Nutrient Control methods (1 Viewer)

[oguzman]

Hi all, I'm currently using a combination of carbon dosing (7.6mls vodka/day), skimmer, purigen, gfo, ROX carbon, and a tiny HOB refugium with chaeto using a Par38 light in my 75g. I feed pretty heavily . My nitrates and phosphates are generally very low, N03 < 5ppm PO4 <.1ppm. I wanted to stop carbon dosing, and was thinking about creating a larger refugium with a stronger light in combination with my current nutrient control in order to decrease maintenance.

After watching some BRS videos, it seemed that the Kessil H380 with Chaeto seems to give some pretty promising results. I have a 1ft x1ft area thats about 7'' deep that I can use as a refugium. Do you think this would be able to keep my nutrients at the level they are right now with out water changes. I really HATE water changes, and have zero desire due to space to create an auto water change system. Do you think that this would able to control the nutrient levels in my tank to the way they are right now?

 

[Alex77619]

I use a special deep sand bed to keep a ultra low nutrient.

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?s...-reef.org/showthread.php?t=57870&share_type=t

I had not do a water change for 10 month already.


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[Cody]

I use a special deep sand bed to keep a ultra low nutrient.

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?share_fid=36566&share_tid=57870&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Emarsh-reef%2Eorg%2Fshowthread%2Ephp%3Ft%3D57870&share_type=t

I had not do a water change for 10 month already.


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Are you using a calcium reactor?

 

[Cody]

Hi all, I'm currently using a combination of carbon dosing (7.6mls vodka/day), skimmer, purigen, gfo, ROX carbon, and a tiny HOB refugium with chaeto using a Par38 light in my 75g. I feed pretty heavily . My nitrates and phosphates are generally very low, N03 < 5ppm PO4 <.1ppm. I wanted to stop carbon dosing, and was thinking about creating a larger refugium with a stronger light in combination with my current nutrient control in order to decrease maintenance.

After watching some BRS videos, it seemed that the Kessil H380 with Chaeto seems to give some pretty promising results. I have a 1ft x1ft area thats about 7'' deep that I can use as a refugium. Do you think this would be able to keep my nutrients at the level they are right now with out water changes. I really HATE water changes, and have zero desire due to space to create an auto water change system. Do you think that this would able to control the nutrient levels in my tank to the way they are right now?

The Kessil refugium light is a beast. Not taking anything away from it. For the price though, you can find plenty of grow panels that will perform just as well on amazon. I like the kessil lights, but they won't get the spread that some of the cheaper panel lights that hit the refugium from more angles.

 

[Alex77619]

Are you using a calcium reactor?

Yes I am


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[Alex77619]

This is a great strong grow light to use.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01N47QRHV?psc=1&ref=yo_pop_mb_pd_title

And it’s water proof


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[Cody]

This is a great strong grow light to use.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01N47QRHV?psc=1&ref=yo_pop_mb_pd_title

And it’s water proof


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Very nice grow light.

 

[Cody]

Yes I am


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I'd be curious to see a before and after over the no the of an ICP test from calcium reactors and no water changes. In theory, they should be ok, but I'd like to see the data. Ever done a triton, etc test?

 

[Alex77619]

Never done one yet. but maybe I’ll do one soon. I’m also curious about it too.


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[Cody]

Never done one yet. but maybe I’ll do one soon. I’m also curious about it too.


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Just a heads up, we offer ICP tests for $18 each instead of the $30+ to our supporting members as a perk. Three tests and the membership pays for itself. We use out larger purchasing power to get a good deal and pass along the savings to supporting members.

 

[Alex77619]

My lab at work can do it ha. I just didn’t got time to do it yet.


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[RR-MAN]

This is a great strong grow light to use.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01N47QRHV?psc=1&ref=yo_pop_mb_pd_title

And it’s water proof


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How’s the light coverage? How big is your fuge?

 

[Cody]

My lab at work can do it ha. I just didn’t got time to do it yet.


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Well stop lolli-gagging around then! haha

 

[Alex77619]

How’s the light coverage? How big is your fuge?

10” by 8.5” I got 2 light actually, cuz my mangrove growing too big.

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[Alex77619]

I got 5 type of macro algae in the refugium

Red ogo Gracilaria, chaeto, ulva, Pom Pom Gracilaria, and one type that I don’t know the name. Also 2 red mangrove tree


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[Cody]

I got 5 type of macro algae in the refugium

Red ogo Gracilaria, chaeto, ulva, Pom Pom Gracilaria, and one type that I don’t know the name. Also 2 red mangrove tree


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How often do you take some of that algae out of you system?

 

[Alex77619]

Every two week for the chaeto and I feed the ulva and red ogo to my tangs


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[Tenny]

How much flow do you have in your fuge? I've never been very successful with Chaeto growth in any of my tanks and I think it may be due to lack of flow. It basically sustains itself and that's about it.

This is the light I have: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077Y922D5/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My mangroves and hair algae grow great in my sump. Sadly my sump doesn't have a specific refugium area, so I use something like THIS and honestly there's nearly no flow through it currently. I was thinking of moving it closer to the drain to the next chamber so that I'd get a tad bit more flow, or even moving it into the final chamber as that has more flow.

Other than that for me, I have a large clean up crew and do lots of water changes currently. Occasionally if I notice algae coming strong I'll throw in a phosphate filter pad and then remove it within 48 hours. I've heard they get clogged very quickly and just want to get them out.

 

[Alex77619]

I got the eshoops R200 sump. And the flow is kinda strong going through there. The chaeto tends to float up a bit so everyday I do tumble it a bit to get the air bubble out for it to sink back down. And I think because my culture phytoplankton are grown by the miracle grow plant food. That refresh the trace elements algae need to grow. I did one time reads that red algae needs iron to grow well.

And my refugium did totally die off once when I was using Vibrant to kill bubble algae at 5th month period of the tank. That time I got to ultra low nutrient that every algae die and my acan anemone were bleaching.

What I did to fix it was adding more fish and feeding more and dose kno3 (stump remover) and than I brought their color back up and refugium thriving now.



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[Reefahholic]

How much flow do you have in your fuge? I've never been very successful with Chaeto growth in any of my tanks and I think it may be due to lack of flow. It basically sustains itself and that's about it.

This is the light I have: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077Y922D5/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My mangroves and hair algae grow great in my sump. Sadly my sump doesn't have a specific refugium area, so I use something like THIS and honestly there's nearly no flow through it currently. I was thinking of moving it closer to the drain to the next chamber so that I'd get a tad bit more flow, or even moving it into the final chamber as that has more flow.

Other than that for me, I have a large clean up crew and do lots of water changes currently. Occasionally if I notice algae coming strong I'll throw in a phosphate filter pad and then remove it within 48 hours. I've heard they get clogged very quickly and just want to get them out.

The key to cheato is slightly higher nutrients to support it and iron to super charge it. Plus you need strong lighting if you want it to really take off.