You might be setting up a brand-new reef tank. Maybe you’re doing some upgrades to an existing aquarium. Either way, you’ll have a lot of individual concerns to address. First and foremost, “Is this system capable of managing a large(r) bioload?” And then, “How will I deal with all of the nitrate that my biofilter will generate?” And, if you really care about providing the most nutritious diet possible, “Will I produce sufficient amounts of live food such as copepods and edible seaweeds?” A planted refugium can address many of these concerns.
There isn’t a huge number of things you need to get your ‘fuge going strong. Still, it is rather convenient to be able to get all of these items in one click. And, by upgrading to purchase these items as a complete package, you can ultimately save some money as well. To these ends, you can easily get all the stuff you’ll need to seed a healthy, balanced refugium for a great price with AlgaeBarn’s Ultimate Refugium Starter Pack.
The ”URP” helps you to seed the right beneficial organisms in the right amount at the right time. This significantly shortens the conditioning period. And yes, it makes seeding and conditioning your refugium incredibly easy. This package is available in several sizes and even allows you to select a macroalgae from a list of AlgaeBarn’s most popular species. The Ultimate Refugium Starter Pack addresses the major concerns of starting and maintaining a healthy aquarium system. These include (1) stabilizing the nitrogen cycle, (2) introducing a select mix of copepod species and (3) growing a thick bed of macroalgae.
Starting small
To maximize the nitrification capacity of your ‘fuge, this pack includes one of the finest biomedia available. MarinePure is a highly porous ceramic medium that has a huge amount of surface area. Its innumerable pores provide an ideal environment for diverse lifeforms. For example, its outer surface is suited to provide excellent microhabitat for both nitrifying bacteria and copepods; deeper inside the media, beneficial anaerobic bacteria (such as denitrifiers) can flourish.
Fritz Aquatics Turbo Start 900 Live Nitrifying Bacteria for Saltwater is a concentrated blend of nitrifying bacteria strains. As these microbes coat the MarinePure™ Biofiltration, other biomedia, they make the system safe for fish, coral and other marine aquarium livestock. When starting a new tank, add the pods, phyto and macro at least 5 days after the nitrifying bacteria for the best results. When adding a refugium to a brand-new system, it is best to fully cycle the system before introducing a seed population of copepods!
Nitrosomonas sp. and Nitrobacter sp. in TurboStart 900 are aerobic, chemoautotrophic bacteria that work together to detoxify nitrogenous wastes. Nitrosomonas oxidizes ammonia (produced mainly by your aquarium animals) into less poisonous nitrite, whereas Nitrobacter further oxidizes the nitrite to relatively harmless nitrate. While not especially toxic, nitrate is a nutrient that contributes to the growth of undesirable film and turf algae. That’s where the macros come into play!
Tending the garden
Macroalgae take up nitrate as they grow and so help control nuisance algae growth through competition. The Ultimate Refugium Starter Pack helps you to prevent this with CleanMacro Algae (available as Chaeto, Pom-Pom, Red Ogo or Spike Sphere!). Any of these seaweeds is a great choice for nutrient export.
When kept under very intense light, Chaetomorpha is fast-growing and excellent at nutrient export (and therefore recommended for very densely stocked systems). On the other hand, if using moderately intense lighting, Gracilaria is recommended. Of these, Red Ogo is the fastest grower. All of these macroalgae greatly enrich the refugium habitat by providing a perfect living space for your copepods.
You got pods
The copepods in 5280Pods (Tigriopus, Tisbe and Apocyclops) consume ugly microalgae but do no harm to macroalgae; indeed, they benefit macroalgae by consuming any type of microalgae that might grow on them. Still, maintaining a diversity and abundance of copepods requires feeding. This is because the planktonic larvae of pods require phyto in their diets. 5280Pods contains live copepods of all life stages, including larvae. That’s why every Ultimate Refugium Starter Pack starts your young pods off on a good foot with OceanMagik live phytoplankton.
Your new pods will get all the nourishment they need, even in a very new system, from the OceanMagik live phytoplankton. If you have a mature reef tank, your corals and other filter-feeders will love this stuff, too! OceanMagik is specially formulated to deliver perfectly balanced nutrition and present a wide selection of cell sizes for your most picky phytoplanktivores. This live phytoplankton blend contains Nannochloropsis gaditana, Isochrysis galbana, Tetraselmis sp. and Thalassiosira weissflogii. Just like AlgaeBarn pods, you can have your live phyto supplies replaced regularly and effortlessly (while saving 10% each time!) with a convenient subscription.
The ultimate upgrade
Ultimate Refugium Starter Pack gives you two different options. In Option One, you receive two shipments. The first shipment, which sets the stage for the cycling process, contains the MarinePure Biofiltration and TurboStart 900 Live Nitrifying Bacteria. The second shipment (sent one week later) contains the 5280Pods, OceanMagik and CleanMacro Algae. Option Two combines all of the above items into a single shipment; this option is recommended only for mature aquarium systems. Either way, all Ultimate Refugium Packs qualify for free shipping. And, as always, everything is covered under AlgaeBarn’s Alive On Arrival Guarantee!
When you consider–in adding or expanding a ‘fuge–that you’ll end up needing all of these items anyway, it only makes sense to upgrade to the URP. No other package makes it easier to build a sustainable ecosystem right in your refugium, with all the best stuff, for a great price!
williamscronce09 says
Great information, looking at getting this.
