Chaeto: What a difference

[JLAudio]

I just want to post a quick thread stating what a difference chaeto made in my tank after I added it to the sump.

First off my tank is very well maintained, with a monster skimmer, phos reactor and low bioload. My nitrates were 0 and phos was 0 on a crappy kit. I always do 10% weekly w/c's (RODI) but I still would come home to find algae film on the glass, and hair algae developing.

I decided to use a small section of my sump to hold a softball sized ball of chaeto, and a cheap walmart aluminum light with a 65 watt pc bulb (total $25).

The difference is miraculous! hair algae is slowly disapearing and no more algae film on the glass in 2 weeks. I would not suggest this for someone who is not first keeping up good husbandry and employing a skimmer compatable to bioload, but if you are doing all the other aspects of reef keeping right this is great way to minimalize any nutrients that are still in the water.

Just happy to keep coming home from work and not having to clean glass every day and hair algae almost gone

 

[fernandokng]

How often are you cleaning/trimming the cheato? Are there a lot of detritus stuck in it?

 

[mray]

Please trim your chaeto. I didn't trim mine for 6 weeks and it died causing cyano. I removed what was left of it today.

Edit: Oh and 10,000k light can't grow chaeto for crap. Use 6,500k or 5,500k for the best growth.

 

[JLAudio]

Thanks MRAY I will look into temp, Ill look into it and make sure I trim it aswell

 

[Deep Dive Coral]

in my opinion 6500k in no good as well. iv read 5500k or 5700k is the best on an oposite time of DT with lights or on 24hrs a day. this will stop it from becoming a sexual and that is a bad thing

 

[Eznet2u]

Chaeto does not go "Sexual" as other macro algae will.
I have to agree, it makes a big difference in a tank.

 

[mray]

I know it doesn't go sexual and I didn't claim that it did. My chaeto was so dense and compacted that the chaeto in the middle wasn't getting light. It died and disintegrated

 

[Eznet2u]

in my opinion 6500k in no good as well. iv read 5500k or 5700k is the best on an oposite time of DT with lights or on 24hrs a day. this will stop it from becoming a sexual and that is a bad thing

I'm sorry if I offended you, but I was correcting Camanuch.

 

[JLAudio]

I will keep a close eye on it, if it appears to be disintegrating, I will remove it and get more and do it again.

The difference is crazy as far as algae goes.

 

[Eznet2u]

No need to remove it, just find a good looking piece and trim the bad stuff off.

I second the 5500k bulb suggestion. I have given away a ton of this stuff, but within a week or two, it's back.
What are your nitrAtes? What is the wattage of the bulb?

 

[ZANYMASTER]

Good point.Maybe I should start trimming mine as well.My nitrates are also zero but Po4 might not be even with the skimmer and a phosban reactor.I have tons of life in there too.

 

[JLAudio]

Im not sure the temp of the bulb but its 65 watts. My nitrates are 0 according to aquarium pharm test kit, and were even before adding chaeto. My phos are also 0 according to same kit, but have been told that test isnt accurate.

 

[Eznet2u]

If you still have the package, or know the brand/model that you have, just go back to the store and read the back of the package.
Usually in the lower right, it will have the rating mixed into other numbers.

kinda like this...
11556353001165465

only it's not going to be in bold.

 

[basiab]

I have a small piece in my 10 gallon and it keeps nitrates down to zero. There are times it grows a lot and I have to trim it, there are times it seems to stay the same for months and there are times it disintigrates. Have not been able to figure out what is causing the differences.

 

[GQ22]

anyone ever run a led light to grow this? I saw an LED halogen type bulb @ HD i was thinking of running some on.

 

[ZANYMASTER]

LED'S don't have the temp you need to grow macro.You need like 6500k or a bit less.