Recently, I sent someone 20 Blue Pearls/Jellies juvies and she showed me what she was keeping them in: a hang-on 1/2 gallon nursery. So that led me to a search for one of my own and I found a 1 Gallon Finnex FugeRay Hang-On Refugium/Shrimp Breeder on eBay.
Link -
[Ebay Link Removed]
Here it is set up. The first one is without the lights on -
With both blue and white LEDs on -
Blue Only -
White Only -
I put in Fissidens, Taiwan Moss, something unknown, and Round Pellia -
Lone Painted Fire Red. I don't know where the males and the other female PFR went -
The whole setup, hanging on my RCS 20 High Gallon breeder tank -
My plan is to breed Painted Fire Reds only in this HOB and hopefully grow the plants in this. I'll have to order a few more, though, it's looking like because I can't find the rest of the PFRs anywhere in the RCS tank.
It is a refugium, basically. An air pump pushes water up through a tube (not shown clearly but you can see it in the last picture) and there's an outlet though the air pump that came with the kit died within 5 minutes so now I have a small 10 gallon air pump running it. It's just dripping but it's enough to provide a thin stream of water coming out of the outlet.
I've contacted the ebay seller about the air pump but if that's a no go, then I guess I'll have to contact Finnex.
I just got one of these in the mail today, I love it, I run mine with a small powerhead and it's hanging off the side of my 5 gallon CHI. I'm using it as a refugium mostly but also as a breeder for my endler's. Also threw in some extra bio-balls I had laying around for some extra biofilter.
A small powerhead? What kind? I think I'd like that better than this air-pump driven method. It just seems weak to me but at the same time, it is gentle for the PFR and I don't know if a powerhead would create too much current for shrimp.
It's TINY. Smallest powerhead I've ever seen and I have a hydor nano powerhead as well. The flow is still pretty gentle into the refugium but it's silent, steady (and adjustable flow), and it fits right onto the input tube for the refugium with no modification.
I'll take a picture in a bit and post it up to show the size, soon as I get this pesky work stuff done!
Thanks for the link, le0p! I'd love to see how yours is set up. It sounds like there won't be anything needed to help gentle the flow for the shrimp or block anything up so that shrimp won't get sucked in.
I see the eBay link I linked was removed. This one is the most expensive with the one le0p posted of the next step down then there's the one that doesn't have a light at all. The negative about this light is that the lid wont' fit on the breeder box with the light mounted to it. If I want to fit it, then I'd have to modify the top. To answer your question, the light is 10" long and it's a FugeRay.
The seller got back to me and said they would replace the air pump if I send it back and that they've not had a problem with air pumps before. I guess mine was just a fluke. I think the seller is Finnex themselves, but I'm not sure.
+1 on this hob refugium/breeder. I have the one with the 10" fugeray and mini powerhead mounted on my 6.6 bookshelf tank. I am using it to house my sponge filters, media, heater( until my mini heater died) and as my co2 diffuser. Great little setup, although I mounted my powerhead inside the refugium instead of in the aquarium on the intake as suggested. The flow on the micro powerhead is adjustable too which is nice.
Vandiggity: I have one of these refugiums. Don't have it up and running yet, thinking of putting it on my 10 gallon opae ula tank. Would love to see a picture (or more) of your set up using a mini power head!
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I used some parts off of an old sponge filter that I had as well as the rubber adapter that finnex supplies with the micro powerhead. I did relocate the dark green piece with the air (co2) inlet on it inside the tank just above the inlet strainer/sponge as it works better there. You can barely see it at the bottom of the overhead picture and the "today" picture. Please excuse the monster heater, the replacement for the refugium/breeder should be here any day now.
I am planning on getting another of these to do similar as Zeez did with some plants and shrimp.
How did you manage to get the lid to fit on top of the refugium with the light mounted? I can't get mine to fit because the mounts are in the way.
My PFR doesn't seem happy in there. She keeps trying to escape by swimming at the point where the water is closest to the lip and I want to put the lid on to prevent her escaping. I think the light may be too bright for her and that's why she's trying to escape.
I didn't mount the light. I know it looks like it is, but if you look closely, you can see that the light is actually just sitting on top of the lid. Doesn't make much difference. I have to use the lid because those sponge filters really splash around. The lid does a great job of keeping the water "in." I am also using a small box underneath the refugium for support so the whole weight isn't hanging on the edge of my tank. These 6.6 bookshelf units are made of plastic and that's a lot of extra weight hanging back there. I found that the box that the mini powerhead came in supports it nicely and elevates the back side of the refugium a little so that the water level isn't so close to the edge.
One other nice thing about these is you get that extra gallon of water in your system with these small tanks. Every little bit helps keep things stable. Now if they only made one with the inlet on the other side, I could run dual refugiums, bwahahaha!
I asked the seller for the adapter for the powerhead but they said it comes with their powerhead. I didn't know they also offered a powerhead. But I think I'm going to just get the one le0p posted since he said it didn't require an adapter. I'm also going to try balancing the light on top of the lid and give the PFR a small black mesh cave to hide in because I think the light really is too bright for it.
I know I'd try to escape if I had something that bright above me with no real shade.
@ZeeZ: I believe the powerhead I purchased is the same one offered by Finnex, just rebranded. I could be wrong on this but I swear I've seen it mentioned in other threads and they look exactly the same.
You guys are right. The pictures looks exactly the same. The price's only one dollar difference. On Amazon, it's $13.99 with free super saver shipping but it doesn't look like it comes with the adapter but from the same seller on eBay and Amazon I got the HOB from, it does come with the adapter for $10 with $5 shipping. I'll get the one with the adapter and make it easy on myself.
Yes, it is inside the refugium. Its not the most powerful powerhead, but eventually it sucks the water up. I will have to get some new pictures.
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