Cheato Doesn't Float!

[ej797]

My Cheato doesn't float. Shouldn't it float? Does it need training wings? It just sits at the bottom of my fuge! I have read that it should tumble around and around in the fuge. Is my cheato defective?

 

[jdieck]

It is perfectly OK and it does not need to tumble that is a mith.
I ran parallel tests with chato tumbling next to one not tumbling and the one not tumbling grew faster.
A recemendation will be to turn it upside down once a week and prune it at least every month

 

[jerf]

I do find it a bit weird that it's not floating. Might be a wild shot in the dark, but what's your SG at?

 

[jdieck]

I use 1.0264 (35 ppt).
The reason it does not float is because it is tight and dense as it has grown under lower lighting and nutrient conditions. Chaeto under this conditions is darker green, more curly, stiffer and heavier. Higher lighting will make it grow lighter green, more stranded than curly more flexible and lighter in weighit with more tendency to float. Nothing wron with either it is just different environmental conditions.

 

[AquaReeferMan]

Mine stays pretty stationary. It also grows like a weed. Periodically I will go in and give it a good shake just to remove some build up. IMO it does not need to move around to be effective.

 

[tkeracer619]

Its defective!

 

[jdieck]

Here you can see, tight darker non floating ball maintained in suspension and tumbling by a powerhead's flow versus still floating spread.
This is after one month growth, bot bunches starte at about the same size.
Also the floating one is being subjected to 175 10K MH bulb while the ball is subjected to 110 watt 10K power compact

 

[ej797]

Cool, I was worried that my cheato had a manufacturing defect. I was about to send it in under its warranty!

 

[jdieck]

If you notice it turning white and transparent then either the cheto...... (or the keeper) is (may be) deffective

 

[ej797]

It's not turning white, in fact its growing. I had just read about it floating and I was worried that there might be something wrong.

Thanks for all the imput!!

 

[jdieck]

You will be fine. Enjoy!