Chaeto dying/not growing

[pookie]

I got the AI refugium blade which my lfs told me was a good grower this was about 3 weeks ago. My first 2 "golf ball" sizes died. So then I got 3 and this is them right now.

this is me after clumping it back together which is now pretty small. Now I have read everywhere saying it might be low nutrients but I just did a test and these are phosphate and nitrate...

Next I could think of is flow. Now I will say there was almost no flow before I got a skimmer for the tank now its subpar but I didn't think it was enough so I added a 90gph pump on the baffle before the refugium and has decent flow now and tonight I added an air stone. I'm also dosing chaetogro.

What am I doing wrong? if anything or should I get chaeto from another source or what? Below I will have a picture of all my parameters that I can think of maybe messing it up... thanks

 

[pookie]

Here's the tank uptop

 

[Mwatts12]

I did not see how long you had it for however cheato gro works wonders. I would keep using it for a few weeks.

I also would not bunch it together. Pull the cheato apart a little so light can reach in the middle.

I just restarted my fuge. Cheato gro twice a week and daily, I flip the cheato.

Took 3 weeks to fill the section full.

 

[GARRIGA]

ChaetoGro has both kept my Pom Pom thriving and growing but also allowed GHA to take over the other algae I've never seen before. Not saying I want GHA but the other growth was scary. Iron supplement vital to plants and although I probably should be testing it I just dose twice a week and should something look odd I'll just stop until growth slows again.

 

[shakacuz]

iron or manganese is low which stunted growth.

 

[Mwatts12]

Once the cheato takes off I stop dosing.

 

[pookie]

checked my mag it's at 1440 (Red Sea kit) is this too high or should be fine? I have had this chaeto for about a week and a half and 3/4 have died away. Also anyone have recommendations on the lighting or is it fine for now?

 

[laverda]

It probably needs a little iron. My guess is that is what is in cheato grow.

 

[laverda]

It probably needs a little iron. My guess is that is what is in cheato grow.

 

[GARRIGA]

I'm running my Fuge 24/7 with the larger size IM ChaetoMax. Ran lights at full strength in FW experiments 24/7 and got the best growth. Got the idea from pot growers. Was using white light only therefore one doesn't need horticulture lights focused on blues and reds. Those are just more efficient as they focus on what's needed. Similar to running Radion Blue vs Pro if all you care about are blues. I'd ramp up all the channels at full intensity. Macroalgae not going to care and not going to bleach like corals do. Fact is some of my Pom Pom is exposed to air because of how the filter pushes flow up and that's doing just fine directly under the lights.

 

[sfin52]

Cheato needs more than phosphates and nitrates to grow. They need trace elements as well. Cheato is a plant and needs to be treated as such.

 

[SteveMM62Reef]

Can you drop your heater settings to 80, then to 78 F? That 82 F leaves no margin for something going wrong. BTW, I know someone who cooked their tank because two alternating wave makers jammed. Also under RGB LED Lights I couldn’t grow Cheato 10,000 K, LED, yes.

 

[Dom]

That looks like a new tank; clean sand and clean rock with the exception of what appears to be a few pieces of seed rock. I would suggest that a new tank may be lacking in nutrient.

The idea of macro algae in a refugium is nutrient export. When Chaetomorpha stops growing, in my view, it is mission accomplished.

And for me, adding nutrient to your tank just so the Chaetomorpha can take it back out doesn't make sense.

I wouldn't worry about it. I'd monitor the tank for signs of elevated nutrient and THEN add Chaeto back in to the refugium.

 

[piranhaman00]

Dose iron

 

[dangles]

I had the same issue when I started a refugium on a new tank.

Your nutrients aren’t the problem. And if you’re already dosing CG per the instructions, trace elements likely aren’t the issue either.

That leaves… LIGHTS!

Most likely anyway. When I had that issue I started dosing CG (which you already have) and I turned all my Blade Refugium channels to full power and left it on 24/7. Worked like a charm.

Try that for a week or two and let us know!

 

[Dom]

I had the same issue when I started a refugium on a new tank.

Your nutrients aren’t the problem. And if you’re already dosing CG per the instructions, trace elements likely aren’t the issue either.

That leaves… LIGHTS!

Most likely anyway. When I had that issue I started dosing CG (which you already have) and I turned all my Blade Refugium channels to full power and left it on 24/7. Worked like a charm.

Try that for a week or two and let us know!

Please help me to understand something...

If Chaetomorpha is there to remove nutrients, where is the logic in adding nutrient, only to have the Chaeto take it back out?

 

[dangles]

Please help me to understand something...

If Chaetomorpha is there to remove nutrients, where is the logic in adding nutrient, only to have the Chaeto take it back out?

I'm not sure what's prompting your question. I wasn't adding nutrients. Neither is the OP. His nutrients were already pretty high, which is why he wanted to add chaeto.

If by "nutrients" you mean CG, those aren't "nutrients" in the reef keeping sense. Generally when we use "nutrients" in this context we're talking about NO3/PO4. CG doesn't add those. It adds minor/trace elements that are also consumed by chaeto. If you don't add those elements back, the rest of your tank may not get access to them because the chaeto consumes them all over time.

Hope that makes more sense!

 

[Dom]

I'm not sure what's prompting your question. I wasn't adding nutrients. Neither is the OP. His nutrients were already pretty high, which is why he wanted to add chaeto.

If by "nutrients" you mean CG, those aren't "nutrients" in the reef keeping sense. Generally when we use "nutrients" in this context we're talking about NO3/PO4. CG doesn't add those. It adds minor/trace elements that are also consumed by chaeto. If you don't add those elements back, the rest of your tank may not get access to them because the chaeto consumes them all over time.

Hope that makes more sense!

It does. Thank you for taking the time.

 

[pookie]

So, I got brightwells trace replenish whatever it's called I haven't dosed it yet I also got an icp test I guess my question is should I start dosing it before the icp test or after? Would prefer not to spend more money on the test again lol. Also the chaeto is dang near dead now BUT I have gha growing in the refugium with it now soooo maybe it's just the chaeto?