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Holy Algae Batman...Chaeto reactors REALLY work!!


NanoRox

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Just a quick comment here.  I have been running my tank now for 3 months.  With the combination of various resins and other products (Algone) I have managed to keep my nitrates to around 5 and phosphates at undetectable levels using a salifert test (low range of .03).  I decided to install a chaeto reactor this past Saturday and got it up and running Saturday evening.  

 

fast forward to today when I always do my chemistry tests (wed.). My nitrates are zero...I mean zilch and phosphates still not registering.  I am only running carbon, filter floss and my chaeto reactor.  That's pretty amazing to me because its only been really 2 full days.

 

The question now is...will the chaeto survive long term?  Growth in just 2 days is great and the color is a nice dark green.  I have increased my phyto dosing to 3ml/day from 2.5 ml/day and am also a bit more liberal feeding my corals. I still have not added any fish.  I think its time. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

That's good to here but 0 nutrients isn't optimal for corals.

 

A solution to the algae issues would be not dosing phytoplankton.

 

Is there a reason you are dosing it?

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I have never had any algae issues really.  The Diatoms were the major issue.  Things actually improved once I started dosing phyto as it out competed for the nutrients in the tank.   I also dose it to feed my copepod population and actually increased the dosage some now that I have a Mandarin and am seeding more pods (as an aside I am starting a separate pod container to breed my own pods).  Anyway, once I saw my nitrates at zero, I have not been so hesitant to "feed" my tank.  I have increased my feedings to my corals and of course now with the introduction of two fish I am feeding them.

 

The result so far is a very rapid growth increase in my corals (my fruitloop zoas for example added 1 polyp in 2 months prior and now added 3 in this past month alone).   It is all a balancing act but so far what I am seeing is a more nutrient environment for the corals but the algae in the tank is unable to get established.  I am happy with the outcome so far. 

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4 hours ago, Duane Clark said:

I have never had any algae issues really.  The Diatoms were the major issue.  Things actually improved once I started dosing phyto as it out competed for the nutrients in the tank.   I also dose it to feed my copepod population and actually increased the dosage some now that I have a Mandarin and am seeding more pods (as an aside I am starting a separate pod container to breed my own pods).  Anyway, once I saw my nitrates at zero, I have not been so hesitant to "feed" my tank.  I have increased my feedings to my corals and of course now with the introduction of two fish I am feeding them.

 

The result so far is a very rapid growth increase in my corals (my fruitloop zoas for example added 1 polyp in 2 months prior and now added 3 in this past month alone).   It is all a balancing act but so far what I am seeing is a more nutrient environment for the corals but the algae in the tank is unable to get established.  I am happy with the outcome so far. 

You have correctly surmised that you should feed & weed.  Once the biological filter is mature, keeping nuisance algae down is easy and is a balancing act.  When we learn how to read signs, it becomes very easy.

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