Skimmer, Scrubber, and Cheato?

[Shallow Planet]

I currently run a skimmer(Regal 150) and Large Skimz cheato reactor.

Two questions. Has anyone run all three together. Skimmer, Cheato, and algea scrubber?

Tank is about 3 months old and I am having a big issue with brown diatom algea. I do realize I have very few inverts so I assume that has alot to do with it. My cheato hasnt grown in the last month since it keeps getting covered with brown algea. At one point I was trimming the reactor every 2 weeks.

Nitrates are 20ppm and Phosphates are 0.02 ppm. Should I continue to do what I am doing or would it be a good idea to also add an algea scrubber? Tank is 150g.

 

[PDR]

Are you sure it's diatoms and not dinos? Could you post a picture of the algae?

 

[theMeat]

Could be dino, but with trades at 20 doubtful they’re taking off now

Because of nitrates I ran ats from month 3 till about month 8 or 9.

Depends on your bio load and how big your macro reactor, fuge, whatever. And of course how often you want to do water changes

 

[ca1ore]

I run a skimmer, ATS and chaeto refugium ..... but I have 120 fish that get fed a lot.

 

[Shallow Planet]

Its probably not diatoms now that I think about it. More like brown cyano covering the sand and some of the rocks. Was gross cleaning out the cheato reactor. Cheato was covered in this slimy brown stuff.

 

[symon_say]

Generally ATS kill chaeto, is more efficient.

 

[Shallow Planet]

ATS is more efficient?

 

[Shallow Planet]

ATS is more efficient?

 

[symon_say]

Yes, it grows a more simple algae that takes nutrients more fast than chaeto.

If you have a heavy bioload and feed a lot both can work, otherwise chaeto will die.

 

[Scrubber_steve]

ATS is more efficient?

Yes.

 

[ca1ore]

ATS certainly is more efficient from a space comparison perspective. This is 2 weeks growth (both sides); 12x12 screen sized for 10-12 cube-equivalents of input. Used to freak my wife out that I scrape it on the kitchen counter.

 

[ubasu]

ATS certainly is more efficient from a space comparison perspective. This is 2 weeks growth (both sides); 12x12 screen sized for 10-12 cube-equivalents of input. Used to freak my wife out that I scrape it on the kitchen counter.

My wife would divorce me if I did that....