Can't grow Chaeto to save my life.

[rcmania]

in the last 3 months i have grown my chaeto from a baseball size clump to a basket ball size clump. I have had to take some out and gave it to the lfs. I am no expert but what i have is a clip on lamp from walmart for 8 bucks. Its hanging right over the chaeto. Also i run my refug lamp is reversed from my DT.

On a side note i just read today that a guy was dealing with high phosphates and was wondering where it was coming from. Anyways everything checked 0 except the brute container he was storing his water in. this also may be your issue.

 

[mr&mrsfish]

I'm glad others struggle with chaeto like myself. I've tried cheap lights from HD/Lowes all the way up to 6,500K 250W metal halide. I've tried no flow, medium flow, and high flow. I've also tried iron. My tank has sufficient NO3 and PO4 for microalgea. After failing on multiple occassions, I just decided to use GFO, c-dosing, and water changes to keep things under control.

In the last month, I decided to give halimeda a try along w/another ball of chaeto. I had faith in halimeda because coralline and other CaCO3 depositing creatures do well in my tank. After a month, the chaeto is dead but the halimeda is prospering. It is too early to claim success but so far so good.

If you are having success with CaCO3 depositing creatures, then give halimeda a try in your fuge. You just have to up your CaCO3 input and watch for asexual reproduction.

 

[Big_Al]

I use a diy solution and dose 5ml per 100g 3 times per week with good results but I have alot of macro in there.

Seachem Flourish Iron is an option as well just follow the dosage on the label.

There is a pretty detailed discussion on Iron in reef tanks here:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2002/8/chemistry

And here

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2002/10/chemistry

I'll give it a shot and see what happens. Any recommendations on ml/gal and at what interval?

 

[slapshot]

The reason most people have chaeto or other macro algae is to take up phosphates and nitrates to keep them out of their system. Just having chaeto growing in your tank is not going to make your SPS do better unless it is taking up the nutrients that are harmful to SPS. I wouldn't think adding iron to make the chaeto grow is going to help your SPS any (unless they also benefit from the iron), since it will be growing because you're adding iron rather than because it's taking up the SPS-harmful nutrients. I personally won't dose anything into my tank that I can't test for since it's too easy to overdose those supplements and harm your tank.

Iron is just one thing it needs. Nitrates and phosphates are others.it can't grow and thus remove nitrates and phosphates unless it has iron. Just put a capful in the area you are growing it. Once a week is what I do. Now I have about 400 gallons so use more or less depending on your tank. It has never affected my SPS either way.

 

[KafudaFish]

I got a quart's worth of cheato from someone a few months ago and threw it in a bucket with a heater, PH died, and use a desk light at 6500k an inch or two off the surface.

It is now a gallon's worth.

I throw some fish food in once a week for the bristle worms.

Before I had trouble in my tank and it would just die like everyone else mentioned. I tried tumbling, having it be blasted with water etc. The people I got it from had it in a 5 gallon tank in the sump with a cheap reflector and a corkscrew light.

Maybe we are physically breaking down the cheato until it tuns yellow and dies.



Also it does not need 24/7 light. Algae and other plants need a dark phase to grow.