Affordable algae reactor or HOB fuge?

[mndfreeze]

I'm setting up a new tank after being out of the game for 8 years.  Wanted to keep things small this time around and already regretting it lol.  I have some random brand (unknown) thats a 29 cube, has 2 chambers in the back with a bottom slot cut between them for water.  I have a remora on the right side where the overflow pours into the back and the return pump is on the left.   this tank isn't just a flat back panel, its wider on the edges then cuts in to give more space in the tank but it severely limits the room I have to work with in the back equipment area which sucks.   Originally I was just going to use one of those chambers as a fuge but it doesn't appear to be easily done with the way this tank is setup.

 

So, I'm trying to find an affordable alternative to grow cheato/macro for biodiversity and a little help on filtration.   The prices on HOB refugiums and algae reactors is pretty damn high for what amounts to be some plastic and a pump, wtf?   I found an old post about taking an emperor mechanical filter and turning that into a fuge, and have found some cheapy 1 gallon ones online, but it looks like a reactor would actually serve me better and be easier to fit since its outside the tank.  

 

Anyone know of any affordable (like 100 bucks or less-ish)  If you suggest something HOB then the pump has to be on the LEFT side or it won't fit on the back of my tank. 

 

 

[A Little Blue]

Cheapest I could find but I have absolutely no idea about quality or reliability. Says that it’s made in US and works with Sicce 1.5. Add wrap around led and you might be set. Cheers

edit: sorry forgot the link:

 

https://m.ebay.com/itm/Avast-Marine-Works-Fluidized-Media-Reactor-MANY-OPTIONS-USA-BUILT-/142347988377?_trksid=p2385738.m4383.l4275.c10&_mwBanner=1

[Red_Blenny]

13 minutes ago, A Little Blue said:

Cheapest I could find but I have absolutely no idea about quality or reliability. Says that it’s made in US and works with Sicce 1.5. Add wrap around led and you might be set. Cheers

edit: sorry forgot the link:

 

https://m.ebay.com/itm/Avast-Marine-Works-Fluidized-Media-Reactor-MANY-OPTIONS-USA-BUILT-/142347988377?_trksid=p2385738.m4383.l4275.c10&_mwBanner=1

Avast is a pretty popular and reliable brand. Also, buy it directly from Avast website, it's cheaper & they're doing a 10% off + $5 shipping.

[coryscritch]

I have the finnex job refugium. It’s about a gallon comes with a light and pump for around $60

[mndfreeze]

That finnex was the 1 gallon one I was looking at.  The intake and outflow need to be swapped on their sides though   If I end up going that route I guess I can run the pump with some rubber tubing to make it work.    The only spot where a pump would fit in my back chamber is basically right under where the outflow of that finnex is.

 

[coryscritch]

17 minutes ago, mndfreeze said:

That finnex was the 1 gallon one I was looking at.  The intake and outflow need to be swapped on their sides though   If I end up going that route I guess I can run the pump with some rubber tubing to make it work.    The only spot where a pump would fit in my back chamber is basically right under where the outflow of that finnex is.

 

Damn man. I would try and get creative with it. For the price its a great deal. The light is really nice too. Has a little strip of blue and 2 strips of white. Chaeto is really happy 

[mndfreeze]

Where did you buy the finnex with the light?  marinedepot and amazon make it seem like its just the fuge itself with no light

 

 

nevermind, I found it

[mndfreeze]

2 hours ago, coryscritch said:

Damn man. I would try and get creative with it. For the price its a great deal. The light is really nice too. Has a little strip of blue and 2 strips of white. Chaeto is really happy 

 

How is the light bleed into your display from it?  I realllllly would like as minimal light bleed as possible.  From your pic it looks like the shade covers it pretty well from bleeding out, but pics can be really deceiving. 

[coryscritch]

6 hours ago, mndfreeze said:

 

How is the light bleed into your display from it?  I realllllly would like as minimal light bleed as possible.  From your pic it looks like the shade covers it pretty well from bleeding out, but pics can be really deceiving. 

