videos guys! For the 3 years ive been subscribed you guys never disappoint! Cant wait to see the follow up videos! Keep up the great work you guys do for the hobby!

[@Quiksilver5451]

Great video! Keep up the good work, I have learned alot over the past few years watching your videos! They have been continuously getting better and thanks again

[@NaturalAquaria]

Love your videos, guys! This is one of my favorite so far as I have been using chaetomorpha in refugiums for more than 10 years now due to the results I've achieved. Nice to see someone boiling it down to usable data for all to see.

[@Caramellofellow]

Cheers Ryan and the gang for doing the science, so we don't have to! Really amazing work. I'd love to support you guys when you start shipping down under! ;) I removed my chaeto to observe the effect about 6 months ago, and what I saw was a noteable increase in nitrate levels, which had been unreadable for the year until that point. It definitely does something!

[@UniversalCataclysm]

Wow, such a thorough experiment. Looking forward to the future vids on this!

[@JugnuJethi]

Thanks guys, awesome job. These experiments are indeed great at promoting clear and concise understanding. So exciting. Can't wait for the next update 👍👍

[@GustavoTokoroRiether]

Awesome! Keep doing those tests and investigation! Great job!

[@deansmith2124]

I got some good info for my setup from this video. Thanks again. I'm learning a lot by watching all your videos.

[@BodyworkASMR]

I'm proud to say i've been a subscriber since the 10,000s! Congrats on hitting 100k!!

[@jakewhann8264]

This is a great investigation, thanks for getting to the bottom of some of the hobby's hotly debated topics!

[@adamblanden7912]

Outstanding work guys. Really challenged my ideas. Looking forward to the long follow up.

[@Manaz101]

This test is amazing! csnt wait to see where this goes. thank you so much!

[@66ehssan]

best BRS episode ever! I hope every reefer will watch this. thanks guys!

[@rickb7242]

you guys rock! the videos are always great and are super helpful ! keep up the great work!

[@Forgetii]

For myself, I found this episode one of the most interesting. When I first started using a Chaeto refugium I had a significant explosion in growth. After time and thinning the Chaeto, I've noticed my growth is significantly less. I attribute this to the Chaeto removing a large amount of nutrients from the water and once stabilized the growth matched the available nutrients. I for one think that a refugium is definitely a must for reef systems. Great Video!! I'm glad you guys are on top of the things we as Hobbyists need to know.

[@Hind135]

This is awesome. Really appreciate your efforts for scientific answers! Thanks for sharing

[@sethswheelhouse]

BulkReefSupplyCom You guys are amazing! Instead of blindly supporting the various sides of the hundreds of opinions in reefing you roll up your sleeves and practice real science to provide real answers. Good thing too! I added a Cheato reactor to my tank last night! Its great to know that it wasn't for no reason.

[@reptilewizz]

I put cheato in my display tank in the corner and it’s been doing great.

[@tuckernielson1]

This is simply the best content on KZbin. Thank you very much for creating such a thoughtful test. I can't wait for more videos like this, until then BRS gets all my money 😀.

[@tracydoll7910]

Exciting results already!

[@DannyPopov]

You guys are awesome, thanks for all the great information!

[@Sysgen]

Very interesting information. I wasn't planning on using a refugium in my setup because of space. I had planned on using several reactors but this has got me rethinking the refugium idea. I will be following this with great interest! Thank you for taking the time and spending your profits on doing this research! New and better toys are always a win...lol!

[@ZokomoTV]

Wow this is some compelling evidence. I'm looking forward to the long term results

[@derrickdaugherty3445]

Amazing work, incredible!!

[@Jotto999]

I don't even want a saltwater tank, but this is damn interesting! So well made.

[@TheDaddy2003]

Great experiment Ryan. Another quality series form brs. Would love to see u do this with every other part of a filter system, skimmers, uv, ozone, filter soaks, deep sandbed , carbon, biopellets etc. Real quality production yet again !

[@SparkyHelper]

Good job peeps. Thanks for doing this.

[@samin2012]

Great video. Thanks guys !

[@nimrodsasson1123]

Another intdresting video. Amazing test.

