What's the problem with my cheato???

[PatMayo]

I have a 30 gallon sump and have cheato in the sump. I use the following lights based on a test on Melevs Website. I use 2 lights and run them 24/7. The cheato grows just great for about the first 2 weeks I have it. In fact it grows like a crazy. But after 2 to 3 weeks the chearo starts losing it's green color and kind of starts to disentegrate.

The tank us using a truckload of alklinity and calcium I assume from the massive amounts of coralline that is growing. I am dosing saturated kalkwasser and in addition I have to dose 120 ml of alk and calk in the am and 120 ml of alk and calk in the pm. I use Randys 2 part. I don't dose anything else.

Parameters are
alk 2.9 to 3.5
calk 420
mag 1300
ph runs 7.8 to 8.3. 8.3 for a short time after dosing the alk in the am and pm.

What can be causing this? Anyhelp would be appreciated.

The lights I use are linked below.

http://www.lightbulbsdirect.com/page/001/PROD/Reflectors/1P381951


http://www.melevsreef.com/fuge_bulb.html

I don't think it is the lights because it grows so fast but then yukes starts falling apart. I mean this grows so fast I had to harvest it in the first 2 weeks.

I also have an MJ 1200 in the sump to give the cheato some more flow.
What else can I tell you to try to get this settled. Oh I also run a small amount of carbon in a reactor and RowaPhos as well.

Thanks in advance.

Regards,

Pat

 

[outy]

your tank sounds identical to mine lol exept mines 100g and 50g sump

im using a allot of turbo ca and baking soda. 3 tsp turbo ca and 4tsp baking soda

my chaeto did the same thing and from what i hear thats what it does. it sucks the junk out of you water till its clean and grows like weeds in the meen time. once the water is clean and no food is present the growth slows.

[its not melevs bulb, my cheap 100w spot was the same way you described too]

what i have seen is that the under side of the chaeto ball fills in and grows greener and thicker and the growth is harder to notice but it is still growing

 

[graveyardworm]

Sounds like some sort of nutrient limitation, Nitrate, Phosphate, or possibly iron. These are the major ones. It could be just one or a combination.

 

[PatMayo]

Thanks guys. I just spied an article by RFH about dosing Iron to help macroalgae. I'm going to try that. I have a real bad brown HA problem but it's improved dramatically so maybe you have something there, nutrient starvation. I guess that is a good thing. I may have to reduce the amount of cheato so it has more nutrients. Coupled with the iron supplment maybe that will help.

I report back later to close this.

Thanks again.

Regards

Pat

 

[slowECUdiver]

David hit the nail on the head, Pat. your chaeto grows great because there's plenty of nutrients for it to consume. chances are, it's hitting a wall, so to speak, and has completely depleated your system of the unwanted/excess nutrients.

personally, i thin my chaeto out every third water change to a managable baseball size. for the past 6 months, it's never turned white or begun to disentegrate.

bear in mind that if you decide to dose iron, make sure it's reef-safe--as in no copper. most iron supplements i've seen on the market are for FW, and hence have some trace copper elements. i do believe Kent's has come out with an iron supplement for us macro growers. if you can find it, please share your results with us!

 

[graveyardworm]

I'm using the Kents iron myself. So far no problems just follow the dosing instructions. Iron tends to go pretty quick, it precipitates out pretty quick, plus corals and macros alike use it. I bought a Seachem iron test kit at the same time, but NSW levels are the lower limit of the test so it never even registers.

 

[PatMayo]

I guess I will save the money and not buy the test. I have the Kent's coming as well.

I did trim back the cheato quite a bit last night. I left both lights on. I will see that it looks like tonight. As well I may turn off my GFO for while and see if it helps the cheato. Randy suggested I do the same thing. I just don't want to get the dreaded hair algae back. It's almost gone but not quite. I don't want a relapse.

I also have new lights coming. They have been in since January, although the first few months I only have them on for 5 or 6 hours a day. But just to eliminate causes I am replacing the Actinic and the MH light bulbs.

Anyway, I'll check back in a few days and let you guys know how things are growing.

Thanks again for the input I appreciate it.

Regards,

Pat

 

[PatMayo]

Update. got the Kent's iron yesterday and started dosing. I am still leaving the lights on 24/7. I trimmed back the cheato yesterday at the same time I did my normal weekly 12 gallon water change. I trimmed it back so that only the good green is in the sump. Today some other portions of it are turning white and looking like crap. I'm going to continue to wait and see what happens.

Regards,

Pat