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DIY Chaeto Reactor: Cost-Effective Nitrate Solution

ReeferTom

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:
  • 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.


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erics210

erics210

Secretary
Staff member
Board of Directors
NJRC Member
So a few weeks of Cheato reacting?
How is it going? As expected?
 
ReeferTom

ReeferTom

NJRC Member
Update: The DIY Chaeto Reactor worked great for a month at significantly reducing nitrates and phosphates until a mechanical failure of the seal. Luckily I had a contingency plan for this, with a water sensor and rectified it quickly. Still had a mess to clean up but no flood.

Takeaways:
  • The concept does work at reducing a large amount of nitrates and phosphates
  • If mechanical failures can happen, they will at some point, buy a robust reactor, maybe add a pressure gauge
  • If you make one, hang it above your sump or in your sump (if limited sump space for a regular refugium) if you have one
This was my first "big" DIY project beyond 3D printing some small parts. This was a good learning experience and I'm looking forward to starting a new project.
 
erics210

erics210

Secretary
Staff member
Board of Directors
NJRC Member
ReeferTom said:
Update: The DIY Chaeto Reactor worked great for a month at significantly reducing nitrates and phosphates until a mechanical failure of the seal. Luckily I had a contingency plan for this, with a water sensor and rectified it quickly. Still had a mess to clean up but no flood.

Takeaways:
  • The concept does work at reducing a large amount of nitrates and phosphates
  • If mechanical failures can happen, they will at some point, buy a robust reactor, maybe add a pressure gauge
  • If you make one, hang it above your sump or in your sump (if limited sump space for a regular refugium) if you have one
This was my first "big" DIY project beyond 3D printing some small parts. This was a good learning experience and I'm looking forward to starting a new project.
Click to expand...
looking for some new cheato if you happened to grow a good amount.
 
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