[@scottharter1161]

This. This is how you discuss topics like this. Scientific method for the win.

[@NotificationalAlert]

Great job, guys!

[@CarlRecktenwaldJr]

Perfect test, can't wait for long term results.

[@patricktucci2818]

Great video. I would like to bring up another topic for consideration. What you've actually done in this test is set up a 25 gallon refugium solely for chaeto. While this is a good reference (a 25g fuge with chaeto, proper light, proper flow, etc, can handle a cube of food per day), it means a few things. First, if you feed a cube of food a day and want results like those seen in the video, you may need to set up a 25 gallon fuge solely for chaeto if it is your only filtration method. Second, if you feed more than a cube a day (some reefers over on Reef Central are feeding upwards of 5 cubes a day), you may need to provide many times more space in which the chaeto can grow. Another thing to maybe consider is micronutrient profiles in the foods you're feeding. There has been some conjecture on forums that chaeto growth may slow or stop entirely without proper micronutrients, such as iron. It appears that the food you are feeding to these tanks has a complete micronutrient profile that completely satisfies the need of chaeto, but it is possible that other foods won't contain this perfect mix, and may not grow chaeto at all, or maybe not as well. Another consideration is that you are feeding an empty tank. In a tank with live animals, it's possible the animals will use some of the micronutrients that the chaeto needs. After the food is excreted as waste, it may no longer contains the "perfect" nutrient profile, which could result in slower growth than we are seeing in these videos. Again, good work, and I think "cube equivalents" is the best way to discuss chaeto's nutrient consumption profile. I was personally surprised at how well the chaeto did, even with the cheap clip-on light. I just think we may want to keep in mind how complex different tank environments can be, and that your mileage may vary.

[@joshford1239]

thanks for doing these videos!

[@PSCThrillSeeker]

Excited to see what the coming months bring us in terms of results. This is definitely worthwhile BRS investigates topic on fuge's.

[@PSCThrillSeeker]

I agree! Looking forward to the rest of the investigation by BRS. Out of all the on-line reef suppliers, your company goes beyond the call of duty with the content you guys provide. Head and shoulders above the rest. That's why you have so many subscribers and you get 98% of all the money I spend on supplies and equipment. ;-)

[@tsurro8086]

One of ur better videos!! Great job!!

[@ErickMirandadotcom]

Great video, really helpful. Thank you!

[@r22d80]

thank you brs really appreciate what you guys doing. please keep it up and more vids like this, it helps us a lot. 😆

[@r22d80]

now take my money 💲😂

[@frankyscorals2185]

Great video!

[@Mikebike68]

That was a solid video man

[@48tomw]

I love this channel and I don't even have a reef tank,it's the science that turns me on! I've had a 125g tank sitting empty since xmas due to blown discs in my neck and with all that I've learned on this fantabulous channel I will be in fine shape to setup my own reef tank or a fwolr tank when the time comes.

[@MannyDer]

I have a bunch of chaeto in the bottom of my sump, below the filter pad. It's not technically a refugium, but works much like one. I have two tanks (60 & 40) on that one sump. I'm using a curly bulb during the night. I haven't ran a protein skimmer in about 10 months. I also have a 100 gal with a refugium in the sump, I run a waterfall style algae scrubber instead of a skimmer, also about 10 months or so on that. Everything is running great, big fan of chaeto

[@LJsReef]

I swear by a Fuge with Macro Algae. And I love all the little critters that come along with it. My corals said they love it too. 😁

[@azteca088]

like always a fantastic video absolutely great thank you guys at and BRS for all the wonderful information and for helping us members of the reefing Community keep it stable nice-looking enjoyable tanks.

[@LucidComposureUk]

This is the best investigates video to date!

[@bif24701]

No way!!! just look at the topics being posted on the forums. Folks are really starting to ask and discuss very complex topics.

[@redcrackeroutdoors3234]

Best video so far! 💪

[@mr.reeftank1456]

Indeed, Interested!

