will0wtr33
Community Member
So I've been in the hobby for about 2 years now, and my first tank (10 gallon nano) was surprisingly successful. I've upgraded to a 20 long (a huge leap, I know =P) and now it seems nitrate reduction is a bit more of an issue. In the 10 I just did two ~10% water changes a week, ran chemipure blue in an Aquaclear 50, and everything was hunky dory. While water changes are still a viable option, I'd like to be able to feed a bit more without worrying about a spike in nitrates. The new tank is a standard 20L with an aquaclear 70 HOB filter, some powerheads, etc. I've been planning on snagging the Oceanbox surface skimmer and the In-Tank media basket to upgrade somewhat. I would like to grow chaeto in the filter for nitrate reduction and cultivation of pods, but need a bit of advice. The light for my tank reaches the filter, so an additional fuge light will probably be unnecessary. I figure if the chaeto grows too quickly I can just leave the lid on the Aquaclear to filter out a ton of light. Even with the lid on the filter in the 10 gallon I had tons of Coraline on my bio media. I've heard that running chemipure before the chaeto (the only option in a small HOB filter like this) is bad because it removes things that the chaeto needs to grow. Right now I can't really go larger due to my rental agreement, and the tank is already running so I can't drill it. Is this my best option for nutrient export given my current situation? I've considered a HOB skimmer, but man those things are UGLY. I'd love to hear some opinions and advice!
