Chaeto

[marleesan]

I recently added a ball of chaeto into my tank to grow copepods and get rid of algae. I understand that chaeto needs to be broken up so it does not release all the nutrients, but how often do I need to do this? And is there anything else I need to know?

 

[CafeReef]

you should have it somewhere that has decent flow, so you can tumble it some. A lot of people will have a powerhead or something pointed at it to ensure water flows through it well.

 

[thegrun]

As posted above it either needs to tumble or you can simply manually flip over the chaeto ball once every two or three days. If the ball gets very dense then yes it should be spread out, but it is usually fine if just left alone.

 

[mcgyvr]

plan the spot.. place it there and keep it moving to avoid particulates from settling on it and to get the best light.. when it overgrows the spot give it a haircut and sell it or trash it..

 

[fernalfer]

how fast does chaeto grow? just got a softball size of it and was just curious

 

[CafeReef]

how fast does chaeto grow? just got a softball size of it and was just curious

depends on the light you have, the flow you have, and nutirents for it to thrive on.

If all things are right, it can grow rather quickly. I had a a softball size chunk in my old pico fuge and was cutting a baseball size chunk off every 2 weeks.

 

[Ron Reefman]

And it really doesn't need to tumble. It may be better if it does, but it will grow just fine without tumbling. Maybe not quite as fast, but in my case, fast enough. I export 1 to 3 stuffed gallon ziplock bags full every month.

 

[NS Mike D]

And it really doesn't need to tumble. It may be better if it does, but it will grow just fine without tumbling. Maybe not quite as fast, but in my case, fast enough. I export 1 to 3 stuffed gallon ziplock bags full every month.

+1. I have it in my 5gal HOB fuge and it's stiffed like a solid brick. I remove about 20% each week to encourage new growth and remove the nutrients it has locked up.

Pods crawl all over the cheato.

 

[mcgyvr]

how fast does chaeto grow? just got a softball size of it and was just curious

When its "happy" you can go from a softball to a basketball in just a few weeks..