Do Algae Reactors Work, And Worth It?

[cwk84]

Here is the algae reactor I made out of an aquamax I wrapped a red and blue Led strip around the outside of the reactor then covered that with black Vinyl. It's pretty small so it fills up quick, I put in around 1 inch of chaeto at the bottom and it will be completely full in a week. I turn it on whenever my tank lights are off so about 14 hours a night.

This reactor is enough to give my 120 gallon system stable no3 and po4. I no longer need to dose carbon or run GFO. Obviously mileage may vary.

Inside

One week's growth

Two Little Fishies ATLPBR550 GFO PhosBan Reactor 550 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004I6U192/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_7P9nBbP72BWVD

How long did it take for the reactor to work? I set mine up last week and my nitrates are now 20ppm higher than with my canister filter where I used to run nothing but carbon. That's clearly proof enough that canister filters are not nitrate factories.

 

[Forsaken77]

How long did it take for the reactor to work? I set mine up last week and my nitrates are now 20ppm higher than with my canister filter where I used to run nothing but carbon. That's clearly proof enough that canister filters are not nitrate factories.

Well it's highly dependent on what medias are filling a canister filter, but the biggest thing is maintaining it, which will create a lot of nitrate if let go too long. They definitely do a great job mechanically as long as you clean it often. The thing is... A lot of folks don't stay on top of them enough. They need frequent cleaning and, depending on the model, can be a messy and wet experience, lol

As for your chaeto... Did you add the reactor to your filtration to be used in combination with the canister? Or did you make the algae your primary )and only) source of filtration?

 

[cwk84]

I stopped using the canister filter. That was the whole point of an algea reactor bexuse I can put carbon in there as well. But it’s not working as well. I filled the reactor halfway with chaeto and it has grown to the top of the reactor within a couple days. So it’s def. removing something.

 

[chinw76]

I bought the skimz reactor from brs. I followed brs recommendations many times to only have it die each time. With the die off, kept raising my nutrients. So now it sits in a box and I am using biopellets.

 

[cwk84]

When I put the chaeto in the reactor it was bleached. you can see the top third is still white and the whole bottom half is really green. I doubt that it's dead. But I'll take it into account.

Do the pellets work? Does it have positive effects on corals as well?

 

[Forsaken77]

I bought the skimz reactor from brs. I followed brs recommendations many times to only have it die each time. With the die off, kept raising my nutrients. So now it sits in a box and I am using biopellets.

I bought the skimz reactor from brs. I followed brs recommendations many times to only have it die each time. With the die off, kept raising my nutrients. So now it sits in a box and I am using biopellets.

You wanna sell it?

 

[Forsaken77]

DP

 

[SantaMonica]

White macroalgae does mean that it's not consuming nutrients.

 

[Forsaken77]

White macroalgae does mean that it's not consuming nutrients.

Can you ever have water that is too nutrient rich for the algae, causing it to due?

Also, does algae take up heavy metals that may be present in tap water, or can it be harmful to algae (besides iron)?

 

[SantaMonica]

No, high nutrients just cause darker and more slime growth. But you have to harvest more often before it lets go.

Yes algae consume metals, especially copper. Very high doses of copper, however, can kill it.

 

[Chris8232]

No, high nutrients just cause darker and more slime growth. But you have to harvest more often before it lets go.

Yes algae consume metals, especially copper. Very high doses of copper, however, can kill it.

What's more often? Every three days opposed to every five - seven days

 

[cwk84]

My chaeto turned into a mush. It smelled bad. I bought more and this time it was super green to begin with.

 

[nova65ss]

Had this reactor for a while now this is the second time I've emptied it the first had nothing but slime and nasty stuff all of the chaeto died. This time some chaeto was still alive but mostly this lettuce looking stiff anyone know what type of algae it is? This is probably three months of growth on my 1 year old 120g.

 

[cwk84]

It looks like caulerpa. If you have NO3/PO4 in your water plus adequate lighting it should not die. My first batch of chaeto disintegrated as well but I went to a LFS and bought healthy dark green chaeto. It seems to work now. Phosphates went down to 0.02 and nitrates are closer to 10 as opposed to 20. So it’s def working. Maybe get differen chaeto form a differen place.

 

[Forsaken77]

Had this reactor for a while now this is the second time I've emptied it the first had nothing but slime and nasty stuff all of the chaeto died. This time some chaeto was still alive but mostly this lettuce looking stiff anyone know what type of algae it is? This is probably three months of growth on my 1 year old 120g.

Looks like Ulva, which is also known as the lettuce algae. It's a very good algae to have in the reactor. You can have it in place of the chaeto as well.

A few posts above, Santa Monica Filtration said that slime forms from heavy metals. Is that a possibility?

 

[SantaMonica]

What's more often? Every three days opposed to every five - seven days

3 days if black. 5 days if dark brown. Think of it as a bucket next to a leaking tank... the faster the water is coming out of the tank, the faster the bucket needs to be emptied.

My chaeto turned into a mush. It smelled bad. I bought more and this time it was super green to begin with.

The first batch got covered with slime algae, but this removed a lot of nutrients from the water. Your next batch will have less nutrients to absorb.

I've emptied it the first had nothing but slime and nasty stuff all of the chaeto died. This time some chaeto was still alive but mostly this lettuce

Is Ulva Lactuca. The fastest, most absorbent nutrient remover there is. Also very tasty.

 

[cwk84]

I wanted to update you guys. My reactor is working a little too well. I have 0 phosphates and nitrates are down to 5-10ppm. I can't get the phosphates to go up. I noticed that something has changed just by merely looking at my corals. They're starting to pale out.

 

[SantaMonica]

Time to triple feeding.

 

[BigGimp77]

Sorry to bump an old thread but after reading through it and looking to do something like this with a Phosban 550...

Any consensus on a good LED strip to use? I've read a couple stories about dying LEDS or failing reactors from heat. Trying not to have either of those things happen.

If I cant find one that doesnt get too hot, I was looking towards hanging the LEDS on a PVC pipe that sits around the reactors like someone suggested earlier in the thread. Has anyone had success doing it this way?

 

[kinetic]

Sorry to bump an old thread but after reading through it and looking to do something like this with a Phosban 550...

Any consensus on a good LED strip to use? I've read a couple stories about dying LEDS or failing reactors from heat. Trying not to have either of those things happen.

If I cant find one that doesnt get too hot, I was looking towards hanging the LEDS on a PVC pipe that sits around the reactors like someone suggested earlier in the thread. Has anyone had success doing it this way?

I surrounded my AquaMaxx XL reactor with a square aluminum tube (keeps the light in) and then used JB Weldon and Silver to attach two large heatsinks to two sides of it. I also have a cheapo fan that is small and quiet that turns on with the light timer. The whole thing stays cooler than anything else in the tank to be honest.

Checkout my build thread for it. I'm actually not running any chaeto now because my tank is so low in nutrients anyway, chaeto wouldn't grow.