My Poor Chaeto...

[SHMG]

Hi members,

Can anyone tell me what is best to use as a fertilizer/food for chaeto? It's dwindling. Nitrate is near zero. What can substitute nitrate?

Thank you,

SHMG

 

[James M]

phosphates, nitrates and light

 

[SHMG]

Hi JM,

Phosphate and light are OK; it's about 5ppm, and light is bright light made for chaeto. My chaeto gets about 12-13 hrs of light a day.

 

[cracker]

There is seachem phosphorous that works well. Some Folks use Spectracide stump remover for No3 .

 

[James M]

The Cheato is fine and when nitrates reach zero the ball will stay the same .

 

[SHMG]

Thank you Cracker! To James M: I am glad to hear that, but the ball I bought from ebay separated into 3 clumps only after a few days in the algae reactor! Not the dwindle so much that I barely have it in the reactor! What's wrong? Of course, the seller is trying to brush me off.

 

[SHMG]

I meant "now, the 3 clumps dwindle..."

 

[Crabs McJones]

Shorten your photoperiod and trim back your chaeto a little bit. Basically your chaeto has tanked your nutrients to the point where it's starving. So shortening the photoperiod and trimming it back will allow your nutrients to climb a little bit for your chaeto to consume it and grow back.

 

[SHMG]

OK, Crabs McJones!

Do I still take your advice even though the clump has shrunk down to about 1/4 of the original size? Do I need to do anything else under the current circumstance?

 

[Crabs McJones]

OK, Crabs McJones!

Do I still take your advice even though the clump has shrunk down to about 1/4 of the original size? Do I need to do anything else under the current circumstance?

If its already shrunk down, then don't trim it, just shorten your photo period for now

 

[SHMG]

OK! I cut down from 13hours to 7 hours starting last night. Thank you!