# Seaweed in tank for makeshift refugium?



## claw_atticas (Apr 19, 2008)

I have a 5 gallon nano aquarium, and a 44 gallon with 10 gallon refugium... But I was worried about nitrates and nitrites in my 5 gallon nano aquarium. I currently have 2 pinfish and 6 or 7 ghost shrimp that seem to be doing fine so far, but I can't exactly set up a refugium for the 5 gallon.
All I have in the 5 gallon for filtration is a waterfall filter with a simple mesh filter. 
Could I get some sargassum weed, graceful redweed (Gracilaria spec.), or maybe some shoal grass (Halodule wrightii), turtle grass (Thalassia testudinum), or manatee grass (Syringodium filiforme) to act as nitrate filters?


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## Dave66 (Mar 26, 2008)

Go with the Gracilaria, as it grows quickly enough to remove nitrate. Trimming it, which you'll need to do (you'll see) will enable you to remove the toxins from the aquarium. Proper trimming will accentuate the growth of the macro-algae thus removing more Nitrate and other undesirables from the system.
I believe they make HOB refugiums for smaller tanks. What are the dimensions of your five?

Dave


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## claw_atticas (Apr 19, 2008)

Thanks a lot. I'm pretty sure it'll be easy to find some Gracilaria in the same waters the fish came from, and trimming it shouldn't be too much trouble at all. Also, the dimensions of my five are 10 inches by 11 inches by 9 inches tall (Not including the hood)


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