Why did my chaeto die off?

[Tbg299]

About a week ago I added ulva (sea lettuce) and chaeto to the refugium chamber in my sump. I was running a 9 watt IM chaetomax LED 24 hours a day and while the ulva has grown quickly, the chaeto turned white and just kind of disintegrated. Did I bleach it from too much light exposure? Or were there perhaps insufficient nutrients? My tank is a little over a month old and ammonia, nitrites, nitrates have been 0 since it finished cycling.

 

[P-Dub]

Likely insufficient nutrients and Ulva outcompeting for available nutrients.

 

[Tbg299]

Likely insufficient nutrients and Ulva outcompeting for available nutrients.

Does Ulva multiply more rapidly than Chaeto?

 

[P-Dub]

Couldn't say with any certainty. Try trimming back your Ulva after getting some replacement Chaeto and see what happens. My Chaeto was suffering from insufficient nutrients and did the same thing.

 

[Bouncingsoul39]

Chaeto needs a rest period. Calurpa is the one you run 24 hours. Chaeto runs 12 hours on a reverse cycle of the tank lights. You may need to dose an iron product for it if that is depleted. Seachem has a good liquid iron product so does brightwell. Macro algae requires iron to sustain long term growth.

 

[Tbg299]

Chaeto needs a rest period. Calurpa is the one you run 24 hours. Chaeto runs 12 hours on a reverse cycle of the tank lights. You may need to dose an iron product for it if that is depleted. Seachem has a good liquid iron product so does brightwell. Macro algae requires iron to sustain long term growth.

Ok. I'm just curious why the Ulva is flourishing but the Chaeto died.

 

[Tbg299]

Couldn't say with any certainty. Try trimming back your Ulva after getting some replacement Chaeto and see what happens. My Chaeto was suffering from insufficient nutrients and did the same thing.

I am going to stock my tank before I buy chaeto again.

 

[Suohhen]

Many things we add to our tanks don't do well without much reason. Algae and snails are probably the two most consistent in that as it is hard to tell whether they are flourishing or on their death bed. My recommendation is to buy from the best source possible and then try another source if the first one dies.
There are also two common stains of chaeto in this hobby. One grows fast, loves high light, loves to be spun and grows more thinly and can stretch out quite quickly if not spun into a tight ball. The other grows slowly and much more thickly like a brillo pad, prefers lower light, and doesn't like to be spun. They might very well be the same species that has been adapted to tank life in different ways.

 

[Tbg299]

Many things we add to our tanks don't do well without much reason. Algae and snails are probably the two most consistent in that as it is hard to tell whether they are flourishing or on their death bed. My recommendation is to buy from the best source possible and then try another source if the first one dies.
There are also two common stains of chaeto in this hobby. One grows fast, loves high light, loves to be spun and grows more thinly and can stretch out quite quickly if not spun into a tight ball. The other grows slowly and much more thickly like a brillo pad, prefers lower light, and doesn't like to be spun. They might very well be the same species that has been adapted to tank life in different ways.

I got it from algaebarn which Is supposed to havethe cleanest and healthiest farmed macroalgae. It looked fine when I got it.