Cheeto dying while nutrient levels increasing.

[Merv49]

I’m having a terrible time with my tank all of a sudden. My nutrient levels are increasing and my Cheeto is dying/rotting in my sump. I started my tank (200 gl) in July and for the first six months I had zero GHA in my tank or sump. I was using a GFO&Carbon reactor along with a UV sterilizer. Then about the seventh month my nutrient levels began to increase and I decided to switch to zeovit. Well, since then nothing I do seems to bring down my phosphate levels or my nitrates despite four 50 gallon water changes in the past six weeks. All the chaeto in my sump had GHA growing all through it and it was rotting. I removed all of it and did another water change. Now I ordered $70 worth of chaeto and it began to rot also. I bought this chaeto online and when I got it I didn’t think it was actually chaeto because the texture was all wrong. The stuff I got was very fine, straight threads and very soft. I was told that my water quality had to be within reef parameters for it to survive. ( nitrates 1-5 and phosphate.018. Needless to say i’m at my wits end with all this.
My fish, clams, cleanup crews are all fine. Only two of over 60 corals show any possible distress.
Current phosphate is .39 and nitrate 12, ph 8.0, alk 9, cal 480.
I’ve put a large bag of phosguard in my sump and got rid of the weird new chaeto. All I know to do is to keep doing water changes and hope for the best.

 

[sfin52]

What’s the light over the cheato and how is the flow.

 

[Merv49]

Using a Kessil H380 flow I wold guess is 1200 gph or more

 

[csb123]

Have you used Vibrant at any point. It killed about half my chaeto and what’s left is brittle and slow growing. Consider an ICP test or just supplement iron and iodine. Chaeto needs these elements.

 

[mjlash22]

Your flow may be impacting the ability for the Chaeto to absorb the nutrients it needs to grow. Too much flow and everyhting will just pass by it. You may want to play around with that, if possible, and attempt to lower the flow in that area/chamber.

 

[Merv49]

Have you used Vibrant at any point. It killed about half my chaeto and what’s left is brittle and slow growing. Consider an ICP test or just supplement iron and iodine. Chaeto needs these elements.

I’ve had ICP Testing done and the Iron level was just a little bit low and was corrected. My iodine was a bit high. I’ve never used vibrant.
Is there any such thing as having to many nutrients for chaeto to survive in? The place I bought chaeto from indicated my phosphate and nitrate may be to high !! Also, is there any chaeto that is straight grained and soft to the touch?

 

[Merv49]

Your flow may be impacting the ability for the Chaeto to absorb the nutrients it needs to grow. Too much flow and everyhting will just pass by it. You may want to play around with that, if possible, and attempt to lower the flow in that area/chamber.

I’m using a Vectra L1 return pump for flow and also to provide flow to my zeovit reactor. The pump is rated at 3100 gph. The flow to the reactor is about 200 gph. I was under the impression that all the flow I could get was good. Is that not correct? My tank is 200 gallons.

 

[mjlash22]

I by no means am a master at refugiums but from my understanding, you should have a lower flow rate through the refugium. This gives the water column moving through it more time to interact with everything in the refugium such as Chaeto in your situation. If you have a high flow rate going through yours, all the nutrients you want to export via the Chaeto will just blow by it. If your refugium is part of your main sump, that is hard to control, if you can isolate it, try to get your flow rate down and see if you have an improvement.

 

[TheKyle]

I by no means am a master at refugiums but from my understanding, you should have a lower flow rate through the refugium. This gives the water column moving through it more time to interact with everything in the refugium such as Chaeto in your situation. If you have a high flow rate going through yours, all the nutrients you want to export via the Chaeto will just blow by it. If your refugium is part of your main sump, that is hard to control, if you can isolate it, try to get your flow rate down and see if you have an improvement.

Won’t the cheato be interacting with the water it is in 24hrs a day regardless of flow rate? Assuming uniform nutrient level throughout the system, I would think that water that “blows by” the cheato would simply be replaced with water with equally as high of nutrient levels. Is this the correct way of looking at it? Honest question.

 

[Merv49]

Won’t the cheato be interacting with the water it is in 24hrs a day regardless of flow rate? Assuming uniform nutrient level throughout the system, I would think that water that “blows by” the cheato would simply be replaced with water with equally as high of nutrient levels. Is this the correct way of looking at it? Honest question.

