What's the benifit of Chaeto?
- Thread starter erifish3
- Start date
cufishfan
Member
Many people grow chaeto and other macroaglaes to reduce nitrate. The chaeto uses the excess nutrients (from waste and uneaten food) to grow, reducing the amount of nitrate in the water (which helps limit nuisance algae growth in your display tank).
Chaeto would not replace your need for a wet/dry filter. If you have bioballs, the bacteria growing on it is what breaks down ammonia in your system (same bacteria as on live rock). Chaeto will not break down ammonia, so it can't replace the wet/dry. If you have trouble with algae in the tank or high nitrates, growing chaeto in a refugium will help. But you can't replace the wet/dry with just chaeto- you would need other filtration (could just be more LR).
Chaeto would not replace your need for a wet/dry filter. If you have bioballs, the bacteria growing on it is what breaks down ammonia in your system (same bacteria as on live rock). Chaeto will not break down ammonia, so it can't replace the wet/dry. If you have trouble with algae in the tank or high nitrates, growing chaeto in a refugium will help. But you can't replace the wet/dry with just chaeto- you would need other filtration (could just be more LR).
cufishfan
Member
Growing chaeto should help with your nitrates. You can buy refugiums that hang on the back of a tank, or you could build a refugium and connect it to your wet/dry.
If you have bioballs in the wet/dry, you might want to rinse some of them every few months (rinse them using old water from a water change, not tap water- you want to remove any debris caught in the balls, but you don't want to kill the bacteria growing on them). Aim on cleaning about 1/2 the bioballs every 6 months- you don't want to clean them all at once just in case you lose some of the bacteria.
If you have bioballs in the wet/dry, you might want to rinse some of them every few months (rinse them using old water from a water change, not tap water- you want to remove any debris caught in the balls, but you don't want to kill the bacteria growing on them). Aim on cleaning about 1/2 the bioballs every 6 months- you don't want to clean them all at once just in case you lose some of the bacteria.
dankbardy31
Member
By tumbling do you mean rotating the chaeto? I have some in the back chamber of my nano cube.
cufishfan
Member
Tumbling means you need enough water flow falling onto the chaeto that it moves around. You don't want the chaeto to stay still.
As for connecting a refugium to the wet/dry, it depends on what your setup looks like. You could either drill a hole in the wet/dry and connect it to a small refugium setup, or build/buy a sump that includes both a wet/dry section and refugium compartment. If you look at sumps in the DIY section, or search for melevs reef, you'll find tons of drawings and pictures of possible setups.
As for connecting a refugium to the wet/dry, it depends on what your setup looks like. You could either drill a hole in the wet/dry and connect it to a small refugium setup, or build/buy a sump that includes both a wet/dry section and refugium compartment. If you look at sumps in the DIY section, or search for melevs reef, you'll find tons of drawings and pictures of possible setups.
dankbardy31
Member
good to know. thanks
florida joe
Well-Known Member
You do not necessarily need to drill your sump/wet dry to install a refug
gritchie2
Member
Originally Posted by Salt Life
http:///forum/post/3027891
why does it need to be tumbled to be affective? all I do is "fluff" it like 2 times a day and it has great growth and has brought my nitrates down to 20ppm. all the flow that goes throug my fuge section in the sump goes through the chaeto.
I have been washing mine in the DT at water change time. The fish in the DT love it, lots of Bugs come out.
http:///forum/post/3027891
why does it need to be tumbled to be affective? all I do is "fluff" it like 2 times a day and it has great growth and has brought my nitrates down to 20ppm. all the flow that goes throug my fuge section in the sump goes through the chaeto.
I have been washing mine in the DT at water change time. The fish in the DT love it, lots of Bugs come out.
