Cheapest long term po4 and no3 removal??

Kershaw · Apr 24, 2016

Reefing Madness said:
Cheato needs to tumble in the fuge, or have very good flow. Some have to put in a power head to keep the flow good.

Mine tumbles I have a small pump that keep it moving.

Kershaw · Apr 24, 2016

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
I'm not sure anyone has done a careful cost analysis (and it isn't easy) of organic carbon dosing vs ATS vs macroalgae. All are in the running, IMO.

I have thought about ATS. And have looked into carbon dosing. I just don't have allot of space left under stand for a ATS. And when I looked into, I can't remember exactly what but I thought there was a risk. Fuge with algae is what I want to do. But seem to have little luck with keeping algae alive. the less money I spend on maintaing the tank the more the wife lets me spend on putting into the tank.

zoomonster · Apr 24, 2016

Kershaw said:
I'm using a 75 watt equivalent led they show on melvs reef. 5100k

Dunno then... I find 6500k best but the so called ideal range is 5000-6500K. Maybe its just a matter of what nutrients you have. I'm tapering off but I was using coral colors which one bottle adds iron that may be a factor.

Just as a note my chaeto does not tumble and never has. Flow through fuge is pretty slow and the chaeto is basically just 17x11x9 solid mass.

Kershaw · Apr 24, 2016

zoomonster said:
Dunno then... I find 6500k best but the so called ideal range is 5000-6500K. Maybe its just a matter of what nutrients you have. I'm tapering off but I was using coral colors which one bottle adds iron that may be a factor.

Just as a note my chaeto does not tumble and never has. Flow through fuge is pretty slow and the chaeto is basically just 17x11x9 solid mass.

Thanks. I'm going to pick up a clamp light with a better reflector and try and find a bulb closer to 6k and run what I have and that. See what happens.

twilliard · Apr 24, 2016

Algae dies from the lack of nutrients or elements and we are not just talking no3 and po4
All my algae grows under the standard orbit marine led 24" led fixture.
No tumbling low water flow.

zoomonster · Apr 24, 2016

I just use a clamp on, gooseneck fixture I got from Lowes for like $10. For that matter it has no reflector but key for me since its close to water and salt creep is the entire hood is black plastic. Even with no reflector its more than adequate to at least cover the space I have.

Kershaw · Apr 24, 2016

twilliard said:
Algae dies from the lack of nutrients or elements and we are not just talking no3 and po4
All my algae grows under the standard orbit marine led 24" led fixture.
No tumbling low water flow.

So what do I need to put in tank to feed the algae if not just no3 and po4

Randy Holmes-Farley · Apr 24, 2016

Kershaw said:
So what do I need to put in tank to feed the algae if not just no3 and po4

Iron sometimes is helpful.

Greenstreet.1 · Apr 24, 2016

Great thread. When my mag is low for to long my chaeto starts to look bad

Randy Holmes-Farley · Apr 24, 2016

Greenstreet.1 said:
Great thread. When my mag is low for to long my chaeto starts to look bad

That's curious. What do you dose to boost it?

Most organisms, such as chaetomorpha, that do not make shells or bones have less magnesium in them than does seawater, so they spend energy keeping it out, not taking it up.

Kershaw · Apr 24, 2016

I couldn't find a 6500k at Home Depot. 5k is most I could find. Do they make a test kit for iron I don't think I ever seen one.

Joeganja · Apr 24, 2016

Kershaw said:
I couldn't find a 6500k at Home Depot. 5k is most I could find. Do they make a test kit for iron I don't think I ever seen one.

Yes they do Red Sea has their line of iron test kits

Greenstreet.1 · Apr 24, 2016

I dose esv mag I use to use brightwells mag also. My reg dosing is with brs

Kershaw · Apr 24, 2016

Ok I'll have to pick that up.

Kershaw · Apr 24, 2016

Just got a cheap clamp light from HD with a different 5k bulb. Lit my fuge up significantly better. So we will see how that dose. If this dose not work I think I will try and make an algae scrubber.

1fishjones · Apr 24, 2016

Add a rack of Marine Pure spheres to your tank or sump. Problem solved.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Apr 25, 2016

Kershaw said:
I couldn't find a 6500k at Home Depot. 5k is most I could find. Do they make a test kit for iron I don't think I ever seen one.

There are test kits, but I do not consider them very useful. No test kit, not even Triton tests, can detect anywhere close to the very low natural level of iron, so, IMO, iron is one of the few elements that is best served by dosing independent of measurement (if you choose to dose it).

Randy Holmes-Farley · Apr 25, 2016

1fishjones said:
Add a rack of Marine Pure spheres to your tank or sump. Problem solved.

The OP asked: "What is the cheapest way to keep phosphate and nitrates down. "
Are you suggesting they help with phosphate?

revhtree · Apr 25, 2016

I really like the Algae Scrubber idea! I'll be adding one myself soon! We have several sponsors here that offer them!

Bad Company · Apr 25, 2016

My waterfall algae turf scrubber totally eliminated NO2 in my tank. I stopped measuring after a year, and did water changes about once every 6 months: