Chaeto keeps on dying. (Turning white)

[BMDinh]

My reef tank is about 4 months old and I just got my chaeto from algae barn last week. The chaeto is slowly turning white, and I don’t know what is going on because I have a hair algae bloom in my reef tank, which means there is a lot of nutrients and also I got a chaeto growing light from Amazon. The chaeto is in my refugium. This same thing happened about two months ago. Now the chaeto completely white
This image is about 4 days ago

This image was about 4 days ago

 

[Luke Crabwalker]

What are your parameters? Is there enough flow in the tank to keep flow over the Chaeto?

 

[LiLinka]

Post your parameters. Growing hair algae does not mean you have an excess amount of nutrients in your tank when algae grows, it consumes nutrients, such as nitrates and phosphates the hair algae that you are referring to could be soaking up all the nutrients in the tank. Not allowing the cheato to thrive in its natural nutrient rich environment.

 

[Lavey29]

You could also try dosing chaeto gro once a week to provide it trace supplements.

 

[Subsea]

Post your parameters. Growing hair algae does not mean you have an excess amount of nutrients in your tank when algae grows, it consumes nutrients, such as nitrates and phosphates the hair algae that you are referring to could be soaking up all the nutrients in the tank. Not allowing the cheato to thrive in its natural nutrient rich environment.

Nuisance algae have developed survival techniques to outcompete desirable macro algae. Dose ChaetoGrow and consider extra iron dosing.

 

[BMDinh]

Post your parameters. Growing hair algae does not mean you have an excess amount of nutrients in your tank when algae grows, it consumes nutrients, such as nitrates and phosphates the hair algae that you are referring to could be soaking up all the nutrients in the tank. Not allowing the cheato to thrive in its natural nutrient rich environment.

My nitrates are 10 ppm. I have zero nitrites and ammonia. I do not have a phosphate test kit

 

[Pistondog]

Get a phosphate test kit.
Try to manually remove gha.

 

[Lavey29]

My nitrates are 10 ppm. I have zero nitrites and ammonia. I do not have a phosphate test kit

A fuge with chaeto generally seems to work best at closer to 6 months and beyond for tank age. Typically by then you have already battled the uglies and the fuge helps balance things out by keeping PH stable overnight, home for pods, help with nutrients export, etc... it's not an overnight cure for GHA. I had trouble growing chaeto at first with cheap amazon light. I switched to a neptune gro light and my chaeto grows huge now.

 

[BMDinh]

A fuge with chaeto generally seems to work best at closer to 6 months and beyond for tank age. Typically by then you have already battled the uglies and the fuge helps balance things out by keeping PH stable overnight, home for pods, help with nutrients export, etc... it's not an overnight cure for GHA. I had trouble growing chaeto at first with cheap amazon light. I switched to a neptune gro light and my chaeto grows

A fuge with chaeto generally seems to work best at closer to 6 months and beyond for tank age. Typically by then you have already battled the uglies and the fuge helps balance things out by keeping PH stable overnight, home for pods, help with nutrients export, etc... it's not an overnight cure for GHA. I had trouble growing chaeto at first with cheap amazon light. I switched to a neptune gro light and my chaeto grows huge now.

How did you make your chaeto float?

 

[Lavey29]

How did you make your chaeto float?

First I tried putting it in one of those baby fish net baskets in my chamber but it didn't work out. Now I just leave it by itself floating in the chamber above rock rubble. I rotate it by hand once a week or so.

 

[BMDinh]

First I tried putting it in one of those baby fish net baskets in my chamber but it didn't work out. Now I just leave it by itself floating in the chamber above rock rubble. I rotate it by hand once a week or so.

How long do you turn the lights on for the chaeto?

 

[Lavey29]

How long do you turn the lights on for the chaeto?

12 hours overnight opposite thevtank lights

 

[BMDinh]

Thanks

 

[Gtinnel]

In the past I have added chaeto to my tank and it would do great for a month or two then just stop growing and would begin to die. The last time when it started to die I started adding chaeto gro and growth started right back up.
I know it’s been already suggested a few times but I would also recommend trying chaeto gro.

 

[EugeneVan]

12 hours overnight opposite thevtank lights

You may want to cut down the lighting period to 6 hrs and slowly increase by 30 mins every week. Strong light and long lighting period can kill them too.

 

[Lavey29]

You may want to cut down the lighting period to 6 hrs and slowly increase by 30 mins every week. Strong light and long lighting period can kill them too.

I cut football size pieces off every 2 weeks and toss it or give it to my LFS for credit.

 

[EugeneVan]

I cut football size pieces off every 2 weeks and toss it or give it to my LFS for credit.

My message is for BMDinh LOL. When I first start growing the chaeto, i experience the same things as him. Once my chaeto get used to my lighting period (which is 13 hrs a day with par ~100) I start trimming good portion to feed my 3 tangs and give them to the LFS every week

 

[Lavey29]

My message is for BMDinh LOL. When I first start growing the chaeto, i experience the same things as him. Once my chaeto get used to my lighting period (which is 13 hrs a day with par ~100) I start trimming good portion to feed my 3 tangs and give them to the LFS every week

Yea mine did the same as his to early on then I added the Neptune gro light and the little ball took off.

 

[BMDinh]

My message is for BMDinh LOL. When I first start growing the chaeto, i experience the same things as him. Once my chaeto get used to my lighting period (which is 13 hrs a day with par ~100) I start trimming good portion to feed my 3 tangs and give them to the LFS every week

Thanks man