What are you using for filtration on your tank?

[Mayerlyn A]

Rew

Hey something to think about and considerate myself , even it's very small amount I'm seeing. Never thought about an algae reactor.

For sure it works great.

 

[corresnake]

I use chemipure elite, cheato, carbon, skimmer.
On a 45 lps and softies

 

[Mical]

let me ask you ... are you parameters on your water are stable with only chaeto and skimmer?

My numbers are pretty stable.(Alk 8.5, Cal 450, Mag 1300, SG 1.026 - nitrates and Phos nearly zero) PH fluctuates a little in summertime with AC on but other than that I dose minimal 2 part and ATO is straight RO water. I find keeping it simple (and my hands out of tank) has been better than chasing #s.

 

[Rich Klein]

Chaeto, Skimmer, and a Marine Pure Block for my 165 Gallon. I also add ~ 8 ml of NoPox daily. I feed pretty heavily and with this strategy I have no nuisance algae with NO3 ~ 5ppm and PO4 ~ .07ppm.

 

[HNR]

What kind of system do you run?

40 gallon with a 10 gallon sump. Mainly lps corals with some sps.

 

[BeejReef]

I have a bunch of chaeto and some carbon in there. I dont run socks or a skimmer currently.

Same same

 

[Marie7]

Rew

For sure it works great.

Something to look at , thanks

 

[Marie7]

I have another question, base on the answers I read which many of them are very simple filtration system....How good do you keep your parameters with only chaeto, and light on your sump?

 

[Marie7]

Chaeto, Skimmer, and a Marine Pure Block for my 165 Gallon. I also add ~ 8 ml of NoPox daily. I feed pretty heavily and with this strategy I have no nuisance algae with NO3 ~ 5ppm and PO4 ~ .07ppm.

Is that block is the big square one to develop good bacteria or something like that? Because if is, honestly mine broke and dissolve on the sump I end up pulling it out because of it.

 

[Marie7]

My numbers are pretty stable.(Alk 8.5, Cal 450, Mag 1300, SG 1.026 - nitrates and Phos nearly zero) PH fluctuates a little in summertime with AC on but other than that I dose minimal 2 part and ATO is straight RO water. I find keeping it simple (and my hands out of tank) has been better than chasing #s.

Very nice ! i did not check mag today hummm my cal is a little high I think I'm going to stop dosing the alk and cal for a little bit, the NoPox i been dosing almost daily for a little bit of algae I believe that what is keeping things on my end a little off is the way I have to feed my eels, but even that I feed them every 3 days or so, depending if I see them out looking so I know they are hungry

 

[Hemmdog]

Very nice ! i did not check mag today hummm my cal is a little high I think I'm going to stop dosing the alk and cal for a little bit, the NoPox i been dosing almost daily for a little bit of algae I believe that what is keeping things on my end a little off is the way I have to feed my eels, but even that I feed them every 3 days or so, depending if I see them out looking so I know they are hungry

What are your parameters.

 

[Marie7]

What are your parameters.

I have another thread that I put on , but my parameters today are sky rocket
KH PH
Phosphate
Nitrite ppm
Nitrates ppm
calcium ....hummm this is a good one using API test kit it come out to more than 520 as the color chart goes into 26 drops with a total of calcium of 520 This morning I add 29 drops so its more than 520

 

[Marie7]

What are your parameters.

Salinity is

What are your parameters.

Salinity is 1.032 d 20/20 and 41 0/00

 

[ectoaesthetics]

Hey Marie, how long ago did you make the change? Often simply the change itself is what causes major issues.

I do think there are much better ways of going than bioballs, but I have also seen amazing and stable tanks use them back in the day. I am not a fan of the new ceramic microporous rocks -be it blocks or balls... I HAVE used them. The little pours get clogged with detritus and in the end I found them to be less valuable than I thought I would. I now just use LR in sumps instead (it is amazing to me that every time I think I have found a new better solution, it all just comes back to the Berlin method of LR, skimmer, and algae ---oh it's 1998 all over again). Bacteria just need a place to live. I have never found that with LR in a tank and sump that I am short "homes" for bacteria. That being said I also have sand.

Here is my current system: LR in sump, chaeto (with a super bright light -the same light that used to light my tank -lit my tank at ~60% now running at nearly 80% over my algae), and a SUPER small micron (50 micron) sized sock ONLY used when I am creating storms to purposely stir things up (this is weekly to bi-weekly). The way I do it is a little odd (super tank specific) and not worth going into... but just think of it as dropping the socks in then creating a storm -the typical way- then pulling the socks after the water has cleared (or when you remember that evening).

The chaeto is really good at keeping my nitrates down... probably too good... I could dial back by simply turning my lights down 2-3% until i reach a balance, but I would rather feed more and simply try to reach a balance that way.

But keep in mind that change is hard. Even if you are moving to a "much better" way of doing things, the tank will take it poorly for a while!

