Question about light setting for Chaeto algae

[hrdneglcry]

I have a programmable led on my refugium. Online I read that a light spectrum of red, 30% green and 15% blue is good for growing chaetomorpha. Ok so I am doing that. But not too long ago I bought a Kessil H150 Purple and put it on my other refugium which had Chaeto. The Chaeto grew overnight. So my cheato is growing but not fast. I did't want to deal with pruning it so I took down the Kessil. But it grew so fast. Any tips on what the proper spectrum should be for growing Chaeto? Should I go back to the purple Kessil and let it grow rapidly? Should I be growing it fast and pruning and throwing it away (the excess)? Seems like gonna be pitching copepods.

 

[Reefing102]

I have no idea the proper spectrum. I believe chaeto will grow under any lighting conditions. That’s not to say certain spectrums aren’t better. I have my Cheato under a standard soft white LED ($3 bulb in a dome light) and have no issue with growth.

I think it’s more of a personal preference of how fast you want it grow and effectively remove nutrients. Not sure if this helped at all but that’s my experience

 

[FishTri]

Consider growing and pruning to maximize nutrient export (which is the whole point).

Yes, pods are mixed in with the cheato. Give it a good/gentle shake as you prune it. If you fill a white container with water from the refugium and shake the chaeto in the container before disposing, you can see some of the larger pods fall off. Throw back into the refugium or main DT.

Almost any light source will work. Some better than others. My system runs on 4000k, 5000k and/or 6500k T5HO (whatever is laying around). They all seem to do the job.

 

[hrdneglcry]

Ok. Mine hasn't grown fast enough to prune but it is growing. I use leds on both fuges. I was going to wait to prune until it fills the whole chamber. Is that okay or should I prune before? Its been in there about 3-4 months.

 

[FishTri]

If it is not growing fast, that may be an indication that the nutrients available for growth are low (a good thing).

I let mine grow to fill the refugium. At a certain point you may find that a scum starts clogging the top of the chaeto mass along the water line. Remove that so that light can continue to penetrate deeper into the chaeto.

 

[Uncle99]

Red.
Growth should be balanced in a way that maintains a trace amount of nitrate and phosphate.
So if you need to reduce a lot, go with your “purple” if that one grows chaeto fastest.
If your just maintaining current values, the red peak is what most use, green and white, sure.
It this one case where we actually want to grow algaes.