Amoo
Professional Thread Derailer
Guess we should get in touch with Germany and let them know this whole Triton thing just isn't going to work out.....
Chaeto Reactors compared to Algae Scrubbers
- Thread starter SantaMonica
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Guess we should get in touch with Germany and let them know this whole Triton thing just isn't going to work out.....
Some people use an ATS instead of a fuge while running Triton. Reason being a waterfall ATS is much more efficient size for size than a fuge for nutrient removal.
Amoo
Professional Thread Derailer
I get that which is why Triton has a recommended fuge size to run straight regular Triton methods. That said I've also run a fuge and a SURF2 side by side and grew more algae on the outside of the SURF then inside of it. I'm just hoping this turns into an actual informative post Llike SM used to make before he became SM rather then a sales pitch.
Holy_makerel
Well-Known Member
I'm running a cheato reactor and it is performing better than i expected it to. Honestly I'd rather run a fuge but with my cube I'm really pressed for space. I've seen copopods, amphipods, at least one stomatella snail and a bunch of tube worms set up shop inside. Its been up for a month now and i need to harvest from it and clean since it is pretty well stuffed with cheato.
I run it on a opposite light cycle with led strip lights in a reef octopus biopellet reactor. I also dose iron every week
With the chaeto reactor, GFO reactor, and vinegar dosing i have to feed really heavy to keep any nutrients in the system.
60 cube with sump. Pic is from about a week ago
I run it on a opposite light cycle with led strip lights in a reef octopus biopellet reactor. I also dose iron every week
With the chaeto reactor, GFO reactor, and vinegar dosing i have to feed really heavy to keep any nutrients in the system.
60 cube with sump. Pic is from about a week ago
Oberst Hajj
Well-Known Member
The cheato reactor is pretty cool, I've not seen or heard of that before. As a fellow 60g cuber, I sympathies with your space limitations.
fishbox
Well-Known Member
Which lights did you go with and how long have you had this unit running?I'm running a cheato reactor and it is performing better than i expected it to. Honestly I'd rather run a fuge but with my cube I'm really pressed for space. I've seen copopods, amphipods, at least one stomatella snail and a bunch of tube worms set up shop inside. Its been up for a month now and i need to harvest from it and clean since it is pretty well stuffed with cheato.
I run it on a opposite light cycle with led strip lights in a reef octopus biopellet reactor. I also dose iron every week
With the chaeto reactor, GFO reactor, and vinegar dosing i have to feed really heavy to keep any nutrients in the system.
60 cube with sump. Pic is from about a week ago
Holy_makerel
Well-Known Member
Just horticulture strip leds from amazon. Only thing id do different is to get the 9ft instead of the 6ft roll of lights. It obviously works well but i would have liked a few more feet ti wrap around.
It has been running for about a month. Lights are on a simple timer. I'd say about once a month it will need to be harvested and the reactor cleaned with vinegar and a sponge to clean the walls. Cleaning the walls at the very least since there is a small amount of film algae that has grown in.
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SantaMonica
Valuable Member
Yes the film/filamentous algae vs the chaeto is a central part of the comparison.
and other algae like Ulva which grows amazing well and fast in a waterfall ATS much faster than GHA IME and that of others growing it.
I just finished mine up. It’s on a new tank, just started running it yesterday. Using a 2.5 gallon skimmer overflow with a 16’ strand of osram lightify outdoor (waterproof silicone coated) led and just a maxi jet 600 set to run 16 hours, bridging the nighttime lights out period.
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SantaMonica
Valuable Member
Chaeto Reactors compared to Algae Scrubbers, part 1
All macroalgae operate basically the same, chemically. They all use light, photosynthetically, to absorb nutrients from the water (i.e., filtering) and to grow biomass. Just like trees. The differences between types of macroalgae are in the physical structure of the macroalgae growth and the way the structure affects nutrient absorption speed, which means filtering. Here are the main differences as far as aquarists are concerned:
Chaeto: Pronounced KAY-toe. Chaeto is the nickname for Chaetomorpha, and it looks like a green dishwasher cleaning pad. It has no "roots" and thus does not attach to solid surfaces. It grows in saltwater only, and is not eaten by many fish.
Green Hair Algae: Includes Cladophora "angel hair" and Ulva "Easter basket" types. It has "roots" which attach to solid surfaces. It grows in freshwater and saltwater, and is eaten by almost all herbivores.
Slime: A solid algal growth, bright green to brown to black in color, that attaches to solid surfaces but not very securely.
Chaeto Reactor: A device that has water running through it, with chaeto growing in it. Also known as an "algae reactor". A chaeto reactor does not allow air to enter; only water, and these reactors usually have a lid attached with screws to keep water in and air out.
Algae Scrubber: Also called a Turf Scrubber, or Algal Turf Scrubber (ATS). A device that allows air and water to interact to create a turbulent air/water interface like waves on a beach; it grows green hair algae or slime that attaches to solid surfaces.
Reactors and scrubbers are different from refugiums; a refugium (“fuge”) is a space in a sump where macroalgae is placed, and a light is put over it. Refugiums have very slow flow, and very low light penetration, compared to reactors or scrubbers. You could modify a refugium to be a reactor, and with more mods you could make it a scrubber. But then it would no longer be a refugium.
All oceans, reefs, lakes and rivers are naturally filtered by photosynthesis. This means that algae does all the filtering of these waters. This is why algae is at the base of the entire aquatic food chain, and why algae biomass dwarfs the biomass of all aquatic animals combined. But for algae to absorb nutrients out of the water, the algae must grow. And to absorb nutrients faster, the algae must grow faster.
Next we will look at what makes different types of macroalgae absorb nutrients differently.
