Hi, i have had my redsea max 34 gallon for 2 years now.
i started it with 20 pounds live sand and 36 pounds of cured live rock (most of it from a previous tank).
I have always had no detectable nitrates but i have always had a large clump of chaeto in the display area. I have no sump and no fuge. Just the oem skimmer and a small bioload. im growing tired of having a clump of chaeto in the display area. is it possible for me to not use a macro algae for nutrient export and keep my nitrates down?

thanks

here are two different ideas

1. why not give it a try for a while, just monitor it closely, and see what happens

2. Im not that familiar with rsm but what about moving the cheato into a back chamber

1. i guess i could try it and hope denitrifying bacteria build up somehow somewhere fast enough. for some reason i get the feeling that wont happen... unless there were some "magical" procedures someone could share with me.

2. theres really no back chamber unless i remove or change the skimmer and even then id have to mod a way to get some light back there.

are you running open or closed top? if open top there could be so many easy mods.

yeah i havent modded anything..
its just the oem hood with oem lights
maybe i should look into modding my tank..anytime i think about spending more money on it.. i think about buying a new bigger tank ^^

ya we all do. I dont know enough about rsm's to give any good advice. But on open top nanos in general there are so many easy mods to do like the ac 70 fuge mod or hob refugium.

Wait I got it! Drill and add sump

Do a google search on Lee En Chin (I think I spelled that right). He ran reef tanks with nothing but airstones. Not just nano's, but tanks of 1000's of gallons. Is it possible? Yes. Just take your time, and let nature take its course.

go for it....chaeto might be hogwash anyway on tanks as small as ours.....thats what I've always thought, even tho I grow it in my fuge.