Waterbox AIO Media Basket Refugium

[diabolical_clownfish]

I have a Waterbox AIO 35.2 (specs here) and I'm trying to add a refugium with chaeto in one of the back chambers. I purchased the following items:

Media Basket for Chamber One (replacing the filter socks in the first chamber):

inTank Chamber One Media Basket for Waterbox AIO 30.2 | AIO 35.2 | AIO 40.2 | AIO 50.3

inTank Media Baskets greatly improve and increase the filtration of your aquarium while making it easy to maintain

intankaquatics.com

and Tunze light:

Top Shelf Aquatics - Live Corals, Aquariums Supplies and more

Your one stop shop for everything Saltwater Reef tank related! Discover a world of vibrant aquacultured corals and premium aquarium supplies. Explore live rare corals for sale and cutting-edge equipment to elevate your saltwater aquarium . Our expert guidance and resources empower enthusiasts

topshelfaquatics.com

After I put everything together, I discovered a problem: while the dimensions worked very well, because the media basket is a clear acrylic, the red light shines through the black wall of the back chambers and very much visible from the front of the display tank. Because I have the fuge light come on at night, this is not a significant issue, but I'm still wondering if there is a solution.

Other things I've considered:

- Buying a media basket that is all black, like this one. This didn't work, as it was too short for the Tunze light and the opening faces the display, so I can't mount in the reverse direction. Even if the light is facing the back, it would still be visible from the display.
- Taping the media basket with black electrical tape (seems to be not reef safe).

I'm kind of regretting the AIO since I'm fairly constrainted at this point. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[blaxsun]

Where have you mounted the refugium light?

 

[diabolical_clownfish]

Where have you mounted the refugium light?

Inside the media basket, vertically.

I know most people have it outside the tank, but my tank's backside is not transparent (I think it's a black material that can be cut and peeled off but my tank is already against the wall and I have no room to do the cut or mount the light).

 

[blaxsun]

Inside the media basket, vertically.

I know most people have it outside the tank, but my tank's backside is not transparent (I think it's a black material that can be cut and peeled off but my tank is already against the wall and I have no room to do the cut or mount the light).

That's the issue. You have to cut a slit in the back of the black material covering the back just big enough for the light - otherwise the light from a refugium light will tend to spill.

 

[diabolical_clownfish]

That's the issue. You have to cut a slit in the back of the black material covering the back just big enough for the light - otherwise the light from a refugium light will tend to spill.

Mounting the light from the back alleviates the problem but doesn't solve it completely. There will still be light bleeding into the display, just less. Just like if the completely black plastic media basket is compatible, it would also block some amount of light. I guess this is why very few people have refugiums in an AIO tank.

 

[blaxsun]

Mounting the light from the back alleviates the problem but doesn't solve it completely. There will still be light bleeding into the display, just less. Just like if the completely black plastic media basket is compatible, it would also block some amount of light. I guess this is why very few people have refugiums in an AIO tank.

Isn't the front part of the AIO sump black acrylic?

 

[diabolical_clownfish]

Isn't the front part of the AIO sump black acrylic?

Exactly! This was my confusion as well, but apparently, black glass doesn't block an active light that well.

 

[ingchr1]

Can you fit a thin piece of black ABS in front of the media basket to block the light?

I turned one of my chambers into an ATS using black ABS.

I turned one of the chambers into an algea turf scrubber (ATS). I used 1/16" black ABS, 7 mesh plastic canvas and Tunze Refugium Light. The ABS I heated with a heat gun and bent it around a 2x4. I cut the ABS using tin snips.

Interested in seeing how it works out. Not sure what other options there would be out there for an AIO.

I currently have it scheduled to run opposite of my lighting, 10PM to 1030AM.

 

[diabolical_clownfish]

Can you fit a thin piece of black ABS in front of the media basket to block the light?

I turned one of my chambers into an ATS using black ABS.

Hi! I actually remember your build thread and your DIY ATS. It's good to see you and thank you for the suggestion.

I had actually bought a Santa Monica Drop ATS and it's still in chamber two, but in the past year it hasn't worked at all and I barely get any growth inside (mostly slimy stuff and not green hair algae as expected). I think the design is problematic and apparently the IceCap waterfall style ATS should work significantly better, where the Santa Monica DROP relies on an external airpump and air bubbles travel upwards (tweaked the light and amount of air, didn't seem to make any difference).

