Chaeto reactor not doing so well. Any suggestions?

[scuzy]

Hmm how odd. My reactor is going strong

 

[Mr. Manty]

And now it is falling apart in the sump. It is almost as if my water is poison.

I am using this light in a 20 gal sump tank under my 40 gal tank: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CH75SGY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Even people in the reviews for the light claim to be growing chaeto like mad.


I use RODI. I have high nutrients. I use lighting already proven to grow chaeto by others. I dose iron. I have a 500gph pump on the sump so flow can't be an issue.

It really feels like I am the target of some global conspiracy that misrepresents the viability of chaeto. Am I going crazy? I have spent so much money trying to get all of this stuff working. Please. Somebody. If you have knowledge to fill in some obvious gap of ignorance that I am displaying, please enlighten me.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

It can be discouraging, but we ALL have plants that won't 'work' for us. So yours is chaeto. No biggee. Try some caulerpa or grasilaria or ulva. See what works with your situation.

 

[Mr. Manty]

It can be discouraging, but we ALL have plants that won't 'work' for us. So yours is chaeto. No biggee. Try some caulerpa or grasilaria or ulva. See what works with your situation.

But there has to be a reason why. I gotta know it

 

[Michael Hoaster]

If you gotta know, send a water sample to Triton for testing.

 

[Mr. Manty]

If you gotta know, send a water sample to Triton for testing.

Hey good idea! Thank you!

 

[Michael Hoaster]

My pleasure! Good luck!

 

[Newms118]

The LED strips pictured at the beginning of the thread. The lights might not be ideal but the should be able to row cheato. This exact aame reactor and light combo os aold by marine depo and many people use it with great success. I do not know what curse i have. Incredibly frustrating : (

Chaeto can be such a little betch sometimes to get it grow. I have never been successful with it and have had balls of dark green tight wound chaeto turn to light green loosely associated chaeto to chaeto that turns clear. :debi::debi::debi::debi::debi::debi::debi::debi::debi::debi:

 

[Subsea]

I don't test for phosphate since I am not running reef tanks and I simply use nitrate as an indicator of other pollutants. The reactor has been tested across two tanks. The reason I tested two tanks is because the first tank houses a peacock mantis shrimp only and the foods he eats (live crabs, clams, frozen food soaked in selcon) might be lacking the necessary levels of phostphate that a prepared fish food might have. So, I moved the reactor to a fowler tank containing a melanurus wrasse, royal gramma, damsel, and a havanensis mantis shrimp. Same outcome.


One thing that I am thinking about in hindsight... Maybe my light strip really was running brighter than everyone elses? There is no power brick to regulate that so maybe the voltage was higher from my wall than it needed to be.

Also it is a rather small reactor and the lightstrip would sometimes sag and create a higher density wrap towards the bottom of the tube. Maybe all that light in one area contributed to the issue occasionally.

Maybe both? I do not know.

Manta,
My test for phosphate is emerging cynobacteria. The ratio of nitrogen to phosphate in maco is 40:1 and higher in fast growing macro. With all the trouble that you are having, a detailed test of major and minor nutrients is a great idea.

 

[Mr. Manty]

Well guys I got it growing! Holy crap.
It's been going strong for about 2 weeks now.

Here is what I am pretty sure I was doing wrong:


My biggest issue was that i would put chaeto in with high nutrients already in the tank. I moved to a new place recently and through the process of moving the tank I did a large water change. When i put the Chaeto in the sump with STRONG lighting (High watt LED grow bulb 2 inches away from the glass with the chaeto being pressed against the glass) with the low nutrients, nothing grew on the chaeto. What seemed to happen is the chaeto out-competed any diatomes and other nuisance growth since it was there from the low nutrient start. With nothing growing on the chaeto killing it, it was able to uptake nutrients as they were produced.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

That's great news! Nothing like a water change reset. Happy chaeto-growing!