Reefer says
Will definitely be getting this!
branngarybeary says
Me too!
williamscronce09 says
Ok
Keith Samson says
Awesom pack and info grabbing one soon
Emily Rhamy says
Me too
Tristen says
i didn’t even know what a refugium was, this sounds amazing.
Matthew Ussery says
Fantastic suite of products well tailored to my needs! Thank you Algae Barn for putting together this bundle!
Sydney Monroe says
Whenever I upgrade my tank and have a sump I’m definitely getting this!
Reefer says
Have been looking at starting a refugium for a few months and will not buy from anyone other than Algae Barn!
branngarybeary says
I might start a refugium, sounds interesting.
branngarybeary says
I might start a refugium, sounds interesting. I Iike how everything comes together, in 1 pack.
superpickle01 says
I am also headed in this direction with a HOB for a 75 gal tank.
branngarybeary says
Will try
Ashley says
Got my first macro in my fuge from y’all. Stellar stuff.
Kevin Stout says
Pods pods everywhere!!!! Best bang for your buck in the refugium
Malachi Inabnit says
I love the macro from #algaebarn its so healthy and beautiful!
Matthew says
Great kit!
matt_armstrong53 says
Great Information!!!
Jason Bohr says
Can’t wait to get my fuge going. Got 30 marine pure cubes in my sump and seeding with bacteria
missinglink358 says
Algae Barn, you rock!!!
shandriltina says
Everything you need
shandriltina says
Everything you need
Alex Jeffords says
Awesome post hit every detail!
Umer Saleem says
This is a great kit. I used this for my HOB refugium. Got a healthy population of pods and chaeto is growing nice. I would highly recommend.
eriks says
This is an amazing deal! Everything you need.
eriks says
Whoops, here we go, new tank in order…
J Beach says
Great product, will be buying more
ekersd says
I don’t use Macro, but looks like a great value.
Mark Keller says
Marco rocks
Mark Keller says
Marco rocks
Brandon Thorn says
Great Info. Thank you
Helliott says
I’m excited to try growing macro in my new fuge!
pumas0511 says
Awesome package. I highly recommend it.
Brooks says
nice
Matt says
This feels like a great option. I am brand new, so just trying to learn all of the ways to care for my tank.
Samantha says
Thinking that a good idea.
Chad Smith says
Love it
Chad Smith says
Love it
Shaun Church says
Algae barn is the best!
bryceaaubrey says
good info on starting a fuge
Lisa says
Perfect start up
Teri Embum says
Used this in a hang on fuge for my nano. Great kit! Keeps nitrates and phosphates low.
Simplyreefing says
Great products and awesome customer service woohoo you guy rock
Simply says
Great products and awesome customer service. Woohoo you guys rock.
SimplyReefing says
Would love to have this for my new build.
Robert Joseph Mastronardi says
Great introduction! Bookmarking, even though I already know this info, it is always great to keep on hand!
Robert Long says
GREAT product!
jwhisenhunt81 says
Looks pretty good. Would have probably got this if I hadn’t bought bio media balls separately and had a friend give me some chaeto
Rodney Chupp says
I think I will go with this once my tank is done cycling.
wei yang says
Awesome products, always exciting to have my order arrived and put them in work. Can’t get enough of these products!
wei yang says
always exciting to have my order arrived and put them in work. Can’t get enough of these products!
wei yang says
always exciting to have my order arrived and put them in work.
Kevin parsons says
Always have great products
Brian Sciolino says
Looks good
Lesa Gallagher says
Awesome
Lesa Gallagher says
Great deal
Lesa Gallagher says
Awesome deal
Jim says
Great deal here!
Dion Charles says
Such a great start up pack
Keith Hayes says
Pick one up
Keith Hayes says
Great information, looking at getting this.
hoenigjeff1 says
Awesome
Shelby Foss says
Love the ultimate pack
Morgan Fishanista Almeida says
Love the products from Algae Barn!!
hallgirl1968 says
Very helpful
tomtorrone says
Can not wait to test out some Algae Barn products!
Jeffrey Ramirez says
I want to start a refugium in my AIO tank. The ultimate goal is to have a pair of Mandarin Dragonet and a lot of Cocopods…
zachary_3 says
great stuff
Ragnar says
That is ultimate!
Justin Burton says
When will chaeto become available again?
Tyler says
Love it!
Johny Hoffman says
This is an amazing deal! Everything you need one package.
Mark Rivera says
Can’t wait to see how my coral reacts to the new food
CANDICE FONG says
I’ve always wanted to make a refugium!
CANDICE FONG says
I’ve always wanted to make a refugium!
Laura Ammirati says
Nice
Cynthia Ehlers says
This would be great as we are setting up our 2nd saltwater tank.
Dallas Tippie says
Always useful in a reef tank!
Winston VanEssendelft says
definitely recommend the red ogo or chaeto red ogo is a delicious snack for the fish so you don’t have to chuck it in the garbage when its too big
Danny says
I Need some
Chell Slayton says
definitely a package to consider purchasing.
Nicole Morrison says
Usueful
chell slayton says
Awesome kit for starting up a fuge.
Scott Schuette says
What a great kit!
Jacey Kirkpatrick says
Can’t wait to set mine up 🙂
Jacey Kirkpatrick says
Can’t wait to get mine started!
spatzerbrian says
I have been using the pods and phytoplankton from the first order of ULTIMATE Refugium Starter Pack.
and I have not been happer.
In 6ths I Have NOT Had TO CLEAN my glass on my 75 and the sump looks great too. No Algae except for the Pink and Purple and Green Coralline Yes coralline in green Got from AB also
these with a clean up crew for a 35 gal tank