- Joined
- Oct 8, 2017
- Messages
- 88
- Reaction score
- 49
Bear with me and my reefing inadequacy, and prepare for a whole lot of ridiculous questions from me ;P
My nitates are on the high side (40 ppm) and pH is a bit under 8. I monitor the amount of food fed and the stocking consists of 2 small ocellaris clowns, 5 snails, and some isolated xenia but nitrates are still sky high. I've tried larger water changes but the nutrients just bounce back... I was planning to get a refugium, but it didn't work out
I've seen several people using a media reactor with strip LEDs wrapped around to grow chaeto inside. But another hurdle, of course, is budget. Not really an that much of an issue, but media reactors go for much much more than they can be DIY-ed for.
-A container [what is the biggest container I could go for? is bigger the better true in this case?]
-Tubing
-Pump
-Gel superglue
-LED Lights [https://www.amazon.com/Topled-Light...UZ4C/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8&th=1]
If you have any suggestions for the materials, please let me know
And here is how I (think I) assemble the reactor.
1. Drill 2 holes in the lid of the container
2. Put two pieces of tubing through each hole and create seal with superglue
3. Place pump in tank and connect one tube to it. The other tube will also lead back to the tank but won't be connected to anything
4. Hook up LEDs and wrap around
5. Fill with chaeto and water
6. Turn on pump
Another (of course) question I have is how this will affect the ATO. When the algae grows and is removed the water level will change. What can I do as so the reactor doesn't interfere with the ATO?
I really want to create the best environment for my tank inhabitants so I really like your thoughts and comments!
My nitates are on the high side (40 ppm) and pH is a bit under 8. I monitor the amount of food fed and the stocking consists of 2 small ocellaris clowns, 5 snails, and some isolated xenia but nitrates are still sky high. I've tried larger water changes but the nutrients just bounce back... I was planning to get a refugium, but it didn't work out
I've seen several people using a media reactor with strip LEDs wrapped around to grow chaeto inside. But another hurdle, of course, is budget. Not really an that much of an issue, but media reactors go for much much more than they can be DIY-ed for.
-A container [what is the biggest container I could go for? is bigger the better true in this case?]
-Tubing
-Pump
-Gel superglue
-LED Lights [https://www.amazon.com/Topled-Light...UZ4C/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8&th=1]
If you have any suggestions for the materials, please let me know
And here is how I (think I) assemble the reactor.
1. Drill 2 holes in the lid of the container
2. Put two pieces of tubing through each hole and create seal with superglue
3. Place pump in tank and connect one tube to it. The other tube will also lead back to the tank but won't be connected to anything
4. Hook up LEDs and wrap around
5. Fill with chaeto and water
6. Turn on pump
Another (of course) question I have is how this will affect the ATO. When the algae grows and is removed the water level will change. What can I do as so the reactor doesn't interfere with the ATO?
I really want to create the best environment for my tank inhabitants so I really like your thoughts and comments!
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