Carbon before Chaeto reactor striping iron, etc?

[kinetic]

I have a carbon reactor (BRS mini) right before my Chaeto Reactor. I'm pushing about 300-400gph through it. I used to have some lower grade marineland activated carbon, and my chaeto was stable and growing a little bit. A few months ago, I changed it out for BRS ROX. I don't know if it's related, but my chaeto pretty much melted away. I do have more phosphates now than I did when it was growing.

There's plenty of phosphates, and some algae in my display tank, but my chaeto is pretty much melted away.

I'm wondering if my carbon is the reason why my chaeto died. Does it just not get any nutrients?

I've started dosing iron, but I wonder if that will help, especially with that carbon reactor.

 

[Crabs McJones]

I have a carbon reactor (BRS mini) right before my Chaeto Reactor. I'm pushing about 300-400gph through it. I used to have some lower grade marineland activated carbon, and my chaeto was stable and growing a little bit. A few months ago, I changed it out for BRS ROX. I don't know if it's related, but my chaeto pretty much melted away. I do have more phosphates now than I did when it was growing.

There's plenty of phosphates, and some algae in my display tank, but my chaeto is pretty much melted away.

I'm wondering if my carbon is the reason why my chaeto died. Does it just not get any nutrients?

I've started dosing iron, but I wonder if that will help, especially with that carbon reactor.

I don't believe so, it even states in the triton setup that you want to run carbon, however it does not specify where in the system it should be ran (before or after the fuge)

 

[sghera64]

I have a carbon reactor (BRS mini) right before my Chaeto Reactor. I'm pushing about 300-400gph through it.

I'm wondering if my carbon is the reason why my chaeto died. Does it just not get any nutrients?

I've started dosing iron, but I wonder if that will help, especially with that carbon reactor.

Wow! 300-400 GPH - - that’s like 5-6 gallons / minute through that little bed of carbon. I’m just guessing here, but the removal efficiency of iron from a carbon bed is probably less than a few percent with that resident time. At 300-400 gph, you must be sending your entire system through that bed 2 to 7 times per hour. Over many hours and days, THAT will make the difference and not where in your system the carbon bed is located.

Have you measured your NO3 levels?

 

[kinetic]

Wow! 300-400 GPH - - that’s like 5-6 gallons / minute through that little bed of carbon. I’m just guessing here, but the removal efficiency of iron from a carbon bed is probably less than a few percent with that resident time. At 300-400 gph, you must be sending your entire system through that bed 2 to 7 times per hour. Over many hours and days, THAT will make the difference and not where in your system the carbon bed is located.

Have you measured your NO3 levels?

Is 300gph weird? Even BRS says 300gph is a recommended flow through carbon.

Yes, no3 is nonexistent (3 different tests, salifert, red sea, and LFS's NYOS tests). Does that stunt chaeto growth? I have a plate of marinepure that might be doing too good of a job.

 

[sghera64]

Is 300gph weird? Even BRS says 300gph is a recommended flow through carbon.

Yes, no3 is nonexistent (3 different tests, salifert, red sea, and LFS's NYOS tests). Does that stunt chaeto growth? I have a plate of marinepure that might be doing too good of a job.

I have a BRS (not mini) running Rox 8.0. I have a Cheato & ulva algae scrubber. Mine was running just fine for weeks after putting fresh carbon in it. I also dose Kent’s iron/manganese + some DIY iron. And I dose Lugol’s iodine. My algae was doing fine until 5 days ago when I noticed the ulva turning to mush - - like wet toilet paper. The cheato is not as dark, but still firm.

I tested PO4 and NO3 to be 4ppb (0.004ppm) POR and 0 ppm NO3. Ooooops! I think I’m starving my algae.

I have a Heim auto feeder dosing a small amount of pellets 2x/day and have been away from home and not adding flakes & nori and frozen much. I guess those algae scrubbers really do their job.

So, I just dosed enough Ca(NO3)2 to raise the nitrate to about 5 ppm. I need it wait a few more days to see if that dose makes any difference.

Just sharing so that you know someone else is out here with a related struggle.

 

[kinetic]

I have a BRS (not mini) running Rox 8.0. I have a Cheato & ulva algae scrubber. Mine was running just fine for weeks after putting fresh carbon in it. I also dose Kent’s iron/manganese + some DIY iron. And I dose Lugol’s iodine. My algae was doing fine until 5 days ago when I noticed the ulva turning to mush - - like wet toilet paper. The cheato is not as dark, but still firm.

I tested PO4 and NO3 to be 4ppb (0.004ppm) POR and 0 ppm NO3. Ooooops! I think I’m starving my algae.

I have a Heim auto feeder dosing a small amount of pellets 2x/day and have been away from home and not adding flakes & nori and frozen much. I guess those algae scrubbers really do their job.

So, I just dosed enough Ca(NO3)2 to raise the nitrate to about 5 ppm. I need it wait a few more days to see if that dose makes any difference.

Just sharing so that you know someone else is out here with a related struggle.

Thanks for sharing! Do you think nitrates are needed for chaeto growth? I have about 10ppb of phosphates and 0ppm of nitrates.

 

[sghera64]

Thanks for sharing! Do you think nitrates are needed for chaeto growth? I have about 10ppb of phosphates and 0ppm of nitrates.

I think all living things need a source of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus. Google the Redfield ratio.

Some bacteria can pull dissolved N2 right out of the water. But these macro algae (cheato, ulva, calurpa) need NO3. Maybe then can utilize ammonia or nitrite too, but not sure on that.

 

[kinetic]

I have a BRS (not mini) running Rox 8.0. I have a Cheato & ulva algae scrubber. Mine was running just fine for weeks after putting fresh carbon in it. I also dose Kent’s iron/manganese + some DIY iron. And I dose Lugol’s iodine. My algae was doing fine until 5 days ago when I noticed the ulva turning to mush - - like wet toilet paper. The cheato is not as dark, but still firm.

I tested PO4 and NO3 to be 4ppb (0.004ppm) POR and 0 ppm NO3. Ooooops! I think I’m starving my algae.

I have a Heim auto feeder dosing a small amount of pellets 2x/day and have been away from home and not adding flakes & nori and frozen much. I guess those algae scrubbers really do their job.

So, I just dosed enough Ca(NO3)2 to raise the nitrate to about 5 ppm. I need it wait a few more days to see if that dose makes any difference.

Just sharing so that you know someone else is out here with a related struggle.

Any updates on dosing nitrates?

 

[sghera64]

Any updates on dosing nitrates?

Yes. I had to put my Ca(NO3)2 on a dosing pump. Then my PO4 crashed (0-4 ppBillion) using Hanna ULR and multiple readings across multiple days. Corals started to wither a little, but ulva just would not come back. However, I talked my LFS into putting a "pinch" of chaeto in with the ulva when I bought it and that is slowing growing. Now the majority of my fuge is chaeto (about the size of two green peppers).

So, now I'm dosing NO3 AND PO4. I've reduced the fuge lightint cycle to 10 hrs (down from 14). I'm slowly having to increase the dose of PO4 because the day after I add it, I find it back down to near zero. However, I'm now starting to have to clean the glass a little more (1x / 3-4 days). I used to clean 1x/week or less [a bad sign, but I did enjoy it]. Also, color of my SPS' has noticeably improved, my trumpets and other LPS's are much more puffier. But - - ulva still failing in the fuge and cheato has gotten a little darker green.

I'm still adding iron 1x/week.

One thing I have to mention, relative to the whole point of a algae refugium, I don't see any nuisance algae in my display tank (aside from the thin film on the glass).