Chaeto turning to mush

[Steve Rudas Jr]

Every time I put new chaeto in to my refugium shortly after about 2 weeks it turns to mush any ideas, I'm using a Kessel H380 for the light.

 

[jsker]

How old is the system?

 

[jsker]

Welcome to R2R

 

[Steve Rudas Jr]

How old is the system?

9 weeks old

 

[Weapons462]

Watching as I too have been having a hard time under the same light. It grew for a while, then turned to mush. Tank is up for about 9 months.

 

[Steve Rudas Jr]

Watching as I too have been having a hard time under the same light. It grew for a while, then turned to mush. Tank is up for about 9 months.

I've been reading that there's possibly not enough nutrients for the chaeto, which could be true my parameters are spot on the chaeto always does great when small but then starts to fall apart when it grows bigger.

 

[JBKReef]

What is the bio load in the tank? Sometimes you’re not producing enough nitrates for the algae to grow

 

[Ley3198]

How big is the system? And how many fish?

 

[Weapons462]

I don't want to steal this thread, but it's a 220 with a 40 sump. 2 tangs, 2 clowns, 2 chromis, and a fat blenny.

 

[SashimiTurtle]

H380 melted mine too. Switched out with a Eshopps Curve LED, which is 3x9W LEDs and the chaeto took off and bottomed out my nutrients. Try less light. The H380 is really too strong for most refugiums. It needs to be 2' away from its target. Most stands don't have that kind of room.

 

[Ley3198]

I don't want to steal this thread, but it's a 220 with a 40 sump. 2 tangs, 2 clowns, 2 chromis, and a fat blenny.

That's not a lot of fish IMO. Like mentioned above, the H380 provides a lot of light and the chaeto is most likely running out nutrients for it to survive. Try running it on its lowest setting until you get a bigger bio-load in there.

 

[Steve Rudas Jr]

It's a red sea max s series total volume 175 gallons, 2 clowns, lieutenant tang, purple tang, yellow tang, 6 line, fox face, sail fin tang and cardinal, I also difussed the h380 with parchment paper thinking the light was to bright it's about 24" from the top of refugium

 

[Steve Rudas Jr]

H380 melted mine too. Switched out with a Eshopps Curve LED, which is 3x9W LEDs and the chaeto took off and bottomed out my nutrients. Try less light. The H380 is really too strong for most refugiums. It needs to be 2' away from its target. Most stands don't have that kind of room.

Thanks buddy I'll try that.

 

[Steve Rudas Jr]

What is the bio load in the tank? Sometimes you’re not producing enough nitrates for the algae to grow

That's what I'm thinking the dam thing is too clean lol, not a bad thing I guess.

 

[Ley3198]

It's a red sea max s series total volume 175 gallons, 2 clowns, lieutenant tang, purple tang, yellow tang, 6 line, fox face, sail fin tang and cardinal, I also difussed the h380 with parchment paper thinking the light was to bright it's about 24" from the top of refugium

Are you feeding them frozen foods every day? Herbivores tend to produce less nitrates than carnivores.

 

[Steve Rudas Jr]

Frozen every other day and northshore pellets, also dry seaweed sheets every other day

 

[Ley3198]

Frozen every other day and northshore pellets, also dry seaweed sheets every other day

You could try using concentrated filter feeder food like Microvert of Microvore to feed all the corals and zooplankton in the tank. This in theory should raise nitrates a bit. But with that big of a system though, it would be easier to add more fish than trying to dose something to raise nitrates.

I feed frozen every day and a variety of concentrated liquid foods and still have close to no nitrates in a 40b with a 20g sump and 8 fish. Just some amazon LEDs tho, no H380. Chaeto stays a nice dark green though.

 

[JBKReef]

That's what I'm thinking the dam thing is too clean lol, not a bad thing I guess.

I've had a clump of Algae Barn Chaeto and a clump of red gracilaria melt away. At the time I only had two small blennies and my CuC in a 93 gallon (100 gallon total volume) which I didnt feed the blennies they just eat the algae off my rocks.

Both times they would melt away. I'm waiting to try again once I get a larger bio-load. I have added two clowns and I'm feeding a little heavier but I'm waiting till I get another 3 fish in the tank before trying again.

 

[Steve Rudas Jr]

You could try using concentrated filter feeder food like Microvert of Microvore to feed all the corals and zooplankton in the tank. This in theory should raise nitrates a bit. But with that big of a system though, it would be easier to add more fish than trying to dose something to raise nitrates.

I feed frozen every day and a variety of concentrated liquid foods and still have close to no nitrates in a 40b with a 20g sump and 8 fish. Just some amazon LEDs tho, no H380. Chaeto stays a nice dark green though.

Thanks buddy will try that for sure.

 

[PiscesPower]

My experiences with the same light in my fuge. A few suggestions, but they are that, suggestions based on my personal research and experience.

I have an established system with Chaeto, Ulva and Gracelleria in my fuge with the same Kessil H380 and it grows like mad. I have a high bioload and feed heavily so it gets lots of nutrient to grow. My fuge is really copepod heavy and I feed Phytoplankton into the sump at least one a week.

I run the light from 8PM to 10AM, perhaps reduce your photo period while nutrient is not abundant.

Your tank is young, like others say I would feed the tank to get the fish pooping, that's the best good fertilizer. I don't like a lot of wasted food breakdown but I do love to see some fish poop! If you had to you could add some Nitrate and, if needed phosphate. I keep Brightwells nitrate and phosphate and dose if numbers go way down, but I have reached a balance and have not had to do that once I got my feeding right. I would only do that after extensive research if you couldn't get it going with increased feeding of the tank.

Does you skimmer remove a lot and do you use any other nutrient reduction method? Carbon dosing, NoPox etc? You could leave the skimmer off and see if that improves the growth, let the chaeto use the organic waste. My fuge is before my skimmer so it gets first pick of the yummy fish poop.

Also, someone else said the Kessil needed to be 2' away, Kessil recommends 1 - 2 feet. Thats a big difference. Mine is 12" at most. My system has 60g water volume. Its a Red Sea Reefer 250 with a custom sump. I run a full Triton method system as well.I have 11 fish of varying size and eating habits. Photo-bomber is Meep the tuxedo kitten, that is no more than 2 months growth with this light. I upgraded from the H80 Tuna Flora as I got the new sump and it is much deeper and I wasn't getting good light penetration.