newyorkerx
New member
One thing that I haven't seen discussed is whether these provide any of the other benefits of a refugium. When you harvest your cheato, do you see a lot of pods?
ARID E18 reactor (Phosphate Control!!!)
- Thread starter maxxII
- Start date
maxxII
Super Housemonkey!
Tristan has been very clear and very upfront about the ARID Reactors purpose while speaking over the phone and via email....
The ARID is NOT a refugium by design. It's sole purpose is to reduce and remove phosphate (PO4) and nitrate (NO3). It's so good at this, many folks actually need to add NO3 to their tanks, and I went from PO4 levels that were too high to PO4 levels that were too low and losing corals because of it until I got it dialed in.
The ARID is a nutrient export device and that is it's sole purpose. Pods and the like may grow/live/breed in the ARID, but that is a side benefit.
When I ran an algae based refugium, I had many many more pods in it and in the DT, but I did not have anywhere near the PO4 control and was still needing to do alot of weekly water changes and run alot of GFO to keep PO4 at the upper end of tolerable levels.
If you want more pods etc, run a fuge for them. If you want to destroy PO4, get an ARID.
It is actually possible to run an ARID and have a smallish rubble area in your sump (or in the DT if desired) to increase your pod population.
RedStangGA
New member
Just got a quote for one. Maybe I can sell my NIB skimmer to help compensate for the cost of this thing. Decisions, decisions.
maxxII
Super Housemonkey!
https://www.google.com/webhp?tab=ww...A&ved=0CAcQ1S4#q=unique+corals+pax+bellum+n12
A new nano version is being released.... top hit on google at the link
A new nano version is being released.... top hit on google at the link
I was hoping they would make a nano version. $450 is a little steep for what this product is though.
SantaMonica
Well-known member
The heat-in-the-water situation is an interesting one. The new submersible scrubber lights coming out will be doing the opposite... adding the heat to the water.
JB NY
Active member
Depends on how you look at it. It can replace your skimmer, GFO and carbon dosing. They make all the units in house so it is more expensive than if they were a huge operation and doing the work out of china.
I'm still waiting for my numbers to drop. I am getting growth, just seems slow. I rinsed and re spread what algae was in each chamber, both were about half full. A few more days and it will be two weeks, I'll take things apart and re rinse. Is everyone waiting for the chambers to fill before removing any cheato? I have been dosing the iron supplement for the past 3 weeks. Cheato doesn't seem brittle, but I will check boron levels and see if I need to supplement that as well. My biggest complaint so far is the cleaning and rest ringing of the algae is a little pita. I have been having issues with my right hand arm, so I volunteered my wife for this. 
