cheato growth pics....

[Snakebyt]

here it is in late october when i first put it in there
http://www.snakebyt.com/cheato1.jpg

here is it in late november
http://www.snakebyt.com/cheato2.jpg

Here it is today..
http://www.snakebyt.com/cheato3.jpg

I was wanting to wait to prune it till i got my other tank up and running, but looks like i will have to prune it now.

I am using a LOA 65 watt bulb over it and it seems to be working great.

[reef-man_d-man]

looks, good, now all you need is some diversity, try to get somemore inverts in there (pods and such) and be sure not to let it get to out of hand, keep it somewhat at bay

[Snakebyt]

there are tons of pods and such in there now, , but i would like some more life down there

[mr_e_2u]

Can I see a full sump shot ? ...please...

[Snakebyt]

i can try to get one....

[Snakebyt]

here ya go, its a 55 gallon tank with dividers/baffles installed
http://www.shanerogersband.com/fullsump.jpg

[Jamesurq]

Lookin good!

Those LOA lights are killer for cheato growth.

[Snakebyt]

yeah, that light rocks, 65 watts and 65K.. Macros seem to love it

[Avi]

Can you tell me where you got the bulb and which fixture is that on there? Thanks

[Snakebyt]

http://www.lightsofamerica.com/floods.htm

I got it at home depot for $40, in the outdoor light fixture section, by the porch lights and stuff

[boogers]

WOW THAT IS AMAZINGHOW MUCH THAT HAS GROWN.
What is cheato for? I haven't seen that before
Sandra

[mr_e_2u]

Trying to decypher your sump setup. from left to right do you have return which receives water from refugium from skimmer (not sure cant see 'cause the enter brace ) then from the over flow. Are those pumps on the far left and right ? Maybe for closed loop. and whats the jar on the far right? sorry for all the questions, just trying to design my own setup soon so Im trying to get as many ideas as possible.

[Blown 346]

Wow, I hope my chaeto grows that well,what type of flow do you have going thru the fuge section?

[hdyoung]

I just recently got my first saltwater aquarium together, and I have my cheato under grow-light incandescents (130 watts). Is this the appropriate light for cheato?

[Snakebyt]

ill try to explain it
on the right side is where the water from the tank enters, there is also a Mag 9.5 to feed the skimmer, then the bubble traps..
On the other side of the bubble traps is the skimmer, which is in the fuge section(only place it would fit) and water exits into the fuge section. then there is the cheato, one more divider and we are to the return section, in there i have a Quiet One 4000 as a return.
Hope i didnt confuse you further


http://www.snakebyt.com/fullsumplist.JPG

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask

[Avi]

Thanks Snake...I'll be away for a few days, but when I get back the first thing I'm going to do is go out and get that same light that you have. I have chaeto, and it stays alive but doesn't seem to do much more than that. I think that light is going to change things.

[Spuds725]

Nice growth... good light choice also-- outdoor so water resistant, shielded bulb/reflector...

I have some questions though

What is the egg crate for in the inlet to the fuge??? and what are you doing to keep the chaeto from spilling over into your return chamber??

What flow are you running throught the fuge??

What volume is your fuge??

Does your chaeto tumble or is it relatively stationary??

Thanks...

[Fmellish]

Snake, it looks like the gate valve of your skimmer is below the water line. AquaC states that the gate valve has to be above the water line. I have seen other people put it below the water line also.

What is your take on this?

I have a skimmer with a gate valve to install soon and I didn't know you could do it that way.

[Snakebyt]

the eggcrate is a stand that my skimmer sits on, the cheato has nothing to keep it from spilling over, so far it hasent so i havent worried about it.

the flow thru the fuge is quite a bit, i have a 1000GPH as a return so i hjave that, and the outlet from the skimmer adds to that as well.
the fuge is approx 19 gallons, but the skimmer tanks up about half of that, the cheato is pretty much stationary, it never moves

[Snakebyt]

the gate vavle is under the water line. I am sure there is some backpressure from this, but there is still alot of room for adjustments, so it hasent caused any problems for me

[Snakebyt]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6240991#post6240991 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by boogers
WOW THAT IS AMAZINGHOW MUCH THAT HAS GROWN.
What is cheato for? I haven't seen that before
Sandra

Cheato is used for nutrient export, basicly is soaks up nitrates :)

[Fmellish]

How often do you have to empty your collection cup?

[Snakebyt]

there is a 1 gallon jug on the side of the sump that the skimmate goes into. I clean the skimmer every week or so, and dump the skimmate at the same time

[Fmellish]

I suppose my real question is this.

Do you think you are achieving good skimmer performance having your skimmer not in the intake chamber and not above the water line ?

