lduncan Posted November 23, 2005 Report Share Posted November 23, 2005 Just a side shoot from the vodka thread. Didn't want to clog that up. The reason why i wouldn't consider using an algae filter to achieve low nutrients is this: Algae (macro and micro) has specific requirements, they are limited in the forms of nutrients they can use. Also the ratio (Redfield ratio) of these nutrients plays a role in how well they will grow. So the idea is to attach a tank with algae in line with a display tank. Presumably you want the display to be low nutrient. However on the other hand you have this algae filter which requires high nutrient conditions in order to be effective, otherwise the algae dies. So if the algae requires high nutrients to operate, how is it going to reduce the nutrients in the display to the levels you want? But then the algae itself becomes a source of waste in the tank, through toxins which they secrete in order to gain area for growth. Many people have tried to make these systems work. Even the largest proponent, the guy who wrote all the books on the topic couldn't run low nutrient systems with this method. He has a string of large public aquarium failures after his name. Layton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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