Chaeto in a small box inside tank?

Really? I'm very illiterate with fuges (and skimmers, sumps, etc.) so will have to look into that further. Thanks...

 

I don't think I've seen someone put it on a 55g tank before, mostly nano sized tanks, but it's definitely posible. I would put into Google "Aquaclear filter fuge".

 

Couldn't this technically be done with any HOB filter? just supply light for it.

 

Well, probably. The Aquaclear filters, from what I understand, are preferred because they have a bigger than average compartment, and are clear.

 

True, the compartment is of decent size. I thought being clear would cause more algae? Or does that not matter in this case?

 

Would making a fuge from a power filter and adding chaeto make enough of a difference in a 55g tank to make it worth the time to build it? Especially in a newer tank?

 

Which would be better...a make-shift fuge from a HOB filter? or mechanical filtration(filter pads) in that same HOB filter? I don't have a skimmer yet. :-/ It's a FOWLR right now, but making it into a reef.

 

I have a canister filter right now and really only use my Aquaclear for water movement as my tank cycles (I have no filter pads for it). I'm also interested in an answer to this.

+1 for We$ since I sort of hijacked this thread!!! :

 

woops. Sorry about that. lol

 

Half the point of a fuge, from the filtration standpoint, is keeping algae out of the DT by letting the fuge out compete any DT algae. Doesn't really matter what kind of algae is in it, as long as you can remove some for nutrient export.

I'm not quite sure about that. I know a tiny box (about 6" x 4" x 2") filled with chaeto and cyano in my DT did quite a bit for the algae problem in the rest of my tank.

I would say the makeshift fuge. The filter pad won't help nearly at all, and the carbon won't help with nutrient export. You'd be removing nearly nothing with a power filter, and possibly making your job more complicated if you forget to change the pad and get nitrate production from trapped detritus.

The fuge is going to pull nutrients (the algae will do this to grow), and convert some more into food for your fish (pods eat algae and detritus and grow via these nutrient sources), of which part of the waste products will be skimmed.