I’m thinking as you do about the flow. For the first six months with my same setup I had no issues with nitrates or phosphate. I wish I could put a finger on what triggered the change. I’ve bee chasing my tail for the last two months now trying to get my water back in order. I’ve got zeovit in my sump now and dosing what it demands and that isn’t bringing down my nutrients either.

 

[TheKyle]

I’m thinking as you do about the flow. For the first six months with my same setup I had no issues with nitrates or phosphate. I wish I could put a finger on what triggered the change. I’ve bee chasing my tail for the last two months now trying to get my water back in order. I’ve got zeovit in my sump now and dosing what it demands and that isn’t bringing down my nutrients either.

I can’t comment on zeovit, but I can share my experience with cheato. My light was burning the cheato. Top was bubbly at the surface and melting. Turned cheato at the surface in hair Algae, most likely releasing all the nutrients the cheato absorbed back in to the tank. Since I turned the light intensity down, raised the light higher in position, and started dosing b ionic transition elements plus (iron manganese zinc plus carbon dosing). My cheato looks much better now and nutrients are starting to drop.

 

[Merv49]

I’ve reduced my lighting time down to 9 hours opposite the tank. My fuge light is 14 inches above water level. Will try that for awhile

 

[aquanicssd]

Not sure about the timeline of certain events, but if doing 4x25% water changes isn't effecting your nitrate levels, you've got to have something decaying in the water.

I would be curious if the kessil light you are running is too much light. Aren't those able to be dimmed or set to different settings? I'm trying to find the advanced aquarist article about how after a certain point increasing light becomes exponentially devastating to various photosynthetic organisms

 

[Pete1968]

Please post a picture of your sump setup! The kessil h380 is a great light, if it is turning the cheato white it’s burning it, you can raise the light and cut back on hours, as far as cheato let me know i can send you as much as you need my sump produces a gallon bag every 5 days

 

[PatW]

I had chaeto going well with just a Little Home Depot led. Then it died. I had turned up the lights in the display tank. I got a high powered kessel H380 led and the chaeto thrived. Then it died. I dose nitrates so that was not it. I checked phosphates and they were zero. I feed more and dose a little neophos and the phosphates are at about 10 ppb. The chaeto is thriving again. It needs strong light compared to the display tank and nitrates and phosphates. I have not delved into micro nutrients. So far they have not been an issue. I guess that could be next.

 

[Merv49]

Please post a picture of your sump setup! The kessil h380 is a great light, if it is turning the cheato white it’s burning it, you can raise the light and cut back on hours, as far as cheato let me know i can send you as much as you need my sump produces a gallon bag every 5 days

I’ve been through the burning chaeto phase and learned to decrease time with the light.

 

[Merv49]

The only thing that might be decaying is a small dwarf golden eel that i’m Not sure is still alive in my tank but with the large amount of cleanup crew I have I wouldn’t think that would persist for these past two months

 

[Pete1968]

I would start by raising the kessil by a few inches and cut back time , i run my ufo at 16 hrs a day and its a beast, i used to own a kessil h380 great light, on my 200 mixed reef last yr never had problems I mounted it about 10 to 12 off water and ran it like 12 hrs a day , remember its producing a par of like 1600 to 2000 , watch the brs video on lights for your sump! They did a 3 part series its great

 

[Pete1968]

I would start by raising the kessil by a few inches and cut back time , i run my ufo at 16 hrs a day and its a beast, i used to own a kessil h380 great light, on my 200 mixed reef last yr never had problems I mounted it about 10 to 12 off water and ran it like 12 hrs a day , remember its producing a par of like 1600 to 2000 , watch the brs video on lights for your sump! They did a 3 part series its great

as far as to much flow , i dont think thats a problem, i have a jebao dct 8000 on my sump with a gfo reactor and carbon reactor its only on about 1/2 power setting and it’s pushing at least 1500 gph and my cheato is growing like weeds

 

[Merv49]

I would start by raising the kessil by a few inches and cut back time , i run my ufo at 16 hrs a day and its a beast, i used to own a kessil h380 great light, on my 200 mixed reef last yr never had problems I mounted it about 10 to 12 off water and ran it like 12 hrs a day , remember its producing a par of like 1600 to 2000 , watch the brs video on lights for your sump! They did a 3 part series its great

Got the H380. Been running it since tank start. Have it 12” above water. Bought new chaeto from Algae Barn and it began to rot almost immediately. They said my nitrates need to be 1-5 and phosphates .08 for chaeto to thrive. I wouldn’t be here if my water was like that. The chaeto they sold me must just not be hungry.