Hair Algae Outcompeting Chaeto

[Reefering1]

Or just put the hair algea in the refugium and call it a day

 

[floridareeflabs]

Or just put the hair algea in the refugium and call it a day

This is true as well but, many find it unsightly if have display fuge/sump and it can become unmanageable and get sucked into main tank whereas chaeto or sea lettuce if in a floating basket or retaining area tends to be more manageable. Again, your are absolutely right though as it does a great job consuming too.

 

[Tritie]

I am completely unable to keep phos in my system. When it bottoms out, nitrates spike (60ppm plus-at one point it was going up by over 5ppm per day with 1 little fish). I'm dosing about 0.07ppm of phos 4x per day and carbon dosing. GHA is present but not out of control. The chaeto growth is just underwhelming. I would like to get some of the fine strand type, but it's hard to find in Canada.

 

[floridareeflabs]

I am completely unable to keep phos in my system. When it bottoms out, nitrates spike (60ppm plus-at one point it was going up by over 5ppm per day with 1 little fish). I'm dosing about 0.07ppm of phos 4x per day and carbon dosing. GHA is present but not out of control. The chaeto growth is just underwhelming. I would like to get some of the fine strand type, but it's hard to find in Canada.

Out of curiosity Are you heavy feeding and/or what is your schedule? As for chaeto contact our site chat sometime, maybe we can help per Canada as we are a licensed agriculture facility.

 

[jason2459]

I've added a ball of chaeto from Algae Barn 5 different times

Seems like a red flag to me. As mentioned I'd try a different source.

Personally I switched from macro to using an ATS and never looked back. If I'm going to have algae growing I want the majority of it to grow where I can easily harvest it. Otherwise I don't mind some green in the tank that can be grazed on.

I also took @Randy Holmes-Farley lead a while ago and like he posted earlier I also started dosing iron(Ii) citrate and can see my results here https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/diy-the-diy-fe-ferrous-citrate-supplement.307168/

Otherwise lots of good suggestions and some I don't agree with but for them work's fine. For instance, I feed pellets 3 times a day(2 of the times get a double rotation), a couple sheets of nori, and a couple or more cubes or live food a day. And my fish are still constantly pecking and grazing on the rocks for more food.

 

[WhatCouldGoWrong71]

You're using a refugium to grow algae to reduce nutrients. If algae "A" grows better than algae "B", why not go with the flow and let the hair algae be your nutrient export? No different than an algae scrubber...

That is exactly what I am doing in one of my tanks. My chaeto is getting thin and frail (not like me) but I am seeing clumps of hair algae in there, I am just going to let whatever the hell wants to claim that zip code as theirs as theirs. I don't care how I get nutrients out.

 

[apb03]

Personally I'm starting to hate chaeto. I too have hair algae and frankly I'm embracing it. At least hair algae doesn't clog my sump up with micro strands that I have to clean off my aquamesh weekly otherwise my return runs dry.

Already have dragons breath growing in there and think I might just toss some xenia in and remove the chaeto entirely.

 

[Alpha_and_Gec]

Chaetomorpha Strains are Much More Different Than We Ever Knew | Reef Builders | The Reef and Saltwater Aquarium Blog

Chaetomorpha is a genus of macro algae that almost every modern reefer will be familiar with, but there’s still a lot we don’t know about the thin wiry green algae. Whether you call it ‘chee-to’…

reefbuilders.com

Thanks for mentioning this article! I originally thought that the chaeto we keep is uniform across the species, but recently I got my hands on some fine chaeto and realized that there are morphological variance or even a species/subspecies involved. I had originally kept the thick variety and was quite nervous when it started collapsing(falling apart into strands) despite exporting normally, but apparently the two like different conditions.

Oh and if anyone is wondering, Aquariums West in downtown Vancouver has the fine stuff. dang cheap too.

 

[Alpha_and_Gec]

Personally I'm starting to hate chaeto. I too have hair algae and frankly I'm embracing it. At least hair algae doesn't clog my sump up with micro strands that I have to clean off my aquamesh weekly otherwise my return runs dry.

Already have dragons breath growing in there and think I might just toss some xenia in and remove the chaeto entirely.

