Chaeto light advice

[Toxic727]

Hi R2R,

I’ve had a 60 Cube up and running for about 9 months. I’ve been pretty lucky and haven’t had many problems with nitrates and phosphates in my time. I have a moderately stocked reef tank with SPS, LPS, softies, and 4 fish. My water parameters are all in acceptable levels.

This being said, I’m having difficulties keeping chaeto alive. I’ll buy a softball sized clump and it will very slowly lose mass and wither away. My refugium is approximately 11x9x10. I recently placed a small powerhead in with it to help increase flow. I also have attempted to supplement iron with no luck. Additionally I have a brown “snot” that grows mainly on the fuge walls and a little in the chaeto mass.

My SWAG says it’s most likely my light. I am using the clamp on par 38 LED 6000K. I have watched the BRS fuge vids and feel like my light should at least maintain the chaeto, am I wrong?

Should I consider a new fuge light?

 

[Crabs McJones]

Hi R2R,

I’ve had a 60 Cube up and running for about 9 months. I’ve been pretty lucky and haven’t had many problems with nitrates and phosphates in my time. I have a moderately stocked reef tank with SPS, LPS, softies, and 4 fish. My water parameters are all in acceptable levels.

This being said, I’m having difficulties keeping chaeto alive. I’ll buy a softball sized clump and it will very slowly lose mass and wither away. My refugium is approximately 11x9x10. I recently placed a small powerhead in with it to help increase flow. I also have attempted to supplement iron with no luck. Additionally I have a brown “snot” that grows mainly on the fuge walls and a little in the chaeto mass.

My SWAG says it’s most likely my light. I am using the clamp on par 38 LED 6000K. I have watched the BRS fuge vids and feel like my light should at least maintain the chaeto, am I wrong?

Should I consider a new fuge light?

Do you have an idea of how much flow you have running through your refugium? Do you have algae in the display tank or anywhere else that could be out competing the chaeto for nutrients?

 

[Toxic727]

Do you have an idea of how much flow you have running through your refugium? Do you have algae in the display tank or anywhere else that could be out competing the chaeto for nutrients?

Sure, I can estimate about 150-200 GPH with a combo between my small PH and return flow. No macro in my DT. I don’t even have issues with film, hair, or bubble algae.

 

[Big G]

Welcome to R2R! Yeah, that brown "snot" is most likely absorbing the excess nutrients faster than the chaeto can. When it gets on the chaeto, it blocks the light and nutrients directly. Clean that stuff out. All part of the new tank "uglies." Merry Christmas!

 

[Crabs McJones]

Welcome to R2R! Yeah, that brown "snot" is most likely absorbing the excess nutrients faster than the chaeto can. When it gets on the chaeto, it blocks the light and nutrients directly. Clean that stuff out. All part of the new tank "uglies." Merry Christmas!

What is your preferred method of cleaning it? RO/DI water rinse, or fresh saltwater rinse?

 

[Big G]

What is your preferred method of cleaning it? RO/DI water rinse, or fresh saltwater rinse?

Fresh saltwater @ tank temp. And you have to be ruthless when digging the stuff out of the chaeto in a separate bucket. The sump/fuge, I like to use a toothbrush and a siphon hose right next to the brush-move slowly. Sometimes a plastic putty knife about 2" wide or so. Depends on the outbreak. And man that stuff sometimes smells bad. REAL bad. Hard to get the smell off your hands. Yuk. Glove up! Chaeto does not like RODI water. It can sometimes make the chaeto turn grey, die and dissolve. Reefers have had their ATO dumping into the chamber with the chaeto and it turns grey and dies. Yikes.

 

[Crabs McJones]

Fresh saltwater @ tank temp. And you have to be ruthless when digging the stuff out of the chaeto in a separate bucket. The sump/fuge, I like to use a toothbrush and a siphon hose right next to the brush-move slowly. Sometimes a plastic putty knife about 2" wide or so. Depends on the outbreak. And man that stuff sometimes smells bad. REAL bad. Hard to get the smell off your hands. Yuk. Glove up!

Thanks!

 

[Toxic727]

Wow, you guys are fast! Given my scenario, would you assume my light setup is sufficient for the time being? I’ll go on a cleaning mission, but I want to try to let chaeto win round two of the nutrient uptake.

 

[Crabs McJones]

Wow, you guys are fast! Given my scenario, would you assume my light setup is sufficient for the time being? I’ll go on a cleaning mission, but I want to try to let chaeto win round two of the nutrient uptake.

Yes, the light should be fine, many people have used the PAR38 bulb with great success. They put out some pretty good light.

 

[Toxic727]

Thank you! I’ll get to work

 

[Big G]

Wow, you guys are fast! Given my scenario, would you assume my light setup is sufficient for the time being? I’ll go on a cleaning mission, but I want to try to let chaeto win round two of the nutrient uptake.

Lots of folks use similar lighting with success. It's the new tank thing. At some point, your tank, nutrients, etc. will all balance out and your chaeto will grow like crazy. Are you placing copepods & phytoplankton in your fuge?

 

[Toxic727]

Lots of folks use similar lighting with success. It's the new tank thing. At some point, your tank, nutrients, etc. will all balance out and your chaeto will grow like crazy. Are you placing copepods & phytoplankton in your fuge?

I’m not dosing either. I had a huge explosion of pods around the 3 month mark, but they have leveled out. That being said, I do not have a ton of pods (have a candy cane hogfish and a six line wrasse). I started dosing phyto that was cultured by my LFS. It seemed that by dosing phyto, It would cause cyano blooms.

 

[Big G]

It seemed that by dosing phyto, It would cause cyano blooms.

Yep. Been thinking the same thing. I cut back on the amount and frequency of the phyto dosing.