Disintegrating chaeto

jgvergo · May 3, 2016

The title says most of it. I have chaeto in the refugium section of my sump. I have a 50 watt LED light (6000 K - 6500K) made by Techno Earth. I've used the 30 watt version to keep very successful freshwater plants that have high lighting requirements (HC, Glossostigma, hairgrass, etc.). In my fuge, I am getting copious green/brown hair algae growth, but the chaeto is not doing well at all.

Ammonia 0.0, Nitrites 0.0, Nitrates 2.0
Sump photoperiod is 15 hours on, 9 hours off

Ideas?

Tautog · May 3, 2016

I also have the same problem. I was told to trim it to help new growth, but that didn't seem to make a difference. I bought new stuff to solve the problem. But I'll be watching for others to reply.

jgvergo · May 3, 2016

Tautog said:
I also have the same problem. I was told to trim it to help new growth, but that didn't seem to make a difference. I bought new stuff to solve the problem. But I'll be watching for others to reply.

Did your new chaeto grow well?

Russ265 · May 3, 2016

had the same problem.
bought red dragon algae from ebay and it grew like a weed.

twilliard · May 3, 2016

Here is the thing about algae
We want them to grow in our fuge and get lost for answers when it dies off.
Their primary goal is nutrient reduction.
Now think of it this way.. what if they don't have the nutrients required for survival?
I have seen so many threads state it's a lighting issue.. well if it was about lighting mine would be dead (I run an old 24" orbit marine over my fuge)

We all have to ask the question.. do you have the nutrients for survival as each species of algae requires a little something different.
If all algae required the same element needed for survival it will ALL grow at normal rates.
The ones that thrive have the right elements to do so from your water.

jgvergo · May 3, 2016

twilliard said:
Here is the thing about algae
We want them to grow in our fuge and get lost for answers when it dies off.
Their primary goal is nutrient reduction.
Now think of it this way.. what if they don't have the nutrients required for survival?
I have seen so many threads state it's a lighting issue.. well if it was about lighting mine would be dead (I run an old 24" orbit marine over my fuge)

We all have to ask the question.. do you have the nutrients for survival as each species of algae requires a little something different.
If all algae required the same element needed for survival it will ALL grow at normal rates.
The ones that thrive have the right elements to do so from your water.

Makes sense twilliard.

jd371 · May 3, 2016

Tried twice and each time it just withered away. Did everything that was suggested but it just won't grow in my tank.

twilliard · May 3, 2016

jd371 said:
Tried twice and each time it just withered away. Did everything that was suggested but it just won't grow in my tank.

Lack of nutrients or elements for survival

CodyRVA · May 3, 2016

+1 @twilliard, this is my fixture and this is my bulb.

Lighting is rarely an issue. My chaeto does grow slow; I have very low nutrients, but it does grow. +1 at running your fuge light at night.

Which also begs the question... Who the F*** buys $300 fuge lights!?!?!

bevo5 · May 3, 2016

Stuff seems fairly easy to get going given enough nutrients. I've been cutting off huge clumps weekly ever since I added a few clumps a month or so ago. I way overfeed, though, so there's a ton of nutrients in there.

McMullen · May 3, 2016

I struggled with Cheato until I began dosing Red Sea color. Originally I thought it was iodine, but based on @Randy Holmes-Farley, more likely the added iron.

Additionally, now that my Cheato grows like a weed I no longer require GFO. Also to be noted, I'm a heavy feeder of frozen and pellet food, Hannah checker reads 0.

saltyfilmfolks · May 3, 2016

oh fwiw I use power impacts 48k and 32.
Cool and warm to get a future spectrum and my dragons tounge grows better under the Chato in lower light.

DLuce510 · May 3, 2016

Definitely sounds like a little lack of nutrients and something else. I had the same problem before I started using Triton base elements. From what I understand, there's a healthy amount of iron in the base to ramp up your fuge. Not saying to start dosing iron but it might be something to look into.

beaslbob · May 3, 2016

sometimes as stated above it can be low iron. that will favor the chaeto over the cyano and turf algae.

Dissolve a ferris gulconate tablet in an old soda bottle and add a capful each week.

You could also try reduced refugium lighting.

In my wife's 6 month old tank we had slow chaeto growth until the maintenance guy added a 1' long combination mechanical UV filter. then chaeto took off and the cloudiness in the tank disappeared. filter is like $30 on ebay.

So I guess the lesson learned is the wife doesn't trust my to maintain the tank.

Rjramos · May 3, 2016

I am a successful chaeto grower in most of my tanks using my own chaetosandwich idea. But I will say this, I have one 28 gal tank I adopted and kept the original live sand in it. The chaeto in this tank gets brittle, breaks apart and dies.This tank has a problem with Cyanobacteria, especially over the sand. The other parameter that is off in this tank is my nitrates are like yours 2. I think the high nitrates are my problem. I am gonna start siphoning the sand out with water changes in an attempt to lower nitrates. I will let you know how it goes.[emoji4]

McMullen · May 3, 2016

High nitrates, 2? LOL

Rjramos · May 3, 2016

McMullen said:
High nitrates, 2? LOL

Dang sorry, got confused there with phosphates, my bad. But actually the nitrates in this this tank I'm having a problem with chaeto is 10. My other tanks where chaeto is doing good nitrates are 0. However, my 120 gal with well fed big fish has phosphate of 2, I've tried getting it down but not really worried too much since the corals aren't doing bad.