fresh water refuguim.

is this something i should look into ? i was thinking about building this in a 20 gallon aquarium that i already have set up as a sump. but there is no dividers or anything in this tank. i do have a plastic container that holds a lot of bio rings.


i plan to put in 3 dividers. one big slot for the plants. one smaller one for the pump. and the rest will be used to put in the bio rings.

this tank is about 24" wide. and 12" long height is 16" i think. so i figure 9x12 for the plants 9x12 for 6x12 for bio rings.

i have not gotten a tank to do this with yet. the one under my tank now i will not be able to remove for a long period of time since its the active filter. but once i get a spare one i will be able to build it and install it once its dry and ready to go .


also can i use duckweed in this ?

duckweed and tanks...ahhh, this takes me back...DON'T DO IT!! took me ages to get rid of the dam stuff that hitched a ride on a pond powerhead that was in the tank when i got it. Couldn't believe how fast it grew and took over.

try foxtail instead, just as fast growing but wont take over

https://www.aco-aquariums.com.au/product/index/659

Why the refuguim though. I understand them in a marine setup but what are you trying to keep out of the main tank in a freshwater tank? just plant the main tank and use the space for more bioballs

in my discus tank i have no plants or anything in there so if they start breeding i have nothing in there to clean. i also have no sand or rocks for plants to live in. so my plan was to grow out some plants in a refuguim to take up some of the nitrates. i do not have excess of them but its just gonig to waste when i do a water change. i dont have the money to plum the sump to be out side or i would do something bigger for more plants. but this wont work so well since its cold out side, and my discus tank is running about 82F