[Snakebyt]

well the skimmer itself isnt in the intake chamber, but the pump that feeds it is in the intake chamber. I dont think that having the gate valve under the water line effects it at all.

I do run it a little wet, here is a pic
http://www.snakebyt.com/mrc2.jpg

[Fmellish]

Looks great, thanks.

[Snakebyt]

I am really pleased with the setup. I wish i had a better place for the skimmer so that i could use all of the fuge, but it is still working out really well

[N20]

what skimmer is that snakebyt? and how tall is your cabinet?..it seems as though your skimmer isnt that tall and it fits even on top of the eggcrate.

[Snakebyt]

the skimmer is a MRC1 using a mazzai injector instead of a beckett, the stand is 30" tall, and the skimmer is 22.5" tall
I put it on top of the eggcrate to get it out of the water as much as i could for more adjustment with the water level

[pedropsk]

nice setup Sb!

[Snakebyt]

thanks man..

[EQCM2B]

Looks good. Do you think that you could use your lighting for a main tank lighting temporarily?

[JRFowler]

Ive got a question, my setup im gonna be using is very similar to yours growing cheato in the sump..

only difference being im gonna be using an MCE600 skimmer hung externally with the inlet in my inlet chamber and the outlet emptying in the refuge..

Do u think I will achieve good results with this?

[EQCM2B]

You might get micro bubbles in your return. Most sumps I have seen have a bubble trap between the skimmer and the fuge to prevent this from happening.

[JRFowler]

Forgot to mention that their is a bubble trap between the fuge and the return secition in the sump, thus making it impossible for bubbles to get into the Display (hopefully) :lol:

[EQCM2B]

Then I would think it would work.

[Snakebyt]

I think you should be ok with your HOB skimmer setup like that..

Depending on the tank i think that light would work as a temp light.. It is 65K so it will be really yellow, but i dont see why it wouldnt be ok to use

[AcroSteve]

Snakebyt,

I have a question about the 65w light you are using. Does it have an external ballast with it, or is the ballast contained in the light bulb?

The reason I ask is, I found a local source for the bulb, but not the fixture like your picture. As you probably know, the bulb has a mogul base - not a standard screw in size. I was thinking that I might be able to use one of my MH sockets and just run 120v right to the bulb if I did not need a ballast.

[rickburdeniuk]

Sorry for taking this off topic but what's the benefit of the mazzai injector on the MRC?

Quieter, more bubbles, small bubbles, soft skim?

[Abysswater]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6249374#post6249374 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Snakebyt
I think you should be ok with your HOB skimmer setup like that..

Depending on the tank i think that light would work as a temp light.. It is 65K so it will be really yellow, but i dont see why it wouldnt be ok to use

Don't mean to hijack! But where have your nitrate levels been at with that large of growth of cheato?? From beginning to now?:D

[10" Red Devil]

What is your photoperiod over your fuge?

Thanks.

[Palancar]

It's taken over 2 1/2 months to get to that size? If I let mine grow out of control like that it would grow to that size probably in 2 1/2 weeks. I've found the bigger it gets the growth slows down. So I keep mine in check pruning every week keeping it down to about half the size of your original pic. The idea is to export it not keep it around.

[10" Red Devil]

But what is your photoperiod my friend?

Stop keeping me in suspense.

[asnatlas]

AcroSteve, did you go with the 65w LOA ?? If so how is it working out for you ??

[zenzence]

Cheato I love it mine grows like crazy! I often wonder if this is a good thing. Does this mean that I have a large amount of nutrients/nitrates that are avaliable to the cheato? Is this much growth a good thing? I am sure it is great for hosting pods.

[AcroSteve]

It is working great. I am very pleased. Much more growth than I was getting with the small screw in type that Melev 1st posted about.

Home Depot actually has several of these LOA fixtures of varying wattage. There are some with more than 65w and some with less. All are 6.5K bulbs.

[asnatlas]

AcroSteve, Thanks for the reply...

[Red Reefet]

I'm also looking for an answer to the photo period question.

[Spuds725]

I'm curious as to how long a fuge this could light-- mine will be 36" long-- do i need 2

[AcroSteve]

I have mine on a 20 long, which is pretty close to 36" I think.

[asnatlas]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7053920#post7053920 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by AcroSteve
I have mine on a 20 long, which is pretty close to 36" I think.

20L = 30x12x12...

[Spuds725]

Does it light it pretty well (the whole length)-- I have some height to work with (my stand is tall) so I can always elevate it some... my fuge is going to be a 45 gallon tall 36Lx12Wx18T-- it will be drilled and gravity draining to my main sump-- just waiting for my hole saw to arrive from Hong Kong so I can drill it...have a week or two till I'm ready...

Thanks for the responses..