 

[Marie7]

Hey Marie, how long ago did you make the change? Often simply the change itself is what causes major issues.

I do think there are much better ways of going than bioballs, but I have also seen amazing and stable tanks use them back in the day. I am not a fan of the new ceramic microporous rocks -be it blocks or balls... I HAVE used them. The little pours get clogged with detritus and in the end I found them to be less valuable than I thought I would. I now just use LR in sumps instead. Bacteria just need a place to live. I have never found that with LR in a tank and sump that I am short "homes" for bacteria. That being said I also have sand.

Here is my current system: LR in sump, chaeto (with a super bright light -the same light that used to light my tank -lit my tank at ~60% now running at nearly 80% over my algae), and a SUPER small micron (50 micron) sized sock ONLY used when I am creating storms to purposely stir things up (this is weekly to bi-weekly). The way I do it is a little odd (super tank specific) and not worth going into... but just think of it as dropping the socks in then creating a storm -the typical way- then pulling the socks after the water has cleared (or when you remember that evening).

The chaeto is really good at keeping my nitrates down... probably too good... I could dial back by simply turning my lights down 2-3% until i reach a balance, but I would rather feed more and simply try to reach a balance that way.

But keep in mind that change is hard. Even if you are moving to a "much better" way of doing things, the tank will take it poorly for a while!

Thanks for the advised it really help, now I try the block u referring, if you click on my pic you can see my corner 92 tank, I have sand, a skimmer , plenty live rock on it , and of course my sump it's pretty good size and have 2 filtration socks on it. I change the bio-balls more than a year ago so it hasn't been recent, still I can't ping pong what happen to be so sky high parameters as I change my water too every 2 weeks or every month. Now how do you keep you chaeto light, on all the time or you have periods where u give it a rest as well?

 

[Marie7]

Hey Marie, how long ago did you make the change? Often simply the change itself is what causes major issues.

I do think there are much better ways of going than bioballs, but I have also seen amazing and stable tanks use them back in the day. I am not a fan of the new ceramic microporous rocks -be it blocks or balls... I HAVE used them. The little pours get clogged with detritus and in the end I found them to be less valuable than I thought I would. I now just use LR in sumps instead (it is amazing to me that every time I think I have found a new better solution, it all just comes back to the Berlin method of LR, skimmer, and algae ---oh it's 1998 all over again). Bacteria just need a place to live. I have never found that with LR in a tank and sump that I am short "homes" for bacteria. That being said I also have sand.

Here is my current system: LR in sump, chaeto (with a super bright light -the same light that used to light my tank -lit my tank at ~60% now running at nearly 80% over my algae), and a SUPER small micron (50 micron) sized sock ONLY used when I am creating storms to purposely stir things up (this is weekly to bi-weekly). The way I do it is a little odd (super tank specific) and not worth going into... but just think of it as dropping the socks in then creating a storm -the typical way- then pulling the socks after the water has cleared (or when you remember that evening).

The chaeto is really good at keeping my nitrates down... probably too good... I could dial back by simply turning my lights down 2-3% until i reach a balance, but I would rather feed more and simply try to reach a balance that way.

But keep in mind that change is hard. Even if you are moving to a "much better" way of doing things, the tank will take it poorly for a while!

I forgot to ask.... do you think that the bleach has something to do with all this changes ? I use bleach to wash my socks, but even though some off the parameters being high got nothing to do with it I believe.

 

[S2G]

Berlin style sump. Socks, rocks, big skimmer, & pump. I have a tee with a valve so I can bring a chaeto refuge online once my nitrates starting creeping up.

If you don't keep your media clean it can start working against you. When I had bio balls I had them in a nylon net i took the net out every week or so then shook it in tank water.

I don't like sumps with a bunch of baffles. I like one to separate the return pump that's it.

 

[Marie7]

Berlin style sump. Socks, rocks, big skimmer, & pump. I have a tee with a valve so I can bring a chaeto refuge online once my nitrates starting creeping up.

If you don't keep your media clean it can start working against you. When I had bio balls I had them in a nylon net i took the net out every week or so then shook it in tank water.

I don't like sumps with a bunch of baffles. I like one to separate the return pump that's it.

Im thinking in add a 10 gal tank to put chaeto I just have to figure out how i'm going to conect this to work together my sump chaeto and skimmer

 

[Marie7]

40 gallon with a 10 gallon sump. Mainly lps corals with some sps.

any chaeto or something else?

 

[S2G]

Im thinking in add a 10 gal tank to put chaeto I just have to figure out how i'm going to conect this to work together my sump chaeto and skimmer

Do it Triton style run your drains through your refuge 1st then let it overflow into you're sump or tee off your return with a valve then let water go to the refuge then overflow into your sump. I built a ledge on the inside of my stand. I throw doubled up 2x4s on the ledge then put my fuge on top of that. The drains are at the top of the fuge so it just overflows into the regular sump. Im not going to win any sump showcase awards but my parameters will be on point and it will be easy to work on.