Growing chaeto in a nano

[Rosem89]

Hi I’m looking for a way of growing chaeto in my nano tank I have four chambers at the back my tank has also got a lid on it (I’m planning on upgrading so don’t want to start taking it all off and spending a fortune on it) I seen people using soap holders to hold a small amount inside there tank, today I found these caddy’s (second picture) they would hang perfectly in one chamber and would intend on making holes to allow the flow to run through but I can’t find anything to say what type of plastic it is so not sure if I could use it then the problem I need to deal with is what light could I put over it obviously there’s condensation under the lid so I would need something that wouldn’t get effected by this does anyone have any ideas

[seabass]

19 hours ago, Rosem89 said:

I can’t find anything to say what type of plastic it is

No recycling code on the bottom? http://www.3reef.com/threads/reef-safe-plastics-leaching-myths-facts.57828/

 

Most plastic is safe unless you heat it to much higher temperatures than reef temps.  Not sure about lighting options.

 

 

[WhatsReef]

3 hours ago, seabass said:

No recycling code on the bottom? http://www.3reef.com/threads/reef-safe-plastics-leaching-myths-facts.57828/

 

Most plastic is safe unless you heat it to much higher temperatures than reef temps.  Not sure about lighting options.

 

 

I used cut pieces of a thin farberware plastic cutting board in my tank. Anything BPA-free is a go based on that article?

[WhatsReef]

23 hours ago, Rosem89 said:

Hi I’m looking for a way of growing chaeto in my nano tank I have four chambers at the back my tank has also got a lid on it (I’m planning on upgrading so don’t want to start taking it all off and spending a fortune on it) I seen people using soap holders to hold a small amount inside there tank, today I found these caddy’s (second picture) they would hang perfectly in one chamber and would intend on making holes to allow the flow to run through but I can’t find anything to say what type of plastic it is so not sure if I could use it then the problem I need to deal with is what light could I put over it obviously there’s condensation under the lid so I would need something that wouldn’t get effected by this does anyone have any ideas 

Most people put it in a rear chamber with a light to run during the lights-off hours. I do this but a little extended - like 16 hours or so. The back of your AIO tank probably just has a latex sticker on the back so you can cut off a piece with a box cutter and shine light in there.

 

If you want it in your tank I don't know a lot about plastics in there. I'd dedicate a whole chamber to chaeto personally. All you really need to do is block it in with some kind of grating really so the DIY possibilities are almost endless since you can use superglue.

 

Using a rectangle piece of some kind of plastic and drilling a whole bunch of holes in it is a good method... maybe half inch holes? On the bottom one you can glue legs on to make it stand up and not obstruct the hole leading from the other chamber. Just make enough holes that you get plenty of flow. For a "lid" you might want to glue pieces of plastic to the side of the chamber wall so a lid will stay put if you drop it in straight? Maybe weight it down with something small so water flow variations don't knock it upward if that's a problem?

 

I have some un-used small, thin cutting boards that I can cut up with heavy duty scissors and also drill and glue together to make DIY stuff.

 

The cheapest and easiest thing would be to put the chaeto in a media bag, which is a good temprary solution if you want to to a DIY chaeto caddy later or add a fancy store-bought caddy later.

 

The InTank caddies, for example, are nice for the intake chambers because they force the water through the media by being a nearly sealed tube that can handle the water flow. You can imagine that if you put a densely packed media bag in the very center of the chamber the water would tend to flow faster around it and less through the media since there's higher flow resistance.

 

So those are more justifiable to spend the money on than the "fuge caddies" in my opinion. Although the fuge caddies are really nice for chaeto (or even a media bag of bio balls or something) if you are willing to spend the money. You can also alter them - for example I have a caddy I dremmeled a hole in so a reactor slides into it and is held steady and then it's surrounded by bioballs in a bag. But it's real easy to slide out and holds my reactor... it cost me $20 but it's pretty nice.

 

There are my thoughts on the topic. Not too familiar with different types of plastic and their usability and now I'm questioning my use of the cutting board without more research.

 

EDIT PS:

The $60 fuge light by JBJ is nice (people say it burns chaeto but just put it an inch off the glass) but any LED grow light with appropriate power should be fine and you can just use sticky velcro from lowes or things like that to secure things to the back if you need to.

 

 

 

 

[JBM]

You could buy my hob fuge.

 

Hangs off the back or side. Comes with a light too

[Superdave]

On 2/4/2019 at 12:21 PM, Rosem89 said:

Hi I’m looking for a way of growing chaeto in my nano tank I have four chambers at the back my tank has also got a lid on it (I’m planning on upgrading so don’t want to start taking it all off and spending a fortune on it) I seen people using soap holders to hold a small amount inside there tank, today I found these caddy’s (second picture) they would hang perfectly in one chamber and would intend on making holes to allow the flow to run through but I can’t find anything to say what type of plastic it is so not sure if I could use it then the problem I need to deal with is what light could I put over it obviously there’s condensation under the lid so I would need something that wouldn’t get effected by this does anyone have any ideas

While not an expert on plastics and any "leaching" effects, I have not read about any one particular plastic being problematic.  

 

I think the inexpensive approach for a "holder" for chaeto seems fine.  Maybe you cut a hole/opening in the lid for a "window" into that section and add a small light?  I realize not everyone wants to cut up their lid but ultimately you will need some decent light source if you  want it grown enough to make a positive difference in your tank.  

 

Good luck!

 

--Superdave

[This guy is extra salty]

If you don’t have room in the back chambers just put the ball of chaeto in the display yea might be ugly but does good for nutrient export

or 

you can get some blue hypena algae