[@arturreef8117]

Amazing info

[@keithbrown338]

This is AWESOME!!! Great job. I can't wait to see your long term results. My tank has been running with no skimmer and only a fuge and chemipure blue since day one (1.5 yrs.). I've made some rookie mistakes that created nutrient spikes but mostly my nutrients are low enough for me (N = 5ppm w Red Sea ; PO4=.05 w Hanna ulr). I feed one cube hikari mega marine algae and one cube cyclopeeze daily. Plus feed 1" square of mysis to my anemone every other day.

[@ghiapower3908]

great video!!

[@dubaiaquascapes3548]

This is amazing effort for the reefing community. Well done... Im a big fan.. Doing my best to make you guys famous in my part of the world 😂

[@nitrofarm5331]

keep up the good work great video!

[@alecthenice8115]

Good experiment guys

[@johngayle2772]

this is a great experiment

[@russman6577]

Great video with a ton of info! I wonder if the next step would be to also use the same variables but use different algaes as well.

[@Thehobbyeast]

Ryan that was a very useful video and possibly one of a kind in reefing.

[@Thehobbyeast]

always Ryan

[@sonnyec]

well done lads!

[@obct537]

I really appreciate having some actually empirical numbers to look at, instead of just personal anecdotes. As a bit of a science nerd, I'm insanely jealous of the person designing and running these tests :P

[@BRStvRyan]

I have to say it is super fun and I appreciate that all of you allow us to spend so much time and resources exploring this stuff : )

[@AMILLER415]

I love my Chaeto! I have a CPR hang on fuge with their LED light and I added 2 trays of miracle mud. I pull out a big ball of chaeto every week and put it in my compost. It works so well that I quit having to run GFO in my reactor and currently just run Carbon. Now I'm seeing my phosphates and nitrates above zero and many of my corals, especially my mushrooms and zoas are opeining up and getting bigger! My SPS and LPS also look happier. I've started feeding my fish more and supllimentally adding powdered coral foods and acropower, as well as the red sea color and energy programs. My thinking is that I like a variied diet, so my coral will as well. I'm beginning to feel like I'm getting to the Goldylocks Zone. Slowly dialing in my setup. My problem was I was running things too clean, but now I'm balancing things out. It's amazing how effective the Chaeto works for keeping phosphates down for me and it looks like your results so far are looking fairly promising! Great work on your testing setup! It looks like it's going to be an awesome series!

[@ericj5916]

Great video

[@jerrydowney3096]

Thanks for the info it almost makes me think I want to get me a reef

[@Fordemups]

Awesome test. You guys think of everything. I'm off to trim my cheato.

[@johnwilliams4806]

Thx I seen a video about the same things that Ryan was talking about and this video really helped me make a decision that every few gym is beneficial for my tank and there are more things to consider than just the size of the refugium .. I was strongly, considering canceling my order of clean Kato from algae barn but after this video, I see that they refuse gym is beneficial for me. Thanks, Ryan much appreciate it.

[@ajpogi3794]

As always.. BRS TV the most informative! Will skimmer manufacturers get mad at you guys lol

[@ReillyPerovich]

chaeto has always helped me get and keep nutrient levels down

[@reefingmedic7537]

great job guys! Even NOAA and NASA would be proud of the thought put into the science behind everything here.

[@ARandomTrex]

I know I'm late to this one but I would have loved to see a reactor thrown in with this test. I'm curious about those. Great series tho. I've watched brs you tube channel since back when you guys were only 2 people teaching how to cut holes in glass outside. I've watched less you tube for a while but now I'm back super into it and really glad you guys are still doing so much for the hobby. 👍

[@michaelrelaz4808]

I love this! I plan on making a standard 125 gal tank into a sump with a 40 gal fuge. I plan on lighting it with a cheap 4 t5 bulb fixture I have laying around. Unsure for what bulbs I'll be using but regardless I'm very excited for this series.

[@BriansAquariums]

love this vid. I am stuck in between spending the money for a kessil h380...but this solved it. Time to start saving. Thank you BRS

[@marcindobaczewski9485]

well done!

[@tokigami1]

thank you amazing video. which setup was the best to grow cope pods and amphibious. did you see a difference in pod population between the tanks?

