Cheato slowly melting away?

[wpnorton]

I was growing Cheoto like a mad man for about 4 months. Now...Nothing. SPS is doing fine, LPS is thriving. I have a LOA running 24/7...nitrates are around 10ppm with lots of flow? Calcium is 500....Alk 9. I'm stumped. Calciums a little on the high side, could that be the culprit?

 

[dots]

Hence my question in the other thread, had some myself once....never grew any and it wasted away. Always wondered why.

 

[Nu2SW]

Re: Cheato slowly melting away?

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12142526#post12142526 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by wpnorton
I was growing Cheoto like a mad man for about 4 months. Now...Nothing. SPS is doing fine, LPS is thriving. I have a LOA running 24/7...nitrates are around 10ppm with lots of flow? Calcium is 500....Alk 9. I'm stumped. Calciums a little on the high side, could that be the culprit?

When it happened to me, I thought maybe not enough nutrients. I never ran my light 24/7. Gave it some growing/ relaxing time. The sun isnt out 24/7 in the wild.

 

[kevin95695]

What are your phosphates? I believe chaeto needs a 'little' phos.

 

[650-IS350]

Have you tried adding a couple drops of Chealeted Iron for the macro algae. I heard this helps. I used to add it to my cheato before, grew like mad.

 

[TNTREEF]

I hooked up a phos reactor and mine did the same. I took it off and it grows like crazy again.

 

[wpnorton]

I've been running phosban for the entire time. Maybe it's just catching up. I'll shut it down and see what it does. BUT. Is it really necessary to have Cheato if what your trying to remove is already gone (Phosphates and Nitrates).

 

[miracles38]

It is a nice place for all those little critters to grow.

 

[awholelota]

hi. i'm new here. could it be the kind of light you're using as well as not having enough nutrients for the cheato to grow? mine is doing the same as well.

 

[wpnorton]

I never ran my light 24/7. Gave it some growing/ relaxing time. The sun isnt out 24/7 in the wild.

living in Alaska when I was a kid. I can attest that the sun not being out 24/7 is merely a hinderance to growth. Ask any pot grower if they sun all day... The Vegetables in Alaska are renowned for their huge size because of the extended daylight hours in the summer...20+. I'm fairly confident that the extra light is not a problem. It has to be nutrient based.

It grew like crazy for the first 6 months and there's been no measurable difference in parameters or maintenance since then.....somethings obviously missing.

 

[airinhere]

Mine does this also. I always just assumed this meant, the chaeto had removed all the nutrients out of the tank to a point where it can no longer grow properly. Nitrates, Phosphates and Iron are all needed in order to make macro grow.

Since we all want to get rid of the nitrates and phosphates
and since nothing ever goes the way you would like it to just by accident, I am thinking the Iron is reduced to where it inhibits the macro growth. (Iron deficiency should show as yellowing of the macro).

Does anyone make an Iron test kit?

 

[kdblove_99]

Seachem and Hagen do