Growing Chaeto Q&A

[purpletang123]

Hello,
I have been thinking about growing some chaeto in the sump. What are the equipments do I need? What kind of light do I have to use (prefer something cheap)? How strong would the light has to be? Do I need to add a powerhead? What is the light schedule? Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thank you.

 

[Henchman24]

Chaeto is really hardy & will grow under different conditions. I don't know the ideal setup but have some experience with it. When I had it in my sump on my last tank I just used a clamp on light with a 6500k cfl bulb. I think it will grow better if the flow causes it to have a slow tumble so all sides of it will get light. It may spin around with the flow that is in the sump but a power head would help out. I think I had the light on for about 16 hours a day. some people say to have it on all the time while others have it on less. It is really good if you want copepods as it gives them a place to grow.

 

[LOL corals]

Best light is about $15 online. Hydroponics light led with mostly red bulbs. Screws into a regular light fixture. I’ve used all different types of lighting but this is by far the best.

 

[sirrealism]

So I have 4 reefs running cheato in different ways. "Kind of like the BRS tests" If you watch the BRS tests about cheato there results are not far from the truth. Accept you dont need a 400$ light. I have one tank running the old 6500k spiral PC bulb and yes it does work but I see a much more stable set up on another tank running the exact same set up with a https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FFMEABM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
at 39$ this thing grows cheato like a boss!!! My fug on this system is 18" x 16" x 9" and the light sits 12" off the water. My fug is so full its growing out of the water and yet never dies. I have only been running this maybe 5 months and started with a gulf ball size. I have gave away gallon size bags several times.
I do run it reverse of the display lights and my PH is 8.2-8.3. I have not done a water change in months and .03 P04 and 1-2 n03. I dont run GFO. I put a small bag of carbon in every few months. I dont use socks. Just skimmer and fug. I only wish I would have done this 20 years ago when I started. "Sometimes I am hard headed" I never thought this would work so well.
I am buying this same light for the other system that has the CFL light on it.
My other 2 tanks I am working with DIY cheato reactors because they dont have baffles in the sump. I only started them in the last month so its to early to say but so far things are looking good.

 

[purpletang123]

Thank you everyone for the awesome inputs. Would this light work for the chaeto? https://www.amazon.com/TaoTronics-l...7164623&sr=8-8&keywords=hydroponic+light&th=1.
I have heard about the reverse light period and does it make any difference if I run it with the same light period as the display tank?

 

[sirrealism]

It would work but higher wattage would be better. The main reason to run reverse lighting is because your PH dives after the lights go out so by running reverse it keeps your PH much more stable. Take the time to watch the BRS cheato vids. It explains much better then then a paragraph or 2.
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/video/view/brstv-investigates-do-refugiums-work/
there are a couple vids from BRS on this topic but I think this is a good info.

 

[sirrealism]

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/vide...-best-refugium-light-and-what-is-coming-next/
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/vide...fugium-light-testing-taken-to-the-next-level/

Couple more that explian in more in detail.

 

[purpletang123]

Thank you so much for your input Sirrealism. I will definitely look into it and start looking for chaeto to start the process.

 

[Webmanny]

If you take one thing from this thread, please let it be...

Get clean Chaeto from a reputable source. I've seen beautiful tanks gone south because of bad Chaeto was introduced to the tank.

 

[purpletang123]

How can I tell the difference between good Chaeto and bad Chaeto?

 

[MGP]

How can I tell the difference between good Chaeto and bad Chaeto?

Other then obvious signs you can't. Best bet is to buy it from a LFS or local reefer you trust, take no chances for something so cheap

 

[Webmanny]

Other then obvious signs you can't. Best bet is to buy it from a LFS or local reefer you trust, take no chances for something so cheap

This is exactly what I meant. Get it from someone you can trust and know their tank is in great shape or from a vendor like Algae Barn. This is all they do and $15 for a small clean starting amount of Chaeto, is a no brainier.

 

[Safir]

Algaebarn sells "clean chaeto" and it is brs' recommendation

 

[purpletang123]

I prefer to buy the chaeto locally instead of paying for shipping overnight. I'll buy off someone a good portion or whenever someone trims their chaeto for free.

 

[cardiffgiant]

I'll have some again in a couple of weeks. I use a kessil h380 for mine and it grows very quickly.

 

[purpletang123]

Where are you located?

 

[cardiffgiant]

I'm in wesley chapel

 

[purpletang123]

Hello everyone, I recently bought some chaeto and I am running it under an LED 65w replacement bulb for about 10 hours of reverse photo period. Is that enough light and duration for the chaeto to grow?

 

[MJNTWise]

I run mine for 12 hrs

 

[sirrealism]

Hello everyone, I recently bought some chaeto and I am running it under an LED 65w replacement bulb for about 10 hours of reverse photo period. Is that enough light and duration for the chaeto to grow?

How long do you run your display lights? when ever your display lights are off put the fug lights on. Doesnt matter how long. 8,12,16 hours. Just run them when ever display is off. Some even run them 24 hours. My cheato reactor runs 24 but I am thinking about switching that.