Cheato help

[zeroeffect]

Hi everyone My tank has been doing really good. But we have been having trouble keeping cheato in the sump area. We have a good light under the stand, we also have some LR in the sump with it.

But everytime we add more cheato to the sump it just dies after a few weeks.

Do any of you use cheato in your sumps and if so what do you do keep it alive and healthy?

 

[ritter6788]

I use it in my fuge, just set up, and I'm already trying to give the stuff away. What kind of light are you using and how long has the tank been set up. I use a spiral flourescent bulb 6500k.

 

[zeroeffect]

I got my lights from home depot and got the bulb that the lfs said I should get but don't recall what it is.

The tank is around 4 months old now. We have 5 coral and 8 fish.
After doing a search on here and making it 4 pages in I ran into a page saying lights shouldn't be on 24/7 is this true?

 

[Paco]

16 hrs on, 8 off works for me, plus I dose iron. It's spelled Chaeto and pronounced Key-toe.

 

[ritter6788]

Doesn't need to be on 24/7 unless you are growing Caulerpa. I have my fuge on a reverse lighting cycle from the display.

 

[ritter6788]

16 hrs on, 8 off works for me, plus I dose iron. It's spelled Chaeto and pronounced Key-toe.

I believe mine is the exact same photoperiod.

 

[zeroeffect]

When we got the cheato the LFS said get a light put it in, turn it on and leave it.

 

[Syncere]

I also have mine on a reverse schedule but have been told to leave on 24/7. Mine seems to be growing fine with a 6500k bulb from lowes. Maybe there aren't enough nutrients going through the fuge area or the flow is too fast.

 

[reeftanknewbie]

do you have any competing algae's like hair etc....in the tank? either not enough nutrients (phosphates and nitrates) or it's competing with something....my 2 cents.

 

[Praben]

Wow, didn't know it was pronounced key-toe! Been saying cheat-o all this time. Lol. I have some in my fuge, small bundle from a friend. Tryed a small power compact on it for 2 months and nothing. Went to home depot and started running a 65watt (well equivalent) spiral energy efficient bulb in a flood light type fixture. I believe it is 6000-7000k range. I ran it 24/7 for a few months and finally got some growth. Added another clump from lfs and it died off in a few weeks, but original clump going good. I recently cut back lights to only 6 hrs per day due to some algae, but growth just seems to have stopped, not shrinking.

Why does calarpia need 24/7 light?

 

[outy]

if its not thriving you might have extremely clean water.

it only takes light and food to grow this weed.

I run 24/7 during the winter, i just changed out to a 150w MH and now it gets the water to hot in teh summer to run 24/7 so now it runs opposite the DT


if your running a low wattage light bulb you need to have the bulb within 6" of the water. with those cheap bulbs my chaeto never grew well, once I put some real light on it, it took off.

 

[ritter6788]

Why does calarpia need 24/7 light?

It can become sexual and foul your tank. I don't have any and have never actually heard of it happening but people say that's what it does.

 

[Allmost]

When we got the cheato the LFS said get a light put it in, turn it on and leave it.

how is the flow ?

do you trim as it grows ?

 

[MadOTC]

I would guess either there aren't enough nutrients in the tank to feed it or the flow isn't good enough through it. I don't think the photoperiod is all that critical. I have tried the reverse cycle of my tank, and also leaving it on 24/7 and it grows like crazy in my tank either way.

 

[thegrun]

Is it up near the surface? If the ball is submerged under more than 2" or 3" of water it may not be getting enough light. When I first started growing it a few years back I had the same problem. Once I set it up on some egg crate, it took off. You should also flip the ball over once or twice a week as the algae on the bottom of the ball does not get enough light.