got ethical husbandry?

What's the update on DIY Chaeto Reactors?

Mozby

Mozby

Guest
BARcard
From my understanding, DIY chaeto reactors were the hottest thing to set up for a reef tank for the past couple of years. But with reports on how much of a pain it is to clean/maintain, as well as the risk of the LEDs cracking the tube and springing a leak..... I think a good number are moving away from this method and going back to the good ol 'fuge.

So does anyone know whether this method has evolved (i.e. diff mounting methods for LEDs, known reactor brands that won't crack) or is it a declining, soon-to-be obsolete trend?

Side note: I do recall @kinetic 's innovative build to prevent overheating, but also wanted to get a feel for what the community as a whole is trending towards. @kinetic if you see this, feel free to chime in on how its been working for you.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
 
I have one put together that's had great success on one tank and none on another. :) I just haven't cleaned it yet to put it up for sale around $100.00
 
Mozby's Reef said:
Cool. How did you circumvent the issue of LED heat cracking the reactor?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
The Excel aquatic lights Marine Depot sells had a thick rubber seal that does not touch the reactor directly with leds. No cracking with that one. The issue people had was the led touching the tractor directly and the heat causes the crack.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
scuzy said:
The Excel aquatic lights Marine Depot sells had a thick rubber seal that does not touch the reactor directly with leds. No cracking with that one. The issue people had was the led touching the tractor directly and the heat causes the crack.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Click to expand...

Which are the lights used on this one.
 
Mine was totally fine. No heat issues. I used a square aluminum tube with aluminum heatsinks + a fan.

But I can't grow Chaeto anymore because I'm dosing NoPox and my system has no po4/no3 to grow it.

Thinking of selling the setup!
 
kinetic said:
Mine was totally fine. No heat issues. I used a square aluminum tube with aluminum heatsinks + a fan.

But I can't grow Chaeto anymore because I'm dosing NoPox and my system has no po4/no3 to grow it.

Thinking of selling the setup!
Click to expand...
Does the metal get hot? Has it been a pain to maintain? How much do you intend to sell it for?
 
Mozby's Reef said:
Does the metal get hot? Has it been a pain to maintain? How much do you intend to sell it for?
Click to expand...

Metal never gets hot, but warm to the touch. Can't imagine having this without the aluminum keeping it cool (plus a fan).

Probably just sell it at cost to cover the fact that it's not brand new, but I did spend a good amount of time putting it together.

Maintain? Just slipped the reactor out of the aluminum tube, then pop the top and maintain it just like any other reactor. It is kind of heavy, but nothing like the 35-70 lb kettlebells I work with daily.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top