My DIY ended up on Reef Builders yesterday. I posted on FB initially about my DIY project and 6 hours later RB gave it some love.
https://reefbuilders.com/2016/08/31/chaetomorpha-reactor/
Some of you might have seen this already, I'm just going more in-depth about the components I used putting it together. My company, Sea Side Aquatics, manufactures these Media reactors varying from 12 inches to 22 inches. I love the concept of a chaeto reactor; however I live on a budget and like most of us can't afford the commercial version. My sump is limited and will not support a large refugium. To have bounty of macro algae, it has to be something external. The Sea Side Aquatics MF100 Twin can be fully external, has a quick-release lid, and an O-ring to prevent top end leakage.
A friend of mine, Ricky Tang, has a LED strip lighting called Up Light/Ro light. He has a store on Amazon and answered every LED question I threw at him. I just wanted to make sure it can handle the extended photo period and not burn out was my concern. His pricing on his Amazon store is very fair, plus if I ever ran into issues, he was a FB message away
. This choice was their "LED Strip light WATERPROOF Hydroponic kit." Emphasis on waterproof and add on the dimmer, it's really bright otherwise.
Installing super easy.
The water proof LED has a silicon coating over the LEDs themselves which completely protects them from moisture. Feels like a stiff gummy bear. The silicon can actually hold a grip so during application and wrapping it around the reactor's body, the strip easy stick on it and does not slip at all.
Buy the DIMMER adapter. This LED strip is extremely BRIGHT. Each strip is 16 feet/5 meters and all of it was wrapped around a 22 in acrylic body. At full blast, it burns to look directly at it given how concentrated it was. 30-50% dimmed looks perfect for macro algae growth. LED will last longer and displace less heat. Should handle a 16 hour photo-period with that much reduction in power. The pictures taken, was with the LEDs dimmed at 30-50%.
Add Copepods to the reactor! It'll make great breeding power plants for live feed, Tiger and Tisbee. I recommend my friends at AlgaGen Live, they have a great Tisbee blend that are highly reproductive and small enough to be consumed by every type of coral even SPS.
Plans are to have up to 8 of these reactors for my 8 footer. I hope to feed in excess and not worry too much. Benefits include: Stabilizing pH, increasing O2, lowering organic waste, breeding pods, and sharing the excess chaeto with the local hobby community.
https://reefbuilders.com/2016/08/31/chaetomorpha-reactor/
Some of you might have seen this already, I'm just going more in-depth about the components I used putting it together. My company, Sea Side Aquatics, manufactures these Media reactors varying from 12 inches to 22 inches. I love the concept of a chaeto reactor; however I live on a budget and like most of us can't afford the commercial version. My sump is limited and will not support a large refugium. To have bounty of macro algae, it has to be something external. The Sea Side Aquatics MF100 Twin can be fully external, has a quick-release lid, and an O-ring to prevent top end leakage.
A friend of mine, Ricky Tang, has a LED strip lighting called Up Light/Ro light. He has a store on Amazon and answered every LED question I threw at him. I just wanted to make sure it can handle the extended photo period and not burn out was my concern. His pricing on his Amazon store is very fair, plus if I ever ran into issues, he was a FB message away
. This choice was their "LED Strip light WATERPROOF Hydroponic kit." Emphasis on waterproof and add on the dimmer, it's really bright otherwise.Installing super easy.
The water proof LED has a silicon coating over the LEDs themselves which completely protects them from moisture. Feels like a stiff gummy bear. The silicon can actually hold a grip so during application and wrapping it around the reactor's body, the strip easy stick on it and does not slip at all.
Buy the DIMMER adapter. This LED strip is extremely BRIGHT. Each strip is 16 feet/5 meters and all of it was wrapped around a 22 in acrylic body. At full blast, it burns to look directly at it given how concentrated it was. 30-50% dimmed looks perfect for macro algae growth. LED will last longer and displace less heat. Should handle a 16 hour photo-period with that much reduction in power. The pictures taken, was with the LEDs dimmed at 30-50%.
Add Copepods to the reactor! It'll make great breeding power plants for live feed, Tiger and Tisbee. I recommend my friends at AlgaGen Live, they have a great Tisbee blend that are highly reproductive and small enough to be consumed by every type of coral even SPS.
Plans are to have up to 8 of these reactors for my 8 footer. I hope to feed in excess and not worry too much. Benefits include: Stabilizing pH, increasing O2, lowering organic waste, breeding pods, and sharing the excess chaeto with the local hobby community.
