ServantSoldier
In Memoriam
I have a refugium I use mainly to grow chaeto for nutrient export, but I have a bunch of other life in there as well. I threw all my hermits in there from the display, a few live rocks, and a ton of pods call it home. I've had this set up since the start this system.
Last week the refuge lighting ballast went out. I knew I wasn't able to get to the store to pick up a new one until this weekend, so I shut the valve that provides the flow to that system. I did this to be certain no algae would die of and release phos back in the system.
This morning I was able to replace the system and, to my surprise, the macro continued to grow while there was no lighting or circulation. I normally get a light green fast growth, but this new growth was dense green. No flow and no light, and it still grew! =)
Anyways, this is the first system I've grown algae to export nutrients, so I didn't know how well it was going to perform. Honestly, because it has been a part of the system since I started it, I didn't know how well it was functioning to removing nutrients. This past week I have become a believer! My glass has dusted faster than normal and my skimmer has gone nuts. I've produced no less than 3 times the usual rate of skimmate. All inhabitants look unchanged, but my skimmer has told the story about his more natural filtration buddy and his impact on funk removal. I'm glad its going again. :rollface:
I encourage all thinking about adding a macro export to their system to give it a go!
Last week the refuge lighting ballast went out. I knew I wasn't able to get to the store to pick up a new one until this weekend, so I shut the valve that provides the flow to that system. I did this to be certain no algae would die of and release phos back in the system.
This morning I was able to replace the system and, to my surprise, the macro continued to grow while there was no lighting or circulation. I normally get a light green fast growth, but this new growth was dense green. No flow and no light, and it still grew! =)
Anyways, this is the first system I've grown algae to export nutrients, so I didn't know how well it was going to perform. Honestly, because it has been a part of the system since I started it, I didn't know how well it was functioning to removing nutrients. This past week I have become a believer! My glass has dusted faster than normal and my skimmer has gone nuts. I've produced no less than 3 times the usual rate of skimmate. All inhabitants look unchanged, but my skimmer has told the story about his more natural filtration buddy and his impact on funk removal. I'm glad its going again. :rollface:
I encourage all thinking about adding a macro export to their system to give it a go!
