carbon/gfo & cheato

[james3370]

in the planning stages for an all-in-one tank & mocking up the rear chambers.

i want to run Bulk Reef Supply carbon & gfo in a media bag (tank is too small to justify the expense for the reactor). i seem to remember reading that when people started running gfo, the cheato shrank considerably from (i think) the gfo removing most of the nutrients the cheato used to grow

is this true & if so, should i not bother running cheato if i plan to do the gfo??

[james3370]

anybody?

[pwoller]

I am running all 3 and the cheeto is growing really well. I thought once I started the gfo it would slowly die off but it hasn't.

[james3370]

^^ good to know. :)

thanks....i didn't want to goto the trouble of making a chamber & lighting for it, only to have it die off from the gfo sucking up all the nutrients LOL

[iFisch]

I hear a lot of the Cheateo growers also dose tiny-small amounts of Iron for the Cheateo. I don't know why, but it's something worth searching for..

I currently run GFO/carbon and was considering adding some more Cheateo again, but I'm in the same boat as you.

[cyberseer]

don't bother dosing iron. if you run gfo, then it will release more than needed amount of iron into your water.

[james3370]

so any more opinions????

skimmerless (for the time being) small tank (20-30g).....
* cheato only
* cheato & carbon/gfo
* carbon/gfo only

[iFisch]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15233168#post15233168 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by james3370
so any more opinions????

skimmerless (for the time being) small tank (20-30g).....
* cheato only
* cheato & carbon/gfo
* carbon/gfo only

Well, you can't go wrong with carbon/GFO.

Just make sure you get a quality GFO, and your set.

[Tigé21v]

Running GAC, GFO , skimmer, 30 gallon fuge packed with chaeto, and an ATS. Fuge used to be filled end to end with chaeto, would take out half a 5 gallon bucket or better every two weeks, even with GFO. Once the ATS really started getting good growth, the chaeto growth all but ceased. Maybe even receded some. Pulled the entire clump out a week ago Friday. Seems to not have had an adverse effect. In fact, I think some of my cyano crop may be actually disappearing finally.

[pjf]

I run GAC, GFO and cheatomorpha. When my skimmer was being repaired, the cheatomorpha grew quickly and had to be trimmed periodically. After the skimmer was put back in operation, the chaetomorpha grew more slowly.

I believe that slow growing chaetomorpha implies that you are doing a good job of keeping nutrient levels down in your system.

Since GAC and GFO cost more than chaetomorpha, I would cut back on the media before I cut back on chaetomorpha.

[james3370]

so i'm thinking i want to do 4 chambers in rear........

kinda using the mediabasket.com (http://www.mediabaskets.com/Demo_Rack_with_Tunze.html) take on the rear chambers for the nanos, but slightly modified. here is what i'm thinking

tank overflows into 1st chamber which has the carbon & gfo. open at the bottom to 2nd chamber that will have a tunze 9002 (eventually but empty till i can afford). over the top flow into 3rd chamber that will have the cheato. it will be open at the bottom to flow into the 4th chamber that will have the return pump

[Tigé21v]

Would put skimmer before the GAC and GFO , Prob best GAC/GFO in third chamber. might as well let do the skimmer and chaeto do what work they can first, media will last longer and not clog as quickly.

[Compguy]

Not to be a broken record, but I run all three as well, I run Carbon in one Two Little Fishes Reactor and GFO in another, both media's are from BRS. I also grow Cheato in my fuge, I wouldn't say it grows really fast, but it grows fast enough to be noticeable. I agree with Tige21v, if there is a way to put your media last that is the route you want to go, best to do it so Cheato is first, then skimmer, then media, that way the Cheato will take out what it can, and since it doesn't cost anything except a little bit of your time to pull once in a while, its the cheapest, then skimmer will pull out what it can and last the media will polish the water and not exhaust as frequently as if you had it towards the beginning. Just my .02

[james3370]

wouldn't the skimmer remove the pods that would grow in the cheato?? ....that's why i was thinking cheato as the last chamber before return to tank

that makes me think skimmer 1st to get the worst of it, then media to clean the water further, then cheato to add pods, then return

[Rizup]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15237633#post15237633 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by james3370
wouldn't the skimmer remove the pods that would grow in the cheato?? ....that's why i was thinking cheato as the last chamber before return to tank

that makes me think skimmer 1st to get the worst of it, then media to clean the water further, then cheato to add pods, then return

I agree with this. The only difference in my setup is that I run my reactors off of my return manifold so I do not need the extra pump(s).


Mike

[chilwil84]

this is for a 30 gallon i wouldnt be overly worried about putting chaeto and gfo together right from the beginning unless you are using old live rock that is loaded with deterous and releasing phosphates. try to leave the space for the chaeto and just run the media for now. as the tank ages adding the chaeto at the last stage of filtration will help polish the water.

[Tigé21v]

Then there is the age old question of whether or not the pods would survive going through the return pump......

[Tigé21v]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15236282#post15236282 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Compguy
... best to do it so Cheato is first, then skimmer, then media, that way the Cheato will take out what it can.....

Don't know about yours, but the chaeto I have is dense enough to act like a mechanical filter. Would think it would trap more than it could use, which would in turn break down, leading to problems.

[chilwil84]

even after a filter sock and skimmer my chaeto slows water enough that there is some deterous under it to

[james3370]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15240944#post15240944 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Tigé21v
Don't know about yours, but the chaeto I have is dense enough to act like a mechanical filter. Would think it would trap more than it could use, which would in turn break down, leading to problems.

which is part of the reason i was thinking it be last in the loop