How much chaeto in Biocube 29 fuge?

[rain]

Hello everyone! I have set up my Biocube 29 with the intank fuge basket and some chaeto. This is next to my intank media basket in Chamber 2 running filter floss on the top, purigen in the middle and chemi pure elite on the bottom. My question is how much am I supposed to have back there and how high should the water be in chamber 2? It's currently about half way up I would say and the chaeto is filling the area between the bottom of the fuge rack and the water line. Should I have less chaeto? More water? It's just fine? I have the nano LED fuge light on it which is working fine.

 

Thanks!!

Rain

[YHSublime]

In a tank so small, I wouldn't worry about nutrient export through cheato, I would just use water changes. That being said, my water level is to the top in the second chamber, and then flows out a hole into the last (3rd chamber) I don't know if this is stock, or not. I also frequently fill above the "MAX" line, and don't care much for the instructions that tell me what I have to do, I keep my salinity at 1.023 and everything that is easy to take care of does OK, including my Maxima Clam. Water change 10 gallons every 2 or 3 weeks and save the time and effort trying to grow cheato in the back. My 2c.

[rain]

Thanks for the feedback! Good to know.

[YHSublime]

Thanks for the feedback! Good to know.

 

Sure, take my advice with a grain of salt, as that's all it is. If you had more water volume, I think growing cheato would be a great idea, it's just not needed if you can perform adequate water changes. You would do better shoving the back chamber with rubble rock or live rock, make a pod haven. 

[rain]

I'm doing frequent water changes and the tank is doing great. I just thought maybe the chaeto would add some value. But if not at that small of an amount, the live rock rubble sounds much easier to maintain. :-) Thanks!!

[YHSublime]

I'm doing frequent water changes and the tank is doing great. I just thought maybe the chaeto would add some value. But if not at that small of an amount, the live rock rubble sounds much easier to maintain. :-) Thanks!!

 

No problem. It's all about what finding works best for you, but I think the live rock in the back will do you better than cheato.

[Rachell3210]

how do you prevent the rubble from becoming a detritus farm though? Or do you think the cheato is just as bad as a detritus collector? I currently run cheato, but am thinking about taking it out because its a pain to scrape the glass back there every week to get rid of the algae, but like my pods that live back there.  

[YHSublime]

Should run a sponge in between the first and second chamber. At least that's stock, from what I remember. I also just tied rubble rock into pod condos.

[Rachell3210]

yeah I dont run the stock filter, but i do have  homemade media rack with a container of filter floss on the top with the water falling directly into that, and I think it picks up most of the nastiness. I have not noticed a big difference in my numbers with the cheato, which ive been running for about 6 months now. I do almost weekly water changes of 6 gallons, sometimes more like 2 weeks, if things get crazy. I think I will switch back to no cheato and make something out of the rubble. 

[Rachell3210]

got any pics of the pod condo? I have seen some made with the corrugated plastic sheets, is that what you used?

[sen5241b]

I had a biocube 29 and I filled the entire middle back chamber with cheato. I achieved zero trates with no skimmer or reactor BUT I had a very strong fuge light and I scraped all the black paint off the back

[monkiboy]

got any pics of the pod condo? I have seen some made with the corrugated plastic sheets, is that what you used?

http://www.bostonreefers.org/forums/showthread.php?47552-DIY-Pod-Condos

 

http://www.reef2reef.com/threads/diy-pod-condos.129693/