Will Chaetomorpha coloring water to green?

[Doreno]

Hello,

I used to have a refugium with Chaeto and for a while my water was slightly yellow-green. Is it because Chaeto or Chaeto doesn't release any green agents into the water? Thanks!

 

[taricha]

There are many organic compounds that can add yellow to the water, not just those from algae. But yes compounds from algae broken down by bacteria end up as yellow and are not easily removed, except by GAC.
Also they are pretty harmless.

 

[Doreno]

Thank you for detailed answer. Just want to make sure that I right understand you:
if I harvest Chaeto in time, before it "begins to dissolve" - will it not "indirectly through bacteria" color the water?

Or will Chaeto, in any case, even if harvesting on time, will coloring the water?

 

[taricha]

Or will Chaeto, in any case, even if harvesting on time, will coloring the water?

It will, algae release dissolved organic carbon and proteins regularly. Even if not stressed or dead. (But more if stressed or dying).

 

[Doreno]

It will, algae release dissolved organic carbon and proteins regularly. Even if not stressed or dead. (But more if stressed or dying).

I never knew that, I thought that Chaeto only consumes and does not release anything. Thank you very much for this knowledge!

Now I have a new questions
1 are these compounds (released by Chaeto) available to corals (especially for SPS) for consumption?
2 if yes - are they more beneficial or harmful to SPS corals?

 

[taricha]

Now I have a new questions
1 are these compounds (released by Chaeto) available to corals (especially for SPS) for consumption?
2 if yes - are they more beneficial or harmful to SPS corals?

(My answers here are probably 90% correct. These are hard questions.)
1 - mostly no. The yummy compounds are consumed by bacteria pretty locally and quickly - the yellow compounds are mostly leftover bacterial digestion products that nobody does much with. Recalcitrant dissolved organic material.
2 - growing algae in tight proximity to SPS coral is usually found to be detrimental rather than helpful - so don't put a blob of chaeto on an acro. But this is of limited concern if your chaeto is in a sump. Many people can grow SPS successfully with algae dominated spaces in their system - separated from the coral dominated areas.

My $0.02: Keep the algae separate, and run GAC and don't worry.

 

[Doreno]

I just choosing between carbon dosing vs refugium for new build.
I considered which method would give less coloration of the water and was sure that Chaeto - since this is algae would affect the coloration of the water directly and not through bacteria.

It turns out that none of the methods have advantages in this matter.

 

[John08007]

Thank you for detailed answer. Just want to make sure that I right understand you:
if I harvest Chaeto in time, before it "begins to dissolve" - will it not "indirectly through bacteria" color the water?

Or will Chaeto, in any case, even if harvesting on time, will coloring the water?

If your chaeto is dissolving then I would assume that you have another issue, possibly low on a nutrient that it needs to survive

 

[WheatToast]

2 - growing algae in tight proximity to SPS coral is usually found to be detrimental rather than helpful - so don't put a blob of chaeto on an acro. But this is of limited concern if your chaeto is in a sump. Many people can grow SPS successfully with algae dominated spaces in their system - separated from the coral dominated areas.

I read somewhere that corals prefer to attach themselves to Coralline coverage, but that's besides the point.

If your chaeto is dissolving then I would assume that you have another issue, possibly low on a nutrient that it needs to survive

Agreed. The only time I experienced this was when I left a cup of harvested Chaetomorpha outside, in the cold (even then, it lasted for about a week before this started occurring).

 

[AlgaeBarn]

Hello,

I used to have a refugium with Chaeto and for a while my water was slightly yellow-green. Is it because Chaeto or Chaeto doesn't release any green agents into the water? Thanks!

Did you have high phosphates/nitrates?

 

[Doreno]

Did you have high phosphates/nitrates?

When I started refugium I was have very low nitrate , maybe 0-0,5 ppm by Salifert, and po4 about 0.1ppm (I used Nopox)
I started refugium since I was can’t control my nitrate with Nopox, I was have or zero or 25-50 ppm nitrates, but never 2-5.

after starting refugium and removing Nopox my po4 was dropped to zero very quick and I started dosing po4 and nitrates. After starting refugium my Nitrates was no more 10ppm. Po4 no more 0,04

 

[SillyReef]

Dying chaeto will causes green water. Thriving will not.

 

[AlgaeBarn]

As mentioned above by @SillyReef dying chaeto could have caused the coloration. I asked about nutrients because a lot of time there is discoloration with high phosphates/nitrates. What did you dose to add those back?

 

[Doreno]

Liquid fertilizer for plants, separately nitrate and separately phosphate. now I don't remember exactly the manufacturer