ReeferTom
NJRC Member
I have a diamond goby that constantly stirs up my sand bed, leading to consistently high nitrates. Despite trying various solutions—better skimming, carbon dosing, and a small biopellet reactor—nothing seemed to work. A refugium would have been ideal, but my all-in-one (AIO) tank lacked the space.
The Idea: A Chaeto Reactor
I looked into purchasing one, but the prices were outrageous, ranging from $500 to $1,600—far more than the actual cost of the components and labor. I saw some YouTube videos showing you could make one DIY and It looked easy enough to me.
The Solution: A DIY Chaeto Reactor
Instead of paying an insane amount of money, I built my own chaeto reactor using:
• A budget-friendly reactor
• Inexpensive waterproof LED light strips
• A spare DC pump with sufficient headroom
• Tubing and metal clamps I already had
Took about 30 minutes to build. I wrapped the LEDs around the reactor evenly and secured them with white electrical tape for added reflection and protection. Then, I placed the pump in the back chamber attached it to the inlet and attached the outlet to the return section of my AIO. Made sure to use metal clamps to stop potential leaks.
Safety:
The Outcome: Success!
After just a week, my nitrates have dropped by 50%, and the chaeto is already showing noticeable growth—all without spending a fortune.
Will report back if I have issues, have heard of some people facing minor issues but it's working great for me now.
The Idea: A Chaeto Reactor
I looked into purchasing one, but the prices were outrageous, ranging from $500 to $1,600—far more than the actual cost of the components and labor. I saw some YouTube videos showing you could make one DIY and It looked easy enough to me.
The Solution: A DIY Chaeto Reactor
Instead of paying an insane amount of money, I built my own chaeto reactor using:
• A budget-friendly reactor
• Inexpensive waterproof LED light strips
• A spare DC pump with sufficient headroom
• Tubing and metal clamps I already had
Took about 30 minutes to build. I wrapped the LEDs around the reactor evenly and secured them with white electrical tape for added reflection and protection. Then, I placed the pump in the back chamber attached it to the inlet and attached the outlet to the return section of my AIO. Made sure to use metal clamps to stop potential leaks.
Safety:
- Have Apex leak detector that will automatically shut off the pump and lights and send me an alert if it falls apart. Everything is plugged into a GFCI outlet for protection.
The Outcome: Success!
After just a week, my nitrates have dropped by 50%, and the chaeto is already showing noticeable growth—all without spending a fortune.
Will report back if I have issues, have heard of some people facing minor issues but it's working great for me now.