[@Dennco2000]

Thanks for all the hard work. I know this type of research is very time consuming in addition to your daily job duties. I had been searching the web for info pertaining to this but could not find anything nearly this extensive and controlled environments. I use the fuge2 medium on a 65 tall salt... Works great and grows chaeto like crazy with a small aqueon 36 LED light so now Im thinking about replacing it with the Kessil a80 tuna. As for results 3 months after adding the fuge and micro algae the Ni/Na nothing zero. Phos runs 0.02 but I also run phosguard but very little. prior Na was always about 5.0. Thanks again Dennis

[@DanielHJeffery]

I'm building a shallow 60gal acropora dominant tank and going to rely almost entirely on Chaeto in my 40 gallon sump, no skimmer, no GFO. In the past I've had most success feeding very heavy (feeding coral not just fish!!!!) and relying on algae for nutrient export, unparalleled color and growth compared to any of my low-nutrient tanks using mechanical and chemical filtration. :D

[@jlittrell]

Good one!

[@MatthewWagnerNOECA]

Very interesting! Only serves to confirm my next tank WILL have a refugium.

[@raiders_and_reefs]

Nice to see which light will do the best so far. Personally I've already done this test in a 40b and 125g tank so I was already aware it would help if you apply the correct variables to your system it works.

[@DanBrown58]

It's great to see refugiums aren't as much of a waste as some reefers make them out to be. It's also nice to see some solid numbers and testing methods to back all this up. Very cool guys. Keep up the good work.

[@nanekidlat]

good job guys

[@movingwater7312]

i really like how that one dislike stands out. that person must be new to concept of scientific approach. great stuff guys. thank you.

[@MD-pl4ww]

wow the DR 3900 looks cool, if I never had to guess on a shade of pink again I would be super happy

[@JosephThompson619]

I've tested multiple spectrums and different styles of lighting on my refugium over the past few years so I found this video to be very informative. I'm not a professional reef keeper or any kind of marine biologist. Just the average saltwater aquarium hobbits with a few different types of salty setups in a Michigan basement. I've tested PAR38 LED's full spectrum, RED, 5,000K and 10,000K... Grocery store brand CFL curly bulbs @ 6500K daylight spectrum as well as 6500K & 10,000K T5HO lighting. I've found that Cheatomorpha grows best for me under 6500K spectrum CFL or 6500K TH5HO bulbs with a high flow rate in my refugium. So much so that I was actually trading in a giant 5 gallon bucket full of cheato to the local coral farm like clock work each month while using this type of lighting. Just a quick note that CFL & T5HO should be changed out after 6 months of normal use. Macro algae removal is my primary source of phosphate and nutrient removal since I've moved away from skimming around 9 months ago. While running similar experiments on my macro algae display tank, I found that T5HO 10,000K bulbs gave me the best growth with the more desirable types of macro algae like dragon's breathe for example. The red types of macro seem to flourish and benefit the most from a more blue/white spectrum 10,000K light. The 5,000K LED daylight bulbs did a fair job at growing cheato but nowhere near the growth rate obtained with 6500K CFL or T5HO.

[@zsxking]

Amazing work! Will be very interested in the same test using ATS, probably with the Kessil light and hardware store light. If you start now, by the time you wrap up the test after 6 months, you will still get like 4 months worth of comparable time periods.

[@davedoc80]

sweet video guyz :-)

[@marquiiswells]

It would be great to see more testing like this done. Especially on things hot on the market like algae scrubbers, different vendors products like carbons, Gfo's, etc..

[@spsdominant7090]

That's what I'm talking about. Go BRS!!! I run chaeto on my full Zeovit system and helps with the phosphates. I would have to run GFO if I didn't.

[@sethwilliamson]

One of the issues with algae that I'd be interested to see tracked (Seneye?) is the impact on nutrient levels post-harvest and what percentage of biomass can be safely removed without impairing the nutrient export to a concerning level. We've all learned that sudden changes are usually bad. In other words, exploring (a) letting a chaeto ball grow huge then removing all but a handful, versus (b) more frequent but less aggressive pruning, and the impact on tank stability.

[@InappropriateReefer]

"I'm going to have to science the shit out of this" - The Martian

[@luisdanielrealtorres5379]

Excellent video guy's what are does little purple fishes at 13:26