The light bleed is not too bad. I have a black background on my tank that minimizes it. Also you could put some black backing on the hob too. The light comes with two clips to mount it. It raises the light which allows it to bleed. I removed the  clips and rest it on the hob cover 

[mndfreeze]

Awesome thanks.  I'm really torn now which I want more lolol.  The reactor would definitely be "nicer" looking and more efficient for growing chaeto but the HOB finnex might work a little better as a proper microlife fuge.   Guess I'll order that finnex and give it a go and worst case I can always find another use for it or use it in addition to a reactor if I still want one later.

[Tamberav]

Why not just put some display macro in the tank? 

[mndfreeze]

That's the eventual plan, but I'm going pretty light with display macro because I want it to be a coral heavy display and I'm already limited on space being its a 29 cube lol.  Chaeto is fast growing as well.  I have a lot of rock in my tank and I'm not quite sure what kind of display macro I even want or where to put it at this point.  

[vangvace]

I have a phosban 150 hang on the back I picked up used that I turned into a cheato reactor with a waterproof LED strip. I used electrical tape to lower the light bleed. I upgraded my aio sump pump and it is tied into that.

[mndfreeze]

Yeah I think I saw another post of yours about it.  I ended up getting the finnex HOB for now and altering the hard tubing to soft flex tubing to make it work.   So far its been OK.  Later on I'll probably go the reactor route as we have a local fish store that specializes in used equipment and tanks, so I can pick up a fairly large reactor for cheap, toss a pump and a waterproof LED strip and be done.

[Nocturnal]

I'd say the reactors are probably better if you just want nutrient export, but the fuge has the benefits of growing pods etc. Reactor is probably more work to maintain though.

[mndfreeze]

That's good to know about the work load of a reactor vs fuge.  I figured they would be about the same.  As for pods, wouldn't a reactor work just as well for that?  My understanding was that you're not pushing crazy fast water through them or anything, and you use a pump for both so anything that could survive flying through the pump would be ok.

 

I'm finding with that finnex that little bits of chaeto keep breaking off and somehow making it through the insert pieces into its last little chamber and some are getting into the display, which is annoying but not critical.  

 

I'm also finding I have SO MANY copepods that they make my water look dirty haha.  Similiar to how when you do a quick cleaning and your water gets a little dirty for a tiny bit then clears most of the way up but not completely.  I guess thats a good problem to have though.

[Nocturnal]

5 minutes ago, mndfreeze said:

That's good to know about the work load of a reactor vs fuge.  I figured they would be about the same.  As for pods, wouldn't a reactor work just as well for that?  My understanding was that you're not pushing crazy fast water through them or anything, and you use a pump for both so anything that could survive flying through the pump would be ok.

 

I'm finding with that finnex that little bits of chaeto keep breaking off and somehow making it through the insert pieces into its last little chamber and some are getting into the display, which is annoying but not critical.  

 

I'm also finding I have SO MANY copepods that they make my water look dirty haha.  Similiar to how when you do a quick cleaning and your water gets a little dirty for a tiny bit then clears most of the way up but not completely.  I guess thats a good problem to have though.

That's just from my observations. I haven't owned a reactor yet, but do clean it or remove chaeto you need to turn it off, drain it etc. With a fuge you just reach in and grab some algae. I think on the pod side it's the same sort of thing.

[Subsea]

Being old school, I always used macro refugiums to grow live food for display.  I look at things “long term”.   By that, I mean a mature reef tank does not need nutrient export near as much as it needs to be feed to grow.  For a mature reef tank, nutrient export would be fragging and selling coral.  During the maturing process, nutrients are sequestered into coral, algae and fish biomass.  Nutrients are also sequestered into biomass of CUC.  So, if tank husbandry manages nutrients into live food webs that feed tank inhabitants, I say long a term goal will be maintained.