AquaFuge 2 Large Hang-on Refugium (AF2LG)

Design: The unit is thoughtfully laid out and will suit the needs of most who may be limited on space requirements. Despite what others have said, once I got a good slime on the output, I have not had any issues with micro-bubbles.Construction: Well built. I have been using one for almost a year with no issues. It certainly looks and feels strong enough to last for a long time.Overall: Excellent product. I would recommend. For anything much larger than a 50 gal(190 L), and decent bio-load, this unit would be very taxed if used as the only filtration method. The small size does limit your in-sump skimmer options. However, if you have a nano setup, there should be a few good options. The only minor negative for me is that if you wish to use mechanical filtration media, the only feasible place to put it is in the inlet chamber and removing the media can get messy.Final thoughts: I've been through several setup iterations with this unit over the year. It's a great place for carbon treatment, to house/introduce new inverts, store heater and other equipment etc. Once you set it up, you will almost forget it's there. Quiet-ish, near hassle free maintenance.

I've been very happy with this product. I personally would prefer if it was offered both with and without the blacked out acrylic, but in terms of hosting macro algae and providing a sufficient supply of 'pods for my mandarins, it's been fantastic! I've had zero issues with the pump, and I love the amount of extra space and water volume this provides.

This could have been a perfect solution for a refugium, but falls short with the crappy pump as explained below.Pros:- Takes up very little space behind the tank thanks to having a narrow and tall profile.- The baffles let you add about a maximum of a 3 inch sand bed.- The front of the refugium is black so light does not escape into the main tank if your running a 24/7 light cycle.- There is an extra inch of acrylic from the water level to place any lights over the refugium without having to worry about salt creep clouding up the lights.- Construction is very sturdy and the design is very well thought out.Cons:- The ViaAqua pump did not come with instructions, but can be found online with a quick search. To the credit of the refugium makers they did include some basic instructions on how to connect the main pump components to the refugium. But if you have to maneuver the pump around and use some of the extra fittings you will have to consult the online instructions for the pump which were still not very helpful.- The ViaAqua pump makes a low level humming/buzzing noise and gets worse if you adjust the flow adapter on a low enough setting.- Does not come with an optional lid to prevent evaporation.

I bought the large. It came with a full spectrum led light even though it doesn't advertise one. I bought it from champion lighting seller. I wish I had known it came with a light because I bought an Ecco chic refugium Light. I like that light better but I'm actually using both lights. Eccochic comes on for 4 hours then both lights are on for 4 hours then only the eccochic for the last four hours.The construction is amazing, the included pump is dead quite and can be adjusted. There is plenty of room in there for some live rock, some algae, sand, and more. I put 3 baseball sized pieces of live rock inside, after 2 days I can see pods swimming around. In a week they will be many more and my fish will be super happy when they pop put.The only Cons:The water level in my tank is 4"s below the rim and the bubbles from the water output are getting my tunzee lights wet and I will need to buy bubble trap which is $30 and not available on amazon. Most tanks, the water level will be only 1-2" below the rim and not need the trap. Besides this is perfect! I could put the heater inside if I wanted. I highly recommend this if you don't have a sump or to expand your system with a second refugium.

THIS SYSTEM LOOKS NICE, BUT IT WAS NOISY AT THE BEGINNING AND HAS NOT IMPROVED AFTER 2 MONTHS OF OPERATION - I CAN HEAR IT ALL THE WAY ACROSS MY HOUSE WITH THE DOOR CLOSED. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO ADJUST THE AIR RATE FOR QUIETER OPERATION.THE "SKIMMER" INLET IS 2" BELOW THE SURFACE OF THE WATER - IS THIS SKIMMING???!!!THE THING LOOKS NICE, BUT DEFINITELY NOT WORTH THE PRICE!!!

I ordered two units of this item, both came late and/or something was missing or broken on the units, and than I had a difficult time getting seller to provide me with the repair parts I needed, in order to make units operational.I am giving this item two stars. This is because while convenient and at a good price, you really ARE NOT getting a genuine protein skimmer and/or refuguim.This Unit only holds in five gallons of water, and experienced aquarist know, refuguims are more for holding additional water in than in your tank. The protein skimmer lacks power and the real ability to really do it's job bc the motor is serving two functions. One, put water into the refuguim, and two, skim. I think it is gimmicky, although, a good sales tactic for selling a "two in one" sort of package deal.I would never buy from this seller again and I would never buy this product, if I intended to keep my corals and tank clean.

Didn't really do much for my tank, the skimmer was really good though. It is a very large unit almost did not fit behind my tank

Great. No micro bubbles or splashing noise if water line is above the return outlet. The pump makes a bzzzzzz sound if you hook it right up to the inlet pipe. The pump has little rubber feet you can place on the aquarium wall and run a tube to the inlet. Works great- no more noise.