Photo period for chaeto
- Thread starter H@rry
- Start date
Tomoko Schum
New member
Anywhere from 10 to 14 hrs of light has worked fine for me.
Tomoko
Tomoko
Tomoko Schum
New member
If you turn off the light above the refugium for 4 to 7 days, you can kill off cyano there without harming chaeto or caulerpa. Cyano cannot store energy in their body for a long time whereas macroplants can. I have done this a few times successfully. It is effective to add more flow to the surface where cyano tends to congregate to keep cyano out.
Plants and macroalgae need a dark period to oxidize the sugar/carbohydrates obtained from photosynthesis and grow. This is known as dark respiration.
Tomoko
Plants and macroalgae need a dark period to oxidize the sugar/carbohydrates obtained from photosynthesis and grow. This is known as dark respiration.
Tomoko
Tomoko Schum
New member
Here's a response from Beaslbob to Harry:
---------------------------------------
Harry:
Try bumping up nitrates with to 5-10 ppm and see if that helps reduce the cyano. that said I do get very sight tinges of red on my chaetomorphia.
--------------------------------------------
Bumping up nitrates works to get rid of cyanobacteria in a fresh water tank. It's a common practice in a planted aquarium injected with CO2. It takes advantage of actively photosynthesizing plants' or macroalgae's ability to take up excess phosphate.
However, this idea is like a double edge sword in a reef tank because elevated nitrate can feed the zooxanthellae in our corals thereby turning them brown.
Tomoko
---------------------------------------
Harry:
Try bumping up nitrates with to 5-10 ppm and see if that helps reduce the cyano. that said I do get very sight tinges of red on my chaetomorphia.
--------------------------------------------
Bumping up nitrates works to get rid of cyanobacteria in a fresh water tank. It's a common practice in a planted aquarium injected with CO2. It takes advantage of actively photosynthesizing plants' or macroalgae's ability to take up excess phosphate.
However, this idea is like a double edge sword in a reef tank because elevated nitrate can feed the zooxanthellae in our corals thereby turning them brown.
Tomoko
Tomoko Schum
New member
I believe that beaslbob adds potassium nitrate - also known as salt peter. Greenlight brand Stump Remover is also pure potassium nitrate. I have some reagent grade potassium nitrate for my FW planted tank. You are welcome to it if you'd like, but I'd try turning out the light for the refugium for 4 to 7 days first. It won't affect your macro and you'll be surprised to find how well it works.
Tomoko
Tomoko
H@rry
In Memoriam
This all got started two months ago when I started feeding newly hatched brine shrimp every other day. We hatched them in a 2 liter coke bottle and poured them in the tank. We thought we were "feeding the coral". After two of these feedings I noticed the green algae on the tank glass was a whole lot worse and then read that you shouldn't pour in the hatching water. So we stared straining the shrimp though a coffee filter. This went on for a couple of weeks. Then the cyano started. I figured the shrimp were what caused it and quit feeding them. Since that time we've had a red blanket on the bottom with bubbles in it. Lori gave me some Phosban and that has helped. I thought that the chaeto might help somehow too.
Here I am for the past several years figuring that nitrates were a thing of the past. Now people tell me I should actually be *putting* nitrates in my tanks! I think I'll just go back to the under gravel filter.
Here I am for the past several years figuring that nitrates were a thing of the past. Now people tell me I should actually be *putting* nitrates in my tanks! I think I'll just go back to the under gravel filter.
Tomoko Schum
New member
Haha, H@rry, it sounds like you were overfeeding your tank.
When I overfeed my 15G tank, the same thing happens. After a little while, cyano goes away. I believe that it's because I have a large plant fuge on that tank - no skimmer, no phosban, no GAC there. I hope your tank will go back to normal with reduced feeding.
GFO seems to help against cyano. I don't get cyano in my 120G even though I feed very heavily everyday. This tank has GFO, GAC and a good skimmer. This tank with Phosban (Phosar now) does not support Chaeto very well. Chaeto tends to do poorly (turns into grey mush) while caulerpa racemosa grows although very slowly. They seem to need a bit more phosphate than caulerpa does.
Tomoko
When I overfeed my 15G tank, the same thing happens. After a little while, cyano goes away. I believe that it's because I have a large plant fuge on that tank - no skimmer, no phosban, no GAC there. I hope your tank will go back to normal with reduced feeding.
GFO seems to help against cyano. I don't get cyano in my 120G even though I feed very heavily everyday. This tank has GFO, GAC and a good skimmer. This tank with Phosban (Phosar now) does not support Chaeto very well. Chaeto tends to do poorly (turns into grey mush) while caulerpa racemosa grows although very slowly. They seem to need a bit more phosphate than caulerpa does.
Tomoko