I’ve had a fair bit of problem with leafy macros… hair algae grows on them and eventually smothers them, be it gracilaria or caulerpa. Even in extremely high flow this seems to happen in gracilaria. I’d like to see what other’s experiences are.

 

[Tritie]

Out of curiosity Are you heavy feeding and/or what is your schedule? As for chaeto contact our site chat sometime, maybe we can help per Canada as we are a licensed agriculture facility.

I feed frozen/refridgerated food 2x per day. 1-2 drops of ROE, 1/2 cube of frozen krill or 1/4 clam (Haikari). I have 2 clowns, a basslet, a bangaii and a fire fish. No one looks thin, but I'm not sure if this is considered "heavy" or "light" feeding. I generally do not feed pellets as I already have nitrate issues.

 

[Jedi1199]

55 gallon lagoon. Eshopps R-100 sump. Fuge and Bubble Magnus Curve Elite 5 protein skimmer.

How do you like that R-100 sump? I have the AR-300 for my system and I love it! Have you noticed any issues with it? How long have you been using it?

 

[Jeroen1975]

How can you suggested feeding tank every three days with out knowing what his stocking is?

Because nothing is said about amount of feeding?

 

[Cichlid Dad]

Because nothing is said about amount of feeding?

Hello, there are many animals in the hobby that are very active and have small stomachs. These fish need multiple small feeding throughout the day. Feeding every three days is no where enough.

 

[jason2459]

There's large animals in the hobby that are very active and have healthy stomachs. These fish need multiple large feedings throughout the day.

IMO of course.....my fish would agree with me though.

 

[a007grif]

My 2 Cents,

There is no "Wrong" answer as as some of the posts suggested it all depends on tank inhabitants and what can work as well as even what you have setup for a refugium/sump/other live mico populations.

I have been reefing since I was 8 years old and taking things home from tide pools and have made too many mistakes to count but also learned from those mistakes (most of the time)... I personally do not feed daily, just doesn't work for me and never has, for multiple reasons both tank stabilization or personal work schedules.

I have found feeding every 2-3 days on average is my sweet spot, i sometimes even go 4 days if I am away (long weekends away). I dose copepods weekly or bi weekly even though i have well over 200 lbs of rock and know and see populations of them but I ensure there are TONS, which also included phyto when I feed every 2-3 days. I also feed heavy if I know I need to leave and cant feed for a few days.

I have yet to have fish die from starvation and have had one of my systems setup and running for over 10 years now (rock is 20 years old) and yet to have issues.

Now, back to Chaeto... I believe in it and I use it (i have used sea lettuce too, macroalgae is great), I have had issues in the past from too little or too much lighting and lack of nutrients but in the end my chaeto grows so fast I give tons away monthly or trade as LFS for things like food (they even keep a bank for me there to put towards new fish or supplies).

Anyways, hair algae was an issue years ago when I couldn't get lighting right and nutrients way too low or WAY WAY too light but typically for me it was when things were too low and chaeto struggled to grow so hair algae kicked up as it will grow any chance it can get.


So, in my opinion do what works, your going to get tons of answers on how it "could" be done but in the end do what works for you and it will take some experimenting. This is a forum where you ask and you will get lots of info, hopefully good but again just because works for one person does not mean it will work for the next.

 

[jhadaway]

I'm more or less where you are at. The GHA always wins, so why fight it? I'm pulling the light from the fuge and leaving it there for pods. I'm also nuking the algae with Flux Rx. Once the GHA is gone from the tank and I do a few water changes I'm installing an algae scrubber. Once I upgrade to a larger tank in a few years I'm going to try a fuge again on a much larger scale. I'd much rather do things with a fuge but enough is enough. Good Luck!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I'm more or less where you are at. The GHA always wins, so why fight it? I'm pulling the light from the fuge and leaving it there for pods. I'm also nuking the algae with Flux Rx. Once the GHA is gone from the tank and I do a few water changes I'm installing an algae scrubber. Once I upgrade to a larger tank in a few years I'm going to try a fuge again on a much larger scale. I'd much rather do things with a fuge but enough is enough. Good Luck!

Have you tried iron dosing, as suggested earlier in the thread?

 

[adammarcos]

I have the same issue, no matter what I do in the refugium, the hair algae always wins and it does nothing to reduce the algae in the tank itself.....

