Growing GHA vs chaeto in fuge

[Jon0807]

I've tried two separate orders of chaeto from Algaebarn and both of them died horrible deaths. I just can't seem to grow chaeto (altho there will be a few strands that live). But GHA grows like mad. I was thinking maybe I should just grow GHA in my fuge instead of chaeto and harvest that out every now and then. Would it pretty much be the same as using chaeto? I mean they both use phosphate and nitrate.

 

[Esh1]

Gonna need a bit more info. For starters, whats your lighting like?

 

[Jon0807]

Fuge is about 15 gallons, light is a Kessil H80 set to "Grow" at 100%. Last time I tested nitrates they were at 10, phosphates were at 0 but that was a few weeks ago. I'm due for a water change so I'll test before and after. I'm also running GFO

 

[Shamous113]

I'm not famillair with the light that you have. I run a warm white 13w par38 noma led flood lights over my chaeto and seeing good growth. You could go with a ATS instead of trying to grow Chaeto,

 

[Esh1]

Whats the water flow like in there? Is there enough circulation?

 

[Jon0807]

I'm not famillair with the light that you have. I run a warm white 13w par38 noma led flood lights over my chaeto and seeing good growth. You could go with a ATS instead of trying to grow Chaeto,

It's supposed to be a good light for my size fuge. It has the "correct" spectrum for optimal growth.

Whats the water flow like in there? Is there enough circulation?

I run the circulation off of a manifold so I can adjust the amount of flow. The first time I threw in the ball of chaeto, it broke apart and flowed everywhere. Some even made it into my DT so I had to lower the flow. This last batch I let the ball sink to the bottom with the flow off, then slowly increased it. Same result both times, death within a few days. The first time I had the Kessil at 50% so I thought maybe it wasn't enough, so the second time around I ramped up to 100% with the same results.

 

[sfdan]

I couldn't grow chaeto for the longest time and my tank was incredibly healthy. My fuge was overrun with GHA and pods and things were great. Maybe the GHA was causing the chaeto to not grow, maybe it was something else, I don't know. Then I decided I didn't like the GHA and waged war upon it, and what I got in return was much much worse, a dino infestation (though my chaeto now grows pretty well, go figure).

So anyways, imo GHA in your fuge is a perfectly great thing to have, pods love it and it is a great nutrient exporter. If it is growing in your DT and annoying you, you can add more cleanup crew or maybe add an algae turf scrubber (ATS) to your system which will grow tons of GHA, probably outcompete the algae in your DT and make it a breeze to export the algae on a regular basis.

I say if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

 

[Jon0807]

I couldn't grow chaeto for the longest time and my tank was incredibly healthy. My fuge was overrun with GHA and pods and things were great. Maybe the GHA was causing the chaeto to not grow, maybe it was something else, I don't know. Then I decided I didn't like the GHA and waged war upon it, and what I got in return was much much worse, a dino infestation (though my chaeto now grows pretty well, go figure).

So anyways, imo GHA in your fuge is a perfectly great thing to have, pods love it and it is a great nutrient exporter. If it is growing in your DT and annoying you, you can add more cleanup crew or maybe add an algae turf scrubber (ATS) to your system which will grow tons of GHA, probably outcompete the algae in your DT and make it a breeze to export the algae on a regular basis.

I say if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Thankfully all the GHA grows in my fuge with tons of pods in it. I have a yellow eye kole tang and a tail spot blenny that takes care of anything growing in the DT. I may have to pick up a sand sifting goby cause I have green algae on my sandbed that neither fish will touch.

 

[SAT]

When I started growing macro-algae, it was with a mix if Chaeto and Caulerpa. Initially, the Caulerpa grew well but the Chaeto didn't. Then I doubled the light and added a GFO reactor, after which the Chaeto took off. I can't be sure, but I think iron leaching from the GFO did it.

 

[ReefKeeper64]

+1 on the iron and manganese too. Cheato requires and takes up a lot of iron. My cheato grows like crazy and it’s growth went way up when I started dosing Kents iron w/magnesium product. It’s affordable and lasts a long time. Dose 1ml per 100 gal per day.

 

[Subsea]

With respect to dosing iron, everything needs iron. Some years back, I read an article by Randy Holmes Farley on iron dosing in reef tanks. Two pointers that I took away from his article:

It would be difficult to dose too much iron.
Macro, like many land plants, has an ability to store iron.

I was asked once, had I ever seen the iron storage of macro and I answered no. I now can say yes.

Gracilaria Hayi is a lightly calcified thin bladed bushy red macro. Iron storage mechanism increased blade thickness 10 fold. It also felt spongy like it had an air bladder. Very uncharacteristic of Gracilaria Hayi.

With respect to dosing iron, I prefer to use Seachem iron. It allows specific control of iron without bringing in other nutrients. I dose both macro tanks and reef tanks with iron.

https://www.marineplantbook.com/marinebookgrachayi.htm

 

[Esh1]

I've had chaeto in my 10gl refugium for about a month now, which I picked up at a local fish store and it appears to be growing.
Lighting is the E100 zet light, 12 hr cycle on a timer, and flow is off of the main pump. I'll be adding another powerhead into the refugium in the future to increase flow as there sin't enough. The chaeto blocks most flow from getting anywhere else int he tank. Im starting to see red slime growing on parts of the rock, and I suspect the lower flow is letting it take hold.
RODI water has been used since tank start up. Usually 0 TDS but as the DI resin expires its gotten up to 2TDS. I can't seem to get more than 60-100 gallons of RODI before my DI is exhausted. Water pressure is there, TDS before the DI gets down to 12TDS. Phospates in the tank are .08, nitrates down to 10, and I just started running GFO in one of the reactors. Another is running carbon, the third bio pellets XL.

GHA looks like its starting to slowly grow in the refugium, but not nearly as quickly as it did in the main tank while it was cycling. A yellow tang took care of that issue in a few days.

Its interesting to hear how we're doing similar things, yet getting different results. I realize theres a lot of different variables going into this, but I wonder what kind of lighting and nutrients are in the system of the place you're getting your chaeto from. It doesn't seem like the kind of stuff that would quickly die, but based on what you're saying maybe there is?