All macroalgae operate basically the same, chemically. They all use light, photosynthetically, to absorb nutrients from the water (i.e., filtering) and to grow biomass. Just like trees. The differences between types of macroalgae are in the physical structure of the macroalgae growth and the way the structure affects nutrient absorption speed, which means filtering. Here are the main differences as far as aquarists are concerned:
Chaeto: Pronounced KAY-toe. Chaeto is the nickname for Chaetomorpha, and it looks like a green dishwasher cleaning pad. It has no "roots" and thus does not attach to solid surfaces. It grows in saltwater only, and is not eaten by many fish.
Green Hair Algae: Includes Cladophora "angel hair" and Ulva "Easter basket" types. It has "roots" which attach to solid surfaces. It grows in freshwater and saltwater, and is eaten by almost all herbivores.
Slime: A solid algal growth, bright green to brown to black in color, that attaches to solid surfaces but not very securely.
Chaeto Reactor: A device that has water running through it, with chaeto growing in it. Also known as an "algae reactor". A chaeto reactor does not allow air to enter; only water, and these reactors usually have a lid attached with screws to keep water in and air out.
Algae Scrubber: Also called a Turf Scrubber, or Algal Turf Scrubber (ATS). A device that allows air and water to interact to create a turbulent air/water interface like waves on a beach; it grows green hair algae or slime that attaches to solid surfaces.
Reactors and scrubbers are different from refugiums; a refugium (“fuge”) is a space in a sump where macroalgae is placed, and a light is put over it. Refugiums have very slow flow, and very low light penetration, compared to reactors or scrubbers. You could modify a refugium to be a reactor, and with more mods you could make it a scrubber. But then it would no longer be a refugium.
All oceans, reefs, lakes and rivers are naturally filtered by photosynthesis. This means that algae does all the filtering of these waters. This is why algae is at the base of the entire aquatic food chain, and why algae biomass dwarfs the biomass of all aquatic animals combined. But for algae to absorb nutrients out of the water, the algae must grow. And to absorb nutrients faster, the algae must grow faster.
Next we will look at what makes different types of macroalgae absorb nutrients differently.
ReefingwithO
Well-Known Member
Cheato or algae reactors work. Over the last year I've built a few with a couple of different lights and reactor sizes. I'm running Triton method on a 75 and I'm using a 2 gallon refugium and a small maybe half gallon Pax bellum reactor to filter it.
I'm running Triton on my 14 gallon nano and all that's filtering it is a DIY cheato reactor made from a TLF reactor.
One thing I would say is that they are not a huge source of pods, I do see pods in it if you need them to feed lets say a mandarin, you'll need a traditional refugium.
I usually pull out about a 1/4 pound of cheato every 2 or 3 weeks.
I'm running Triton on my 14 gallon nano and all that's filtering it is a DIY cheato reactor made from a TLF reactor.
One thing I would say is that they are not a huge source of pods, I do see pods in it if you need them to feed lets say a mandarin, you'll need a traditional refugium.
I usually pull out about a 1/4 pound of cheato every 2 or 3 weeks.
d_adler
Active Member
Cheato or algae reactors work. Over the last year I've built a few with a couple of different lights and reactor sizes. I'm running Triton method on a 75 and I'm using a 2 gallon refugium and a small maybe half gallon Pax bellum reactor to filter it.
I'm running Triton on my 14 gallon nano and all that's filtering it is a DIY cheato reactor made from a TLF reactor.
One thing I would say is that they are not a huge source of pods, I do see pods in it if you need them to feed lets say a mandarin, you'll need a traditional refugium.
I usually pull out about a 1/4 pound of cheato every 2 or 3 weeks.
Comparing the pax bellum and the 2 gal fuge which do you see growing more macro algae? Which would you prefer if you had to pick one?
ca1ore
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If that ends up being your conclusion, then I will be forced to disagree. Certainly there are some design principles that govern a nutrient-reduction refugium, but broadly they can function very well .... absent space considerations of course.
ReefingwithO
Well-Known Member
The Pax Bellum grows more macro algea. I think it's because the cheato gets more intense lighting as all the light is directed towards the algae and there is almost no wasted light.
I've been experimenting with my refugium to see if I can get a light that performs just as well as the Pax Bellum.
- Wave-point Micro Sun 6,500 k Daylight High Output 16-Watt LED - performed great, was the right size and fit for my space but after 6 months half of the LEDS stopped working. I think water touched them.
- Tunze Waterproof 6500K LED Fixture 8821.00 - performed OK but I was looking for great. I was looking for waterproof after the previous LEDS went out.
- UFO grow light - This performed excellent but there was so much light spillover that it was growing algea everywhere in my sump, even in my skimmer. It was close to the water and was rusting after a few months. I gave it to my friend Dave who did a teardown on Youtube
- Kessil H380 - The light was too close and bleached all my cheato in a week. You cannot adjust the intensity on this light.
- Kessil H30 - performing ok, the feather caluerpa seems to like it so I'm going to remove the cheato from the fuge and let the caluerpa grow. This is my current light.
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SantaMonica
Valuable Member
I don't know which fuge you mean, but, filtering does not have much to do with how much you grow; it's how fast it grows that matters.
d_adler
Active Member
reefingwithO stated he runs a 2 gallon fuge and a pax bellum reactor so i was asking which he preferred of the 2.
im currently stuck between staying with my diy cheato reactor and getting one of your down flow ats. im leaning towards the ats. im just doing a little more research before i make the jump
ReefingwithO
Well-Known Member
Why not do both? I think the algea scrubber grows a different type of algea than cheato. As long as you have space do both.
d_adler
Active Member
thats a possibility. i think im going to wait for black friday/cyber monday thats around the corner to see if any deals pop up
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