help... my chaeto is melting...

[jedheuer]

Hi,

As stated my chaeto is melting. I went to touch it in my fuge add a big chunk of it broke apart and floated away. I had a good size chunk (size of a basketball) and now it is easily half that size. It was doing well before and I had to frequently harvest it to keep it in check. Some things that changed since which might contribute to the problem although I doubt it are: I had an outbreak of dinos, so to deal with them I started using a filter sock, upped my carbon and GFO use, and stopped water changes (did one today, but before today I haven't done one in about 6 weeks). It seems like the chaeto may have started declining around this time.

I light the fuge with a 100 watt 6500 CPF in a reflector, 24/7.

Anybody had this happen? Any ideas on how to revive the chaeto?


Thanks.

 

[jedheuer]

bump

 

[Rich D]

ive heard that cheato will break apart if there isnt enough current

 

[jedheuer]

really... I hadn't heard that. I have very low flow through the fuge though.

 

[FutureBoyGenius]

My cheato is melting as well. . . I have it in a 15gal tall refugium without a substrate and it is a little larger than a softball and just sits at the bottom of the tank.

Maybe I will add a power head?

 

[Greg 45]

I have also problems getting it ti grow. It never seems to grow no matter what I do. The tank has more nitrates and phosphates that it should. I have added iron. I don't know either what gives. Are there different types . ???

 

[Marsfrogie]

What sort of color does it have? Mine grows in exceptionally slow flow so I don't think that is your problem. If it is very very dark green, try more light, if it is very very light green try less light. Try 12 hours on 12 hours off for lighting.

 

[MrRyanT]

Adding the GFO could've slowed its growth. You're not dosing anything, such as vodka, sugar, vinegar, etc?

 

[jedheuer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14673649#post14673649 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Marsfrogie
What sort of color does it have? Mine grows in exceptionally slow flow so I don't think that is your problem. If it is very very dark green, try more light, if it is very very light green try less light. Try 12 hours on 12 hours off for lighting.

I am light 24/7. It does get a bit paler before it dies off. I will try less light. Thanks.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14673850#post14673850 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MrRyanT
Adding the GFO could've slowed its growth. You're not dosing anything, such as vodka, sugar, vinegar, etc?

The only thing I am dosing is 2 part for alk and Ca. No vodka or sugar. I would expect to see it slow from the GFO, but not die off like it has. Thanks for the idea.

 

[luther1200]

Try running it on a reverse daylight schedule from your DT. Thats what I do and it grows like crazy.

 

[redfishsc]

From what I've read, either it's starving for lack of nutrients (which isn't all that bad of a situation to be in) or it's low on iron.

If it's low nutrients, cutting your lighting to only a reverse-cycle is not a bad idea. Then it only has about 2/3 of the time for photosynthesis than it did to begin with.


Now, you mentioned that it had been 6 weeks since you did a water change. That's the biggest clue.


Most likely it has burned up all the iron stores you had in your water, which had been replenished by your water changes in the past.


Randy has a great iron recipe, I forget exactly what it was, but I mixed up ONE tablet of Fergon iron supplement into 400ml of water. I dose 1-2 ml of this solution per 10 gallons every couple of weeks. Honestly you can't really overdose this stuff b/c the chaeto doesn't need that much iron, and you aren't dosing large amounts.

Just toss the Fergon tablet into the 400ml of RO/DI water, let it get mushy overnight, and stir it up. After it settles, dose the clear liquid.


You can buy Fergon at most chain drug stores like Walgreens and CVS. Fergon is the only one that I commonly see that is iron gluconate, and it works.

 

[luther1200]

I was just wondering if anybody makes an Iron test kit?