Chaeto crashing

[JeffersonReef]

I have a 30g fuge on my 125g reef. In my fuge is a DSB and a lot of LRR. I also have a large ball-o-chaeto. I am using a 75w flourescent "plant grow light" that I got from Home Depot. My chaeto seems to be dying off. It used to be thick, dark green, and tightly balled together. Now, I find that my chaeto-ball is breaking apart, and some of it is turning clear. What am I doing wrong? My nitratess are at about 40, so I have nutrients for the macro to consume. Also, I keep the lighting on for about 11 hours a day. Someone tell me what I can try. I want my chaeto to EXPLODE! Thanks!

 

[druce]

I've had no luck with macro algae since I moved - before I had to pune it like mad, now every time I buy a bag from the LFS it melts in about a week...

it's totally screwing with my head. I even got the lamp Melev recommends and no luck...

 

[mattls]

I use Melevs lamp and I grow it like mad.

By the way Chaeto does not crash. It might be dying but its not crashing or releasing nutrients back into the tank like calurpa.

 

[boxfishpooalot]

Mine do fine based on how much iron it has. It also grows under 400watt halide in the sump.

It doubles in size every 5 days. Caulerpa grows faster than it, but likes to have too much sexual reproduction phases.....

 

[druce]

how would you even measure iron levels?

 

[JeffersonReef]

I think i should go ahead and buy the melev lamp.

I add Lugols solution every week and a half or so.. and do regular water changes. My iron levels should be good enough, right?

Can anyone think of anything else I can do? Perhaps increase or decrease flow? I have about 1x the fuge volume (30g) per hour running into the fuge, and then gravity feeding to the sump.

Thanks for any advice you can offer!

 

[boxfishpooalot]

I add Lugols solution every week and a half or so.. and do regular water changes. My iron levels should be good enough, right

Lugols solution is iodine, iron is different. Iron is used up very rapidly. RHF, including myself dose iron to feed macroalgae.

I would buy kent iron and supply that for it if your goal is to remove nitrate through macroalgae and keep them alive.

Also, be sure your not dumping in alk supplements near the chaeto, that will damage their cells.

FWIW, I keep my light on 24/7 with no problems.

 

[JeffersonReef]

Ohhh. I see. My mistake. I will pick up some Iron this week. Thanks for the advice!

-Tony

 

[Cody Ray]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8125585#post8125585 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mattls
I use Melevs lamp and I grow it like mad.

By the way Chaeto does not crash. It might be dying but its not crashing or releasing nutrients back into the tank like calurpa.

Any algae can crash, cheato simply doesn't "crash" as fast as caulerpa, it takes several days to die allowing the system to absorb it.

 

[mattls]

Chaeto doesn't effect your tank when it dies like Caulerpa or some other algaes so as far as I am concerned it doesn't crash. I wouldn;t use the word crash when talking about Cheato. What Caulerpa does to your tank is what I would call crashing.

 

[jeffbrig]

I'll share another data point on iron dosing....

For months, my chaeto growth was slow/nonexistant and it was yellowing. When I started dosing iron (Kent), the dark green color returned within a week, and it started growing again. I tend to err on the side of caution, and I'm dosing significantly less than what's stated on the side of the bottle.

 

[bheron]

besides light, algae need nutrients to grow! if there are no or low nutrients in your tank, that could be a good thing for your tank, but not for your chaeto.

also, it needs high water flow. if flow is low, it wont get nutrients delivered fast enough.

finally, i've heard that some people trim theirs occasionally to spurn new growth. ive never done that but i may since part of mine is starting to look like yours.

 

[seaduck]

Chaeto doesn't effect your tank when it dies like Caulerpa or some other algaes so as far as I am concerned it doesn't crash. I wouldn;t use the word crash when talking about Cheato. What Caulerpa does to your tank is what I would call crashing.

So what happens when caulerpa crashes the tank???? I have it in my refuge and i'm a lil concerned.

 

[rekn]

melev light?

 

[leeweber85]

Chaeto does best with lots of flow. Also, I don't know what light you are using, but most bulbs you get from HD don't work.

 

[mattls]

Check the color temp on the lamp.

 

[LeslieP]

I have mine in a hob 'fuge and it only gets light while the tank is on - ~11 hours of VHO/day, and it grows enough that I have to pull some out every week. I would guess that it is missing a nutrient that it likes. That said, I have heard that some types of chaeto are more vigorous than others, you might have a more fragile variety.

 

[JeffersonReef]

I actually have 2 varieties... one is very thick, and its pieces get really tangled. Looks almost like those metal scrubbing pads.... (for lack of a better way to describe it). The other is more thin, and kinda "hair-ish".... looks like fishing line.

Can anyone verify that Chaeto likes higher flow? I thought that you should have VERY low water flow through your fuge.... that may very well be my problem, as I have like 20 gph (maybe even less!) flowing through there.

Also, I am going to buy the kent iron, magnesium, and stronium. I havent been adding any of these previously. I will also be buying the malev bulb. I just need some more people to verify that I should indeed increase the flow. Thanks for all the tips! You guys are the greatest! ;P

 

[Randall_James]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8129142#post8129142 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bheron

finally, i've heard that some people trim theirs occasionally to spurn new growth. ive never done that but i may since part of mine is starting to look like yours.

This is actually true. As macro algae is used for "nutrient export", if you do not prune it back, it will cease to thrive. If I do not remove large portions every month, it just quits growing

 

[mattls]

Yes you need to remove portions once it really get to much. It starts to get to thick and condensed and this will hurt growth and start to become a detrius trap. They like at least a medium flow. If you had a small almount it should almost tumble in the water.