i was doing somet thinking...i have a 30 gallon tank setup as my sump/fuge....the water comes down through my overflow box then goes into my sump which has a heater and the pump to my skimmer and nothing else. cut i put my chaeto in there, throw a LOA flood light on it and grow my chaeto in there and then use my fuge for just all live rock and no chaeto? this way to maximize the room? or should the chaeto grow with the live rock?
chaeto + lighting
- Thread starter hnf2k
- Start date
yah, ill show you, but i have to goto work now...ill get you the link when i get off. but i read into it and EVERYONE reccomends 13 hour lighting for your fuge on a schedule opposite that of your display tank to keep the PH in line. chaeto likes a dark period unlike caulerpa. the only reason you have caulerpa under 24 hour lighting is to keep it from going sexual, but 24 hour lighting is not ideal.
well what problem would you really expect? it's just some ways are ideal and others arent. chaeto is supposed to have a dark time. does anything live in 24 hours of daylight? NO. you put your caulerpa in it to keep it from going sexual. chaeto doesnt go sexual which is why chaeto is safer and better than caulerpa. if caulerpa didnt go sexual you wouldnt leave your lights on 24/7, so why would you do it now?
im not sure of the rules on this forum about posting a link to another, but here it goes
http://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=125540&highlight=chaeto
that thread was started by me also...if im not allowed to post links to other forums, im sorry and didnt know, but it was the easiest way to prove my point.
http://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=125540&highlight=chaeto
that thread was started by me also...if im not allowed to post links to other forums, im sorry and didnt know, but it was the easiest way to prove my point.
despot101
New member
I wouldnt expect any problems. You were the one that mentioned it needed a dark period.
Personally I think it can be done either way. If calupera does fine with 24/7 why wouldnt chaeto?
In my experience lighting calupera 24/7 will not prevent it from going sexual. It helps reduce the chance but it won't completely eliminate the possibility.
Personally I think it can be done either way. If calupera does fine with 24/7 why wouldnt chaeto?
In my experience lighting calupera 24/7 will not prevent it from going sexual. It helps reduce the chance but it won't completely eliminate the possibility.
im not saying chaeto wont do fine. im saying the best results are shown from having it on an opposite time schedule of your tank with 13 hour lighting. isnt the whole idea of a saltwater tank to mimic the ocean as much as possible? so why would you put it on a 24 hour lighting schedule. i have read many places that chaeto should have a dark period and that only makes sense. lighting it 24/7 doesnt help anything. you cant argue with results.
masterswimmer
New member
despot101 said:
Ditto
Russ
IMO, chaeto will grow fine either way. Most plants have certain processes that happen when there is no light (ie absorbs oxygen and releases carbon dioxide) and other processes that heppen when there is light (ie absorbs carbon dioxide and releases oxygen). Will it kill chaeto either way? No Will either method harm your tank? Not to my knowledge. It is just a matter of personal choice. Is it better for the plants? I haven't read any scientific study on this.
FWIW - I light my refuge and sump opposite the display tank. Because of the close proximity to a window and the graviety feed refuge, neither my sump, refuge nor display tank get any periods of total darkness. The light from the window gives the refuge and sump twilight conditions all day. The light from the refuge and sump lamps give the display twilight conditions all night. Does this harm the macro algaes that I grow? It doesn't appear to affect them in any way.
Vickie
FWIW - I light my refuge and sump opposite the display tank. Because of the close proximity to a window and the graviety feed refuge, neither my sump, refuge nor display tank get any periods of total darkness. The light from the window gives the refuge and sump twilight conditions all day. The light from the refuge and sump lamps give the display twilight conditions all night. Does this harm the macro algaes that I grow? It doesn't appear to affect them in any way.
Vickie
Triterium
New member
Why would anyone keep the fuge lit for 24/7 if there is no significant benefit from 12/day? Seems like a waste of energy and money.
I light my fuge for 6 hours/day and my chaeto is growing like mad. But I also have a 175Watt MH bulb (which may also be a waste of energy and money
)
I light my fuge for 6 hours/day and my chaeto is growing like mad. But I also have a 175Watt MH bulb (which may also be a waste of energy and money
)Triterium, I believe the 24/7 started with caulerpas. Many people believe that if you light caulerpas 24/7 they won't go sexual. I haven't seen any scientific studies verifying this but then I've never looked.
I've grown racemosa for over a year without it going sexual and most of that time, used lighting opposite of the display tank. I added caulerpa prolifia at Easter and haven't had a problem yet.
Vickie
I've grown racemosa for over a year without it going sexual and most of that time, used lighting opposite of the display tank. I added caulerpa prolifia at Easter and haven't had a problem yet.
Vickie
Plantbrain
Active member
I think the 24/7 notion was started since few knew why Caulerpa went sexual and melted down. This 24/7 notion is a myth for prevention.
Yes, you can run it 24/7 with many algae, but algae and plants will do better with a dark peroid(there are numerous studies that show this).
As mentioned, it also is an issue of lighting cost and electric. That would be my main concern personally. The other issue there, you are adding more heat to your system.
I would certainly try 11-12 hour cycles if you do not, it's easy.
Melting and sexual phases are often caused by low nutrient levels after a peroid of good growth and increase in biomass, the alga eats it's self to death and then when no more food is left, it senses this and dies and sends out gametes in effort to survive till the next season.
This is similar to annual terrestrial seed plants producing seed to get through drought, winters etc. Many algae do something similar.
If you prunce the Caulpera and maintain a constant biomass, constant nutrient input (food, traces, Ca++, alkalinity etc), then the Caulpera will do well over the long term.
You can trigger the Caulpera to go sexual with allowing the nutrients to be all used up and you can measure this quantitatively also if you want. You can then go back and try this same experiment with 24 or 12 hour light cycles and see if they make any difference.
Myths get started and then stick around for very long time.
Most folks like to keep a nice tank and don't want to go through the process to see what is really going on or not. Most just want to keep something alive and are not interested in killing weeds
Regards,
Tom Barr
Yes, you can run it 24/7 with many algae, but algae and plants will do better with a dark peroid(there are numerous studies that show this).
As mentioned, it also is an issue of lighting cost and electric. That would be my main concern personally. The other issue there, you are adding more heat to your system.
I would certainly try 11-12 hour cycles if you do not, it's easy.
Melting and sexual phases are often caused by low nutrient levels after a peroid of good growth and increase in biomass, the alga eats it's self to death and then when no more food is left, it senses this and dies and sends out gametes in effort to survive till the next season.
This is similar to annual terrestrial seed plants producing seed to get through drought, winters etc. Many algae do something similar.
If you prunce the Caulpera and maintain a constant biomass, constant nutrient input (food, traces, Ca++, alkalinity etc), then the Caulpera will do well over the long term.
You can trigger the Caulpera to go sexual with allowing the nutrients to be all used up and you can measure this quantitatively also if you want. You can then go back and try this same experiment with 24 or 12 hour light cycles and see if they make any difference.
Myths get started and then stick around for very long time.
Most folks like to keep a nice tank and don't want to go through the process to see what is really going on or not. Most just want to keep something alive and are not interested in killing weeds
Regards,
Tom Barr