 

[Court_Appointed_Hypeman]

If the chaeto is getting covered in GHA just keep shaking it off.

If the chaeto is not getting GHA on it, keep dosing iron and eventually it will take off.

If your nutrients are hitting 0 pull GHA, I guess actually pull GHA when you can regardless, but removing it to let your chaeto soak up more nutrients it will help.

I had a kessel I borrowed for a little while when my chaeto was melting due to what turned out to be trace element decline. I had to return the light and didnt want to go back to my $12 amazon grow light that did work pre melt, so I got a $30 amazon grow light and its working better than the Kessel, but that may have more to do with aclimation time than the light itself, but its a different spectrum, the kessil was very white, the amazon grow light it very red and pink.

You can get algae no matter what while having chaeto until all of your surfaces have been colonized by organisms that won't allow gha to take hold. So manual removal will be necessary to a degree until you CUC can keep up with it.

I had a GHA outbreak in my fuge recently, and there is barely any area for it becayse the chaeto fills most of the space, but it came in, I had to manually pull it every couple days and after 3 weeks it stopped coming bacchaeto is great nutrient export, and definitely helps keep nutrients low and out of reach of other algaes, but it can't stop it all together, its a system at play, there are other factors that have to be accounted for and time for those factors to line up.

If you have super clean rock its gonna get algae until something not visible takes that space from the algae.

Figure out what you want to do for the chaeto, I recomend a 12 to 14 hour light cycle, keep the flow going with your power head, and dose an amount of iron or chaeto grow you decide will work in the meantime. If its small chaeto, maybe start with a lower dose. The. Keep your regimen consistent for a few months. Same light spectrum and cycle, roughly same flow, maybe give the chaeto a shake every day or 2, keep the dame chaeto grow dosing schedule. And eventually it will take off. There seems to be a huge kag in it really doing its job. After a melt event or major change.

Edit: once it takes off, you can start changing things up imo. It seems to tolerate changes better once there is good growth. My light cycle is up to 16 hours atm, and I dose 5 to 10ml, depending on how I feel that day, of chaeto grow for a ball about 5 gallons in volume. Not sure what I am doing is at all optimal, but it works.

 

[adammarcos]

If the chaeto is getting covered in GHA just keep shaking it off.

If the chaeto is not getting GHA on it, keep dosing iron and eventually it will take off.

If your nutrients are hitting 0 pull GHA, I guess actually pull GHA when you can regardless, but removing it to let your chaeto soak up more nutrients it will help.

I had a kessel I borrowed for a little while when my chaeto was melting due to what turned out to be trace element decline. I had to return the light and didnt want to go back to my $12 amazon grow light that did work pre melt, so I got a $30 amazon grow light and its working better than the Kessel, but that may have more to do with aclimation time than the light itself, but its a different spectrum, the kessil was very white, the amazon grow light it very red and pink.

You can get algae no matter what while having chaeto until all of your surfaces have been colonized by organisms that won't allow gha to take hold. So manual removal will be necessary to a degree until you CUC can keep up with it.

I had a GHA outbreak in my fuge recently, and there is barely any area for it becayse the chaeto fills most of the space, but it came in, I had to manually pull it every couple days and after 3 weeks it stopped coming bacchaeto is great nutrient export, and definitely helps keep nutrients low and out of reach of other algaes, but it can't stop it all together, its a system at play, there are other factors that have to be accounted for and time for those factors to line up.

If you have super clean rock its gonna get algae until something not visible takes that space from the algae.

Figure out what you want to do for the chaeto, I recomend a 12 to 14 hour light cycle, keep the flow going with your power head, and dose an amount of iron or chaeto grow you decide will work in the meantime. If its small chaeto, maybe start with a lower dose. The. Keep your regimen consistent for a few months. Same light spectrum and cycle, roughly same flow, maybe give the chaeto a shake every day or 2, keep the dame chaeto grow dosing schedule. And eventually it will take off. There seems to be a huge kag in it really doing its job. After a melt event or major change.
Speed Test
Edit: once it takes off, you can start changing things up imo. It seems to tolerate changes better once there is good growth. My light cycle is up to 16 hours atm, and I dose 5 to 10ml, depending on how I feel that day, of chaeto grow for a ball about 5 gallons in volume. Not sure what I am doing is at all optimal, but it works.