In tank macro algae question

bmoore92 · Apr 7, 2015

I've got a "frag tank" holding some corals while I'm in between tanks and I'm having a problem with hair algae. It is a standard 29 gallon tank. I'm working on my nano build and I have an idea for my frag tank to get stick on frag racks for all my corals to keep them off the bottom of the tank. I was wondering if anyone could see any problems with allowing macros like chaeto to grow on the bottom of the tank like a refugium. I could drill and sump the tank but it really is a temporary tank. I have a few frags I'd like to sell that won't fit into my tank and I hate selling anything with GHA on it. I've been running chemipure blue, gfo, and staying up on my water changes and the algae is relentless. I've got an egg crate rack in the tank now made from the Home Depot light diffusers and it seems to be the only logical source of phosphates so I can remove it and then grow chaeto on the bottom. Anyone see any problems with this? I use Rodi water and Red Sea pro salt mix. Rodi and mixed saltwater both test without readable phosphates on API test kit. Any suggestions appreciated.

Summary:hair algae in frag tank, want to put all corals on frag racks on sides of tank, possible to grow chaeto in bottom of tank as a make shift refugium?, any foreseeable problems?, all other Params and water good.

Thanks, Britt

bmoore92 · Apr 8, 2015

Bump for the daytime crew

ritter6788 · Apr 8, 2015

Should work fine. Chaeto can trap a lot of detritus though. If you keep it tumbling it helps keep the detritus down but you don't want it tumbling in your frag tank.

bmoore92 · Apr 9, 2015

no real way to keep it tumbling in my tank. I only have one fish in the tank and I'm planning to get it out when i remove the frag rack that is in there now so detritus should stay at a minimum. Any ideas on how to light the chaeto other than my main lights?

-Britt

Reefing Madness · Apr 9, 2015

Chaeto is gonna collect crap from the water column, thats going to rest in it. Its not going to grow really well just sitting there, usually this stuff has to tumble for have good flow through it.
If your using GFO to remove your phosphate problem, perhaps your waiting to long to replaced exhausted GFO.
Why not use a Lanthanum product first, get all the phosphate out, then go back to GFO. The Lanthanum will remove ALL the phosphates in the tank in a matter of days, and you just dose it, unlike GFO.

bmoore92 · Apr 9, 2015

Reefing Madness said:
Chaeto is gonna collect crap from the water column, thats going to rest in it. Its not going to grow really well just sitting there, usually this stuff has to tumble for have good flow through it.
If your using GFO to remove your phosphate problem, perhaps your waiting to long to replaced exhausted GFO.
Why not use a Lanthanum product first, get all the phosphate out, then go back to GFO. The Lanthanum will remove ALL the phosphates in the tank in a matter of days, and you just dose it, unlike GFO.

doesn't using a lanthanum product require a protein skimmer? also, I've had chaeto grow without tumbling, quite well actually. I understand that it is better to tumblr but I believe it is not absolutely necessary. How else would everyone grow these thick mats of chaeto in their external refugiums? I plan to have good flow through the tank but I do agree with you about detritus but without any fish in the tank the detritus should be minimal at best right?
-Britt