the idea of the refugium is basically the same as a planted pond (just like the one in the back yard)
this pond has no filter except the plants and no regular feeding except the creatures living among the plants. and the two guramies that live in there have turned into 100+
for my filter I will take cuttings and cultures from this pond.
right now I'm trying to decide which plants to use, as I want the fastest growing plants possible that will thrive in the flow and grow densely. I would also prefer not to use any substrate in order to have less to maintain. this will also allow me to siphon off any detritus that collects on the bottom.
I've narrowed my choices down to two plants. (1)horn wart. it grows fast and dense without roots. It also is excellent for housing microfauna. the only downsides are that it may require more light than I want to use (2X40watt shop light) in order to get the desired dense growth and small pieces could break off and clog the power heads (well placed floss could fix that). (2)water lettuce. it grows fast with roots in the water column. these will trap detritus, and be easily removed as needed. It would also be less likely to break up and clog the power head (but the same precautions would be needed). Also, as a floating plant the light would be just fine and it would have free access to CO2. The downside is that they will not be quite as good for hosting microfauna. perhaps some substrate could be used for that purpose, but i was trying to avoid that.
anyway, I'm sure I've missed something but my eyes are getting tired.
More latter.
Comments welcome.