Rubble chaeto, how can it help me?

[chrisstie]

Hello all,

I've got the 12g aquapod and I've been reading about people using rubble and chaeto to help the overall health of their tanks as well as keep them looking fantastic.

In the aquapod there's a little overflow area to the back with what typically is a built in sponge chamber, then bio ball chamber, and then a 3rd where the pump starts\sits ...

We took out the sponge and the bio balls before even starting and are using.. and I forget the name of it- but that filter sheet that lasts for about a month and you can just cut to fit your tank and slide it in..

However, I've been reading about people putting rubble in these back areas and also using chaeto (which with a quick google search I saw is a really cool looking macro algae) but .. In the context of a 12g nano, how should these be used and for what purposes?

If it sounds good because everyones doing it i might too but its very hard to find a specific answer reading all of the posts about them.


Thank you !
:rollface:

[coker98]

i know the chaeto is for nutrient export. it reduces nitrates and phosphates.

[chrisstie]

If I were to use this in my 12g aquapod would I put it in the back where, say, the sponge originally came with it? Even with regular water changes I'm finding it hard to control some algea and its a new tank and im fighting an outbreak of cyano *grr*

Also I am not sure if I recall this properly or not but putting rubble down int he backside by the filtration is supposed to help somehow but i am not sure if its in terms of microbubbles or something else? Thanks :)

[jerehmy]

cheato-- is good for nutrient export ie.. nitrate and phosphates, the cheato will compete the "tank" algea for food so there will be less algea in the main tank, cheato must be light 24/7 so it will not go sexual and die. I use this in my fuge and it works great!

Rubble is good because it helps the biological filteration and also pronides a safe haven for copepods to live when its stacked in a pile.

Both are good things to have in a tank/ fuge/ sump I use them all and wish that I would of done so from day 1

Good Luck :)

[mels95yj]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7742739#post7742739 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jerehmy
cheato-- is good for nutrient export ie.. nitrate and phosphates, the cheato will compete the "tank" algea for food so there will be less algea in the main tank, cheato must be light 24/7 so it will not go sexual and die. I use this in my fuge and it works great!

Good Luck :)

Cheato does not go sexual. Calupra (sp?) does. I've got mine on opposite lighting schedule as the display tank.

But as stated, it exports the same nutrients as other algae in the tank. So, hopefully, it will use up most, if not all, of the nutrients before algae can start in your display tank.

Mel

[chrisstie]

I can totally understand what you guys are saying but a small 12g nano without crazy equipment or a sump\fuge makes it hard to adapt what good advice you give.

I have the aquapods lighting settings on full during most of the day and then an hour or so extra of the actinics, and then we run at moonlight throughout the night (1 little LED) ..

Do you think to control algae (darn new tanks!) if I put some chaeto in the little back area of the tank like where I would store some rubble to help the copepods grow too? (at night they swarm all over my rock and coral its so cool to watch with a flashlight!)