Chaeto: Kessil H80 Won't Grow It

Averhoeven · May 11, 2020

I used to grow chaeto well. I had a cheap Chinese plant grow light I bought from Amazon as a temporary thing and it grew like wildfire. However, I noticed that there was some rust on it after a while which made me uncomfortable so I decided to buy a purpose built light. I bought a Kessil H80 about 6 months ago and ever since, I haven't been able to grow Chaeto. I've tried the settings on grow, on bloom at 100%, 50% and 30% intensity. Nothing. It just dies slowly and pumps tons of phosphates and nitrate into my tank as it dies. This results in algae blooms in my DT or me having to spend a fortune on salt from the frequent water changes just to keep up. It doesn't float, it just sinks to the bottom of the fuge (it used to float when it was growing healthfully). It is definitely the light because this all started just weeks after I set it up. And I know people have success with it, I'm just at a complete loss and I'm SO frustrated. It is messing with everything because they dying chaeto is doing the exact opposite of what it should be doing.

Any thoughts, suggestions, help?

tehmadreefer · May 11, 2020

Sell the h80 and get cheap lights off of amazon or at Home Depot

Geraud_NY · May 11, 2020

I am using Kessil H80 and have no problem of growing Chaeto with it. How far is it from your water? I keep mine pretty close (as in, 4-5 inches)

Hemmdog · May 11, 2020

I have good luck with it growing macros set in between grow and bloom at 100%

what are your nutrient levels?

Spare time · May 11, 2020

Are you dosing iron and other relevant trace elements? Chaeto will quickly deplete these and will die without them. Also Kessil recommends running it at grow 100%.

sfin52 · May 11, 2020

Spare time said:
Are you dosing iron and other relevant trace elements? Chaeto will quickly deplete these and will die without them. Also Kessil recommends running it at grow 100%.

Fully agree. It needs to be treated like a plant

Averhoeven · May 12, 2020

I'll go back to it at 100% then. It sits about 6-7" above the water surface on a gooseneck mount. I do not dose, but would imagine with the numerous large volume water changes over the last few months that I would have maintained at least some meaningful quantity for SOME growth instead of all death. It just seems too coincidental that it was right after and since changing to this light. I figure I have to be doing something wrong with it.

As far as nutrients go, phos and nitrate have been high due to the fire off. There was a period of time when I didn't realize that's what was happening and wasn't paying attention and my phos peaked higher than my Hannah ULR could test.

Lovefish77 · Apr 1, 2023

I have the same issue, H80 not growing chaeto i have nutrients in the systems, so not sure why is in not working. I tried it in different color settings starting from 50% up to 100%. Just not working