DIY Algae Reactor

Eddie7144 · Jul 21, 2017

sorry that's a typo, I hate auto correct lol. it's supposed to say, would a phosphoban 150 be ok to use on a 150 gal tank ? sorry again for the typo

eric.battani · Jul 21, 2017

I could not answer the question on if it alone would be enough but it will certainly make a huge difference.

Eddie7144 · Jul 21, 2017

true , I'm just trying to figure out of it is worth it to use the 150 or get a bigger one like the aquamaxx

eric.battani · Jul 21, 2017

My aquamaxx is not much bigger than the 150

Eddie7144 · Jul 21, 2017

see i didn't know that ! I have the pump and the reactor, all i need is the lights, I was debating spanning $ 150 or just get some blue and red lights

eric.battani · Jul 21, 2017

Get the leds that are water proof with a dimmer. Both are a must. And if you need to add another reactor later, you can.

Eddie7144 · Jul 21, 2017

Good idea about the other reactor, do you think the summer is necessary? most of the videos i seen they do t mention a dimmer

eric.battani · Jul 21, 2017

Yes are dimmer is a must. Otherwise you may bleach the macro. I did till I added a dimmer. I hadded to turn it down to 6%

Eddie7144 · Jul 21, 2017

gotcha, ok gonna look on eBay for them, and suggestions where I can get the light kit ?

eric.battani · Jul 21, 2017

Amazon. 16ft is a good amount. Seems like a lot but when wrapped around a tube, it's not much

Eddie7144 · Jul 21, 2017

thank dude really appreciate you're time. gonna start looking now

eric.battani · Jul 22, 2017

Eddie7144 said:
thank dude really appreciate you're time. gonna start looking now

Also the aquamaxx or phosban reactors are not the only choices. Any clear reactor will work. Just keep in mind when it comes time to clean the inside. You something big enough to fit your hand in.

kinetic · Sep 16, 2017

Should I purchase a BioPellet reactor? Or a Carbon/GFO reactor? I'm not even sure what the difference is in a biopellet one...

eric.battani · Sep 16, 2017

kinetic said:
Should I purchase a BioPellet reactor? Or a Carbon/GFO reactor? I'm not even sure what the difference is in a biopellet one...

As far as the type goes, it doesn't matter. Just make sure it's one large enough to reach your hand inside to clean. Mine has been growing coraline and I have to clean it once in awhile.

kinetic · Sep 17, 2017

eric.battani said:
As far as the type goes, it doesn't matter. Just make sure it's one large enough to reach your hand inside to clean. Mine has been growing coraline and I have to clean it once in awhile.

Could you just use a bottle brush if it's too small (just like every cup/bottle you would wash normally)? Or is there something else about using hands that's needed that I'm not aware of.

eric.battani · Sep 17, 2017

kinetic said:
Could you just use a bottle brush if it's too small (just like every cup/bottle you would wash normally)? Or is there something else about using hands that's needed that I'm not aware of.

You could but coraline is tough to scrub off. It can be done with a brush but will require some extra time to clean

kinetic · Sep 17, 2017

eric.battani said:
You could but coraline is tough to scrub off. It can be done with a brush but will require some extra time to clean

oh I was just thinking about soft algae, rather than coralline... That makes sense!

eric.battani · Sep 17, 2017

If you clean it with a brush each week when you pull out some algae, you should not have a problem with coraline

truetricia · Aug 31, 2018

A

eric.battani said:
With a all in one nano aquarium, I have very limited amount of space. At one point I plumbed in a sump with an overflow box. But that made life a little more difficult for me. But I still wanted to benefits of macro algae to give pods a safe haven to grow, and help out with nutrient export. Now after seeing many companies offer their version of a macro algae reactor and the huge price tag, I knew that I could make one on my own with very little effort. So off to Amazon I went.
So I bought a Deepwater Quattro Reactor to make a algae reactor. I picked this reactor because it's cast acrylic tube, price, how easy it is to take apart, and the hookups on top are at a 90 degree angel. Yes I know 45s are better at not clogging up but I didn't want a hose coming above my life.
Now for lighting I went with a 16ft strip of warm white waterproof leds. Waterproof LEDs was a must for me because I knew at some point water would eventually be dripping on them. Would have been nice if they had sticky tape on the led side but the silicone coating actually stuck to the acrylic a little bit. I still used a hot glue gun to help hold the LEDs in place.
And I'm using a Rio 16 plus 200gph pump to power the reactor. This was just a pump I had laying around.

As far as macro algae, I used red Botryocladia algae. This is what I had growing in my display. I didn't put in a whole lot because I wanted to see how quickly it will grow.

This is the reactor.

These are the leds I used

Any updates?

eric.battani · Aug 31, 2018

Yes, it works really well but I took it down about 2 weeks ago because I didn't like seeing it hang on the side of my tank. I don't have a cabinet that opens up so it had to hang on the side which took away from the tanks appeal. If I had a way to hide it, I would still use it.