Chaeto for refugium?

[edolan]

I am considering adding a small refugium to my tank. I have a little bit of a green hair algae problem. It started a couple months ago and is mostly in the sandbed but is slowly spreading to rockwork. I pull what I can get weekly. I am already running GFO and get very low phosphate with a Salifert test kit (actually reads zero) and low nitrate (less than 5 on API test kit). I have read that a small refugium probably won't have a big impact but I figure it can't hurt plus might have side benefit of breeding some pods.

Does anyone have some chaeto they would be willing to sell me? I would only need maybe a small handful to start out. I will be at the meeting this Saturday if we could meet there.

Also if someone has any other advice to deal with it I will appreciate it.

Thanks Eric

 

[mav3rick478]

Where are you located Eric?

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[edolan]

I am in Rohnert Park

 

[gonzalez78]

I can give you a small handful from mine since it grows so fast

 

[edolan]

That would be great. Are you going to be at the meeting?

 

[gonzalez78]

I'm going to try and make it this time to the meeting have not gone in a long time

 

[swk]

It won't be worth the time or effort unless the fuge is quite large in relation to the tank.

If they're too small they simply dont function as desired and can create more problems than they solve.

My nutrients actually fell when I removed my little fuge lol.

 

[edolan]

Interesting that your levels dropped when you removed it. Why would you think that would be? Detritus trapped in the refugium?

 

[swk]

Interesting that your levels dropped when you removed it. Why would you think that would be? Detritus trapped in the refugium?

Bingo. Fuges are absolute crap traps. If they're quite large in relation to the display, then it'll work, maybe, but otherwise it's just more work for what essentially turns into a pod factory - which isn't a bad thing, but can be accomplished via other, less nutrient rich, methods.

 

[gonzalez78]

Maybe you needed to clean your refiugium more often lol. My refiugium is around 10 gallons for my 40 breeder display.

 

[edolan]

Thanks for tha chaeto Louis (hope I am spelling your name right). Maybe I have a wrong concept but I was just planning to throw the chaeto in a chamber in the sump with a light. No rock or sand and then just pull it out when I need to clean up any detritus.

 

[mav3rick478]

That's perfect Eric.

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[gonzalez78]

Thanks for tha chaeto Louis (hope I am spelling your name right). Maybe I have a wrong concept but I was just planning to throw the chaeto in a chamber in the sump with a light. No rock or sand and then just pull it out when I need to clean up any detritus.

No problem hope it works for you, and you're very close but it's Luis