How is your ATS working out? You don't have any air bubbles traveling up the screen, right? Isn't the turbulence supposed to be a key ingredient in an ATS?

For my media basket setup - it is currently fairly tight in chamber one, so I don't think I can attach ABS panel OUTSIDE the basket. But I can perhaps cut a panel to size and fit it inside to block the light (might have to glue it). Or perhaps just make my own basket at this point.

 

[ingchr1]

...How is your ATS working out? You don't have any air bubbles traveling up the screen, right? Isn't the turbulence supposed to be a key ingredient in an ATS?...

It's growing algae on it, but not sure if it's providing any benefit to the tank though. I suppose I could shut it down and see if there is any difference.

 

[diabolical_clownfish]

It's growing algae on it, but not sure if it's providing any benefit to the tank though. I suppose I could shut it down and see if there is any difference.

Do you have a picture of the harvest? How often do you take algae out?

 

[ingchr1]

Do you have a picture of the harvest? How often do you take algae out?

No recent photos. I clean it off every couple of weeks. I get some algae off it, but not a whole lot. Here's a past photo from my build thread. A lot more grew on it when I had UVLA. Now it grows hair and bubble algae. No hair in the tank but I have lots of bubble.

...Here's maybe three weeks of growth on my ATS, from yesterday.

 

[ingchr1]

I did change the design of it to three sides as I was getting algae growing on the back wall of the chamber. Algea also grows on the uncovered wall and light. I also have to scoop some free floating algae out of the chamber.

 

[diabolical_clownfish]

No recent photos. I clean it off every couple of weeks. I get some algae off it, but not a whole lot. Here's a past photo from my build thread. A lot more grew on it when I had UVLA. Now it grows hair and bubble algae. No hair in the tank but I have lots of bubble.

To my untrained eye that actually looks like a decent amount (also variable by tank, perhaps you just don't need to export that much). The advertised rate on my Santa Monica Drop was 1.2 cubes of frozen food per day, and I've seen pictures of a box full of algae (where yours looks like only on the surface of the sheet).

 

[ingchr1]

To my untrained eye that actually looks like a decent amount (also variable by tank, perhaps you just don't need to export that much). The advertised rate on my Santa Monica Drop was 1.2 cubes of frozen food per day, and I've seen pictures of a box full of algae (where yours looks like only on the surface of the sheet).

My phosphate has been around 0.15ppm for many months. I feed the equivalent of around 3-4 cubes per week. Have five fish. Glass gets a dusting of algae every day. I'm going to try a bit of GFO to bring the phosphate down a touch.

 

[diabolical_clownfish]

My phosphate has been around 0.15ppm for many months. I feed the equivalent of around 3-4 cubes per week. Have five fish. Glass gets a dusting of algae every day. I'm going to try a bit of GFO to bring the phosphate down a touch.

So it sounds like the ATS is working but not as effectively as the larger setups (which essentially advertises that ATS can replace skimmer/reactors and take nutrients to effectively 0).

I also have a phosphate problem (I guess from built up over the past year). My current chaeto setup seems pretty effective for nitrates (I already see it going down in the past 4 days), but it's supposed to consume NO3 to PO4 in 4:1 ratio. So if my nitrates hit zero, I either have to dose nitrate for it to continue to consume PO4, or find other mechanisms for PO4 removal (like GFO).

How do you run GFO? I don't have space for a reactor and I heard running it in a media bag is not as effective. I'm thinking about getting the Brightwell Aquatics Xport-PO4 cubes (which can be held in a media bag).

 

[ingchr1]

I would have to take the ATS offline to really know if it was making any difference or not.

I just plan on placing the GFO in a media bag. Will see how it works out. I have no intention of trying to run it any other way on my AIO. If the bag doesn't work, then I will just leave well enough alone. But it should at least do something.

 

[Spontagious]

I just bought the same tank but used, I wanted to change the pipe and the return nozzle. Do you know the best place I can purchase replacement plumping for this sz tank.

 

[jackiemon]

I did change the design of it to three sides as I was getting algae growing on the back wall of the chamber. Algea also grows on the uncovered wall and light. I also have to scoop some free floating algae out of the chamber.

Hi! Can you post a picture of the new design? I'm having the same issue and I need to cover the refugium chamber so the fuge light doesn't go through to the display.

 

[ingchr1]

Hi! Can you post a picture of the new design? I'm having the same issue and I need to cover the refugium chamber so the fuge light doesn't go through to the display.

Here you go.