Algae Reactor's - Your thoughts ?

[4x4cubereefer]

Hey you reefers running algae Reactor's ! Yeah you ! [emoji3]

How has yours benefited your system ?

Would you do it again over a standard refugium or carbon dosing etc ?

Any issues with no3/po4 ?

Do you have a heavy bio load or light bio load ?

What are "your" pro's & cons ?


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[mcgyvr]

All depends on your plans for you tank and specifically how heavy of a bioload you "want"..
None of that stuff is needed on a tank that isn't overly stocked and just has sufficient rock..

Personally things like carbon dosing/chaeto algae,etc... have only been beneficial in the first year of a tank until its more "mature"/sufficient denitrifying bacterial colonies established.. Then they either just aren't needed or just become more work ..
During the first year I've always had "minor" issues with nitrate levels and carbon dosing/chaeto has taken care of that.. But after about the 1 year mark I end up just taking those things offline as they are dropping my nutrient levels too low and I end up needing to feed more to bring them back up..
I have never had a phosphate issue because I maintain a lower bioload and don't overfeed..

 

[JTL]

I often wonder why I even bother with trying to grow chaeto. I have a 15g refugium in my sump and a decent light and it does not grow. I thought about a reactor but decided it would just be something else to maintain. My PO4 is .07 and my NO3 is 5, it doesn't fluctuate much. I do get some HA that needs to removed on a weekly basis, not a lot but it does smother a few of my small corals. I only have 5 small fish in a 100g DT and plenty of live rock. I only feed once per day and then only a 1/2 cube of mysis. It might be easier to just eliminate the refugium and fire up my GFO if necessary.

 

[sde1500]

Tried a couple times to get mine to grow, never could so took it offline. Too bad, because seeing the gowth some people get was awesome, but my setup, which was the same as others just didn't grow anything. Coudln't be too bothered to tinker around figuring it out.

 

[JTL]

Tried a couple times to get mine to grow, never could so took it offline. Too bad, because seeing the gowth some people get was awesome, but my setup, which was the same as others just didn't grow anything. Coudln't be too bothered to tinker around figuring it out.

I wonder if the people with high NO3 and PO4 are the ones with the fuge full of chaeto. I even thought about converting to the Triton method but then asked myself why? Just more expense and dosing.

 

[charlie denmark]

I been running the "œfull Triton" a couple of years. Lots of macro algea harvest in the "œfuge" , no water change at all. Remember that macro algeas is suckers for iod and iron, so they need loads of this to keep growing.


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[kiMxD]

I have two fuges on my 120g display (150 volume). One fuge is attached (DYI) to my sump through a pump and an overflow that I made. The other one took the filter sock place on my eShopps sump.

My nutrients are very low and I have to cut the chaeto and caleurpa frequently and give to my LFS.

I run the triton method, never seen a better growth.

 

[aquamann183]

I have two fuges on my 120g display (150 volume). One fuge is attached (DYI) to my sump through a pump and an overflow that I made. The other one took the filter sock place on my eShopps sump.

My nutrients are very low and I have to cut the chaeto and caleurpa frequently and give to my LFS.

I run the triton method, never seen a better growth.

Why did you expand your sump? What did you add to that little bit of extra space you made? Just curious.

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[2_zoa]

I often wonder why I even bother with trying to grow chaeto. I have a 15g refugium in my sump and a decent light and it does not grow. I thought about a reactor but decided it would just be something else to maintain. My PO4 is .07 and my NO3 is 5, it doesn't fluctuate much. I do get some HA that needs to removed on a weekly basis, not a lot but it does smother a few of my small corals. I only have 5 small fish in a 100g DT and plenty of live rock. I only feed once per day and then only a 1/2 cube of mysis. It might be easier to just eliminate the refugium and fire up my GFO if necessary.

How old is your tank and coral?

 

[JTL]

My current tank is about 14 months old. I am going to make some changes to my sump. I don't expect this to make a difference but I want to set it up use as a Triton system should I ever choose to go that direction.