LouH
LouH
I've been running a reef tank for approximately 6 years now and have had good success with pretty much all corals except for Acros, which seem to do fine for 4-6 months, grow decently during that time only to lose color and eventually die. I run a 30 gallon refugium and a 14" deep sand bed in a small Brute garbage can. My tank is 117 gallons, and I have a nominal water volume of approximately 100 gallons. I do a 20 gallon water change once a week. I run ozone, an ASM G-3 skimmer, carbon and GFO.
On to the reason for the post. I have never been able to keep Chaeto alive for more than a month or two. I've tried to grow it in the refugium, in the deep sand bed area, and even in the main display. Many flow rates have been tried, all without success.
I've never measured nitrate at any concentration ever using a Salifert test kit. I don't test for phosphates because I've never found a colorimetric test that gave me a result that I trusted. It's not that my tank is free from algae. I have some hair algae in the refugium which receives some natural light through a nearby window for several hours a day. It isn't anything significant and it does not take hold in my main display. I do get some green and brown slime algae, possibly Cyanobacteria, in the main display. It typically shows up a day after a large feeding for LPS, but this always recedes after a couple of days. Lately I have had a brown slime algae growing on the rocks and walls of the deep sand bed container where I've been trying to grow the Chaeto. The fact that this stuff grows right next to a dying ball of Chaeto (and at times ON IT)! It's frustrating.
I probably wouldn't care and would stop trying if it weren't for the fact that I can't keep Acros. From what I understand, a big ball of Chaeto keeps the water clean and is a good plankton generator. I've seen huge balls of Chaeto in other reefer's tanks and they were over-run with pods, Mysid shrimp, etc. These same reefers have given me pieces of their Chaeto, but again, it only lasts for a month or two before it shrivels up and dies. I use a commonly used compact fluorescent bulb (6500K) several inches over the Chaeto and change the bulb every 6 months. What is the issue? I have the same poor result in my 30 gallon soft coral tank where Bryopsis has thrived for years. :headwalls:
Lou
On to the reason for the post. I have never been able to keep Chaeto alive for more than a month or two. I've tried to grow it in the refugium, in the deep sand bed area, and even in the main display. Many flow rates have been tried, all without success.
I've never measured nitrate at any concentration ever using a Salifert test kit. I don't test for phosphates because I've never found a colorimetric test that gave me a result that I trusted. It's not that my tank is free from algae. I have some hair algae in the refugium which receives some natural light through a nearby window for several hours a day. It isn't anything significant and it does not take hold in my main display. I do get some green and brown slime algae, possibly Cyanobacteria, in the main display. It typically shows up a day after a large feeding for LPS, but this always recedes after a couple of days. Lately I have had a brown slime algae growing on the rocks and walls of the deep sand bed container where I've been trying to grow the Chaeto. The fact that this stuff grows right next to a dying ball of Chaeto (and at times ON IT)! It's frustrating.
I probably wouldn't care and would stop trying if it weren't for the fact that I can't keep Acros. From what I understand, a big ball of Chaeto keeps the water clean and is a good plankton generator. I've seen huge balls of Chaeto in other reefer's tanks and they were over-run with pods, Mysid shrimp, etc. These same reefers have given me pieces of their Chaeto, but again, it only lasts for a month or two before it shrivels up and dies. I use a commonly used compact fluorescent bulb (6500K) several inches over the Chaeto and change the bulb every 6 months. What is the issue? I have the same poor result in my 30 gallon soft coral tank where Bryopsis has thrived for years. :headwalls:
Lou
