I think ur missing the point here. There is no TYPICAL in reefing. There are variables beyond measure and the basic question was can chateo remove unwanted nutrients. Simple.The only thing this test shows is a (refugium) that is 25 gallons with a massive amount of chaeto reduces 1 cube of food, and applying this test results to a working aquarium is faulty at best. This test is only misleading and not really applicable to ANY standard aquarium setup. The test was to determine if a refugium would be a practical filter system. This test in no way even addresses this.
The test should have been setting up an ACTUAL tank, (typical size) with ACTUAL animal life (typical stock), with a typical sump with a typical refugium chamber size found in most sumps, and chaeto amount applicable to the chamber, and then test the water quality over time. While interesting, this test is all but useless for a realistic tank application.
The test parameters and the controls need to be similar and applicable to the environment you are testing for, not just making up a test that really has no application to a typical reef/aquarium setup.