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Nick28
07-15-2013, 04:21 PM
Concept I thought of is anyone willing to try this for a few weeks to see how fast the algae grows (I've changed to freshwater planted) should be at least almost as good as a scrubber as far as filtering goes but maybe much easier to set-up?

my guess is the algae will keep puffing up in all direction

since there is less water depth more light hits the algae


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SantaMonica
07-15-2013, 05:09 PM
Well, less light can never mean more photosynthesis, because photosynthesis is proportional to the light. But as for putting a block of macro in that area and raining water over it, I think it would die because most all the macro will be shaded. Try it...

Nick28
07-15-2013, 05:37 PM
Well, less light can never mean more photosynthesis, because photosynthesis is proportional to the light. But as for putting a block of macro in that area and raining water over it, I think it would die because most all the macro will be shaded. Try it...

Yes but in comparison to submerged growth when algae fixes bicarb it requires more light to grow. free CO2 gas diffuses right throught the algaes cells

I dont think shading will be a problem I've seen some very large Cheato balls before you cant tell me the inside is dead just dormant. The outside feeds the whole

Nick28
07-15-2013, 06:43 PM
another design

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SantaMonica
07-15-2013, 08:17 PM
We'll be lookin' for those growth pics :)

Nick28
07-15-2013, 09:18 PM
Right now I don't have a salt tank but earliest i can get a hold of cheato would be thursday or friday I can setup a 2.5 or 5 gallon based off my second design and just dirty the water with flakes. Maybe buy some rock rubble as well.

Floyd R Turbo
07-16-2013, 12:41 PM
chrissu basically did this by rigging an SM100 with a drip bar and chaeto. Grew chaeto like nuts.

Nick28
07-16-2013, 02:57 PM
chrissu basically did this by rigging an SM100 with a drip bar and chaeto. Grew chaeto like nuts.
yea I saw that picture but the cheato was mostly submerged the high lighting made it grow fast

Nick28
07-16-2013, 03:13 PM
or maybe it wasn't totally submerged? I saw that a while ago.


This brings up another question I wonder if the oxygen levels of the air in the sm100 are above normal and the co2 levels lower its sealed in a box the algae must be pumping out a lot of oxygen in that box.

Floyd R Turbo
07-16-2013, 04:47 PM
I'm not sure he ever posted a pic of it.

Nick28
07-25-2013, 07:07 AM
4581

Day 1

Its been 5 days i dont have any pictures because im on vacation but its setup at relatives house and reports are that it is a little
More than double in size.

Starting size was almost a tennis ball

-old bulb 2 months 15 watt cfl 2700k about 5 inches away
-half level teaspoon flakes
-2-2.5 water volume
-5 gallon tank

sklywag
07-28-2013, 07:52 AM
Seems like that would be awfully noisy.

Nick28
07-30-2013, 06:06 PM
Seems like that would be awfully noisy.

a little spattering noise however if it was closed under a stand It would be quite.

once the cheato gets bigger it should muffle the spraying water.

Cheato has doubled in 8 days only 8 hours on 16 off

I just changed to a new 23 watt cfl 2700k today and added another half level teaspoon of prime reef flakes.

nitrate tested at zero before

pictures on thursday or friday:)

sklywag
07-30-2013, 08:20 PM
Nice.

Nick28
08-04-2013, 01:58 PM
ok its been 13 days about 3x original size

-5 days of 23 watt
-8 days of old 15 watt
no hair algae in sight except for a small amount that was growing on the cheato at the LFS.

total of one teaspoon of flake over 13 days.
coraline is growing on the white pad so phosphate should be in check.

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Nick28
08-09-2013, 01:45 PM
4607460846114612

17 days

about 4x the size its growing faster as it get bigger

im going to raise the platform and water level about 2 more inches soon to get it closer too the light

coraline still growing

SantaMonica
08-09-2013, 05:47 PM
Well at least it does grow.

Nick28
08-09-2013, 06:18 PM
Well at least it does grow.

I think its doing really good actually I might be stunting it by not feeding enough. The damsel in there hasn't been poisoned by ammonia yet and i dump a lot flakes in each day (4 days now) only 2.5 gallons of water

if I started with the 23 watt bulb and bumped it up another 4 hours to 12 on 12 off it would probably be huge by now

Nick28
08-10-2013, 09:52 AM
compared to this guys i think mine might be doing better given that i don't have any where near as much light or running as many hours as this guy.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rD090Q4smiI

-2x19 cfls with internal reflectors (I'm using a clamp lamp much worse reflector)
-14-16 hours

once i get some sizable mass i'm going to increase hours and feeding

Nick28
08-12-2013, 04:47 PM
6x

day 20

pics tomorrow

Nick28
08-17-2013, 09:18 PM
its still getting bigger couldn't get 6x pics about 8x now . I havent been feeding as much and growth has slowed.

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interesting note dinos are growing however only where there are dead algae strands

since this tank is so small i'm going to experiment with eliminating them


I just read dinos are correlated with high ammonia low nitrate. The ammonia released by the damsel or decomposing food or algae strands might be enough to satisfy the dinos before getting absorbed by the cheato (problem with localization)

I'm going to add some sand to strengthen biological filtration

greenmachine
08-22-2013, 04:13 PM
Very intresting. I wonder if you could do the same in your freshwater tank only with java moss?

Nick28
08-22-2013, 05:42 PM
Probabaly could I think java moss grows on land too, Its a slow grower though. The plants in my freshwater tank take care of nutrients pretty well.

I would try something like Hornwort or another free floating plant instead but this filtration would easily drive off too much co2 for the display plants.

greenmachine
08-24-2013, 07:08 AM
is the cheato still growing?

Nick28
08-24-2013, 07:37 AM
is the cheato still growing?

I really need to get a scale

instead I measured it. Dimensions are 8x8x2 inches i measured the height by averageing three areas lowest, medium, and highest

It grew into a nice square

Its getting very fat, but it isn't really getting wider just taller now , I think the light spread instensity is dropping off any wider than 8" or I might have to make more holes in the spray bar outer edges are a little dehydrated I could probably also feed more.

theres little shelled things and coraline growing on the glass and egg crate.

what appears to be dinos are only growing on dead algae strands that fell below .

The starting measurement was 6x1x1 so I would say inbetween 18x-21x its starting size about, 34 days

Nick28
08-30-2013, 07:50 PM
experiment is still showing progress however i have noticed an increase in dinos but no other algae coraline is growing calcifying animals are growing on glass

-dinos are growing on exposed eggcrate where light hits and underneath the platform were the algae is

my theory for this is that the 3 inch thick cheato is now showing signs of severe light blocking causing ammonia and phosphate to leak out or just dead algae cells

I just read a scientific paper about large macroalgae blooms being associated with dinos. Maybe the overgrown macros are blocking light to lower layers and giving dinos a food source?

now we all know how fast these things grow maybe faster than bacteria and algae can soak up these leached nutrients?

SantaMonica
08-30-2013, 08:29 PM
Yes 3" is way too deep for any light to go.

Nick28
09-06-2013, 09:02 AM
growth has slowed it is about 26-27X starting size

reasons:
-algae has grown past the light angle
-algae is getting taller and blocking light
-it needs more food

What was thought to be dinos were actually just some kind of diatom film. (just using regular tap water)

It had no smell, it wasn't gooey and stomatella snails are eating it.