Creating chaeto reactor in AIO, or HoB refugium for maximizing pod population?

[ashiWaza]

Hello,

Does anyone have any sort of information on the efficacy of creating a chaeto reactor/refugium in the back of an AIO chamber, vs using a HoB refugium? I currently have a setup for the AIO chamber method, but am wondering if it is too small in volume for a significant pod population. I currently have a Waterbox 35 gallon AIO. A HoB refugium could add anywhere from 2.4 to 4.6 gallons of additional space, just not sure if this would be overkill, or if the AIO would be enough. Has anyone ever had a similar decision to make? Thanks!

 

[Spare time]

You could try a fijicube hang on back refugium. I think that it may be handy to feed live phyto (tetra or iso) if you want to boost the pod population.


I guess it really just depends on what you are wanting to keep and if you are wanting a refugium for other purposes

 

[ashiWaza]

You could try a fijicube hang on back refugium. I think that it may be handy to feed live phyto (tetra or iso) if you want to boost the pod population.

Yeah, I'm thinking about going this route but I'm thinking about using a CPR Aquatics brand one. Do you use one yourself? I've never used a HoB refugium so I'm just not sure what maintenance is like, etc. I'm also in the process of researching whether or not it will torque the glass, their smallest one is about 2 gallon capacity, but that's ~20 lbs hanging on the side of your tank.

 

[Spare time]

Yeah, I'm thinking about going this route but I'm thinking about using a CPR Aquatics brand one. Do you use one yourself? I've never used a HoB refugium so I'm just not sure what maintenance is like, etc. I'm also in the process of researching whether or not it will torque the glass, their smallest one is about 2 gallon capacity, but that's ~20 lbs hanging on the side of your tank.

I do not use a HOB myself. However I have done a HOB DIY reactor and I hated it. It was a mess to empty and clean and it was nearly impossible to scrape the hard algae that forms on the inside. I will NEVER recommend a DIY algae reactor to anyone. The premade ones are a complete ripoff for price so I can't recommend those either.

 

[ashiWaza]

I do not use a HOB myself. However I have done a HOB DIY reactor and I hated it. It was a mess to empty and clean and it was nearly impossible to scrape the hard algae that forms on the inside. I will NEVER recommend a DIY algae reactor to anyone. The premade ones are a complete ripoff for price so I can't recommend those either.

lol now I'm second guessing myself! They definitely arent cheap, but it's within my budget. I did have the concerns about cleaning it though. I had planned to just keep a small amount of sand, a tiny bit of live rock, and some chaeto algae to hopefully prevent the growth of the other nuisance algae. But I'm very inexperienced when it comes to this

 

[jramy123]

What did you ever end up doing? Im setting up my waterbox 20 and am wanting to do the same thing for same reason as you lol.