ARID Reactor - Chaeto dying

[thetedinator]

I snip the cable ties then pull off all of the Chaeto and rinse it a bucket of SW. I clean the tube and then attach clumps of rinsed Chaeto. The slotted "rubber bands" on the ARID will hold the Chaeto in place but I have found it faster and simpler to use cable ties. I want to make sure I start with the Chaeto evenly spaced across each section. I put about 1/3 of the Chaeto back into the ARID. About every 3 weeks I have to clear out some Chaeto. I know it's time when there is very little light visible out of the side of the ARID. Here is my build thread:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/thetedinators-as-built-240g-system.255686/


I do not run GFO. I don't regularly measure anything but Calcium, Magnesium and Alkalinity. I will measure Nitrate and Phosphate today and post the results but my expectation is that both are zero or very close to it.

 

[JBNY]

Hmm I am currently having the same problem getting chaeto to grow in my ARID C30. Pics looks exactly like the OP. I have had it for about two years. But I am still able to maintain low PO4 and I still have to dose nitrates. I run Triton too. I am running around right now but will check in later with some more info.

 

[thetedinator]

Phosphate (Hanna low test) = 0.03
Nitrate (Salifert) = 0.0

 

[Jonty]

We should start an Arid users thread somewhere

 

[petemichelle]

yes we should ill start one and see, please chime in with your success and techniques, and failures and attempts , i don't know how to put a link but ill call it "Arid Users Thread"

 

[petemichelle]

okay thread started. again I don't know how to put in a link so just do a search for "Arid Users Thread" and it should come up

 

[Rick.45cal]

okay thread started. again I don't know how to put in a link so just do a search for "Arid Users Thread" and it should come up

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/arid-users-thread.280193/

There you go!

 

[stunreefer]

Stunreefer do you have an Arid unit running?

Not on our office reef, water changes and skimmer remove everything, algae doesn't have a chance. I've tried implementing several methods of nutrient reduction via algae without long-term success.

But I have three in the field on clients systems. As opposed to staying on top of dosing (which clients who aren't hardcore reefers never do), I run them until the algae dies off. Remove the algae and leave water flowing but lights off until we see some nuisance algae take hold in the display, then add chaeto and let run for a couple months. Rinse, repeat!

They're great for use in systems that adding a fuge to existing sump is not possible, or client wants to keep sump very clean. However, the way we run them is different than most who keep a close eye on their parameters and will actually dose ;)

 

[stacksoner]

The struggle is real!!! This thing sucks!!!

 

[roberthu526]

Are you dosing carbon to lower nitrate? I had similar things happen when I was dosing NOPOX and running the reactor at the same time. There was this dark slime all over the chaeto in the reactor while the fuge was not affected at all. After I stopped carbon dosing my chaeto took off. I put in about two fist size chaeto ball in the C36 and harvest a full reactor after three weeks.

 

[stacksoner]

Are you dosing carbon to lower nitrate? I had similar things happen when I was dosing NOPOX and running the reactor at the same time. There was this dark slime all over the chaeto in the reactor while the fuge was not affected at all. After I stopped carbon dosing my chaeto took off. I put in about two fist size chaeto ball in the C36 and harvest a full reactor after three weeks.

I definitely used Nopox --- and Vibrant. But this Chaeto failure wasn't an isolated incident. I usually wait for 2 weeks before finding the courage to look inside the reactor.

Here are examples the two most recent disasters

 

[skiwez]

I was led to believe that vibrant and cheato don't mix. Could that be the issue?

 

[stacksoner]

I was led to believe that vibrant and cheato don't mix. Could that be the issue?

If that's true, it could be. I think it may have to do a lot with the artistry of spreading the chaeto out perfectly and ramping up the water flow. If spread too thin and it will separate, too thick and water won't pass through it. Low flow and it starves, high flow and it breaks apart,c the dies, and clumps at the drain grates. This may be the greatest algae reactor ever made, but it makes running chaeto a deceivingly high maintenance task.

 

[Maddlesrain]

If that's true, it could be. I think it may have to do a lot with the artistry of spreading the chaeto out perfectly and ramping up the water flow. If spread too thin and it will separate, too thick and water won't pass through it. Low flow and it starves, high flow and it breaks apart,c the dies, and clumps at the drain grates. This may be the greatest algae reactor ever made, but it makes running chaeto a deceivingly high maintenance task.

I’m not sure about that. I made my own reactor for under $100 and I’d just shove some chaeto in and it’d grow so thick I could barely pry it out of the reactor a few weeks later. And sometimes the water flow was so bad it would just be trickling out of the reactor even when there was barely any algae in it.

I’d try using it without dosing the chemicals and see what happens.

 

[stacksoner]

I’m not sure about that. I made my own reactor for under $100 and I’d just shove some chaeto in and it’d grow so thick I could barely pry it out of the reactor a few weeks later. And sometimes the water flow was so bad it would just be trickling out of the reactor even when there was barely any algae in it.

I’d try using it without dosing the chemicals and see what happens.

That's what I'm saying. I made one with a Philips hue strip wrapped around the outside and an old phosban reactor and it was living in Chaetoville, USA and life was good.

The other possible issue is the LED core lighting, which looks like a Christmas decoration, never gave me the confidence inspiring temporary vision loss that the Kessil H380 did when I looked right into it. You look into the Kessil light once and will believe it has the power of an artificial sun that's meant to grow plants

 

[Maddlesrain]

That's what I'm saying. I made one with a Philips hue strip wrapped around the outside and an old phosban reactor and it was living in Chaetoville, USA and life was good.

The other possible issue is the LED core lighting, which looks like a Christmas decoration, never gave me the confidence inspiring temporary vision loss that the Kessil H380 did when I looked right into it. You look into the Kessil light once and will believe it has the power of an artificial sun that's meant to grow plants

Yeah, that’s why I ended up making mine. Problems like you’re having seem more common than not and the ARID just doesn’t live up to the hype for a lot of users. It’s not a bad product, I think it just works best on very particular types of tanks and isn’t universal like other products.

 

[chefjpaul]

I had issues as well, until I did a series of ICP testing and found many elements that the macros needed were being depleted rapidly.

Florine, iodine, boron, mangamese etc...
They need more than just regular ol nitrate and phosphorus.(not exactly sure which ones are vital or not, but its helping).

Since Ive been keeping it more "in tune" with the ICP, the growth is better, consumption of nutrients are solid and tank is much better for color, growth and "clean" .

These macros in a tube are consuming a lot of elements we normally don't test for and need, as they consume faster than coral.

Two tanks, one running Arid, other nothing at the time, one with arid was testing low on all these, other not. The Salt used may have something to do with it as well, some higher in these than others.

 

[roberthu526]

I definitely used Nopox --- and Vibrant. But this Chaeto failure wasn't an isolated incident. I usually wait for 2 weeks before finding the courage to look inside the reactor.

Here are examples the two most recent disasters

Well it happened to me when I was dosing NOPOX and after I stopped, the chaeto took off in the reactor and now I have to harvest every two to three weeks.

Vibrant kills chaeto for sure so I would stop using it too.

 

[saltwaterpicaso]

mine would grow good for a month or to then die off adding there chemicals had no effect I looked just like the other post brown slimy cheato that rotted away my po4 was .08 and no3 has and always is threw the roof that's why I went with the reactor. i have given up on it at this point and am going to try just a normal almost maintance free refugium