Chaeto alternative

[jd371]

I'm not looking for tips on growing Chaeto because I've tried them all and it still eventually breaks apart and makes a mess in the sump. Just wanted to know if someone had the same problem and switched to another Macro Algae and had success?

 

[EW_Fish]

You could just run media instead of macro.

 

[AlgaeBarn]

We usually suggest growing sea lettuce. Provided your parameters are in good shape, it grows in large sheets and doesn't break apart as easily as chaeto, but has similar nutrient absorption rates and growth rates! Also, (unlike chaeto) it is a great supplement for everything from tangs to emerald crabs to urchins.... Well, you get the idea. It can be "recycled" in part back into a weekly treat for your livestock that likes eating nori and other algaes.

 

[jd371]

You could just run media instead of macro.

The tank in question is my small Anemone tank. It's a 20g with a 10g sump with no reactor just a filter sock for filtration. With some small patches of algae in the tank I was hoping to grow some Chaeto to outcompete the algae. I might just throw a bag of Chemipure in the sock and see how that does.

We usually suggest growing sea lettuce. Provided your parameters are in good shape, it grows in large sheets and doesn't break apart as easily as chaeto, but has similar nutrient absorption rates and growth rates! Also, (unlike chaeto) it is a great supplement for everything from tangs to emerald crabs to urchins.... Well, you get the idea. It can be "recycled" in part back into a weekly treat for your livestock that likes eating nori and other algaes.

No Tangs but I do have emeralds and an Urchin. The only thing that scares me is what happened to Hemmdog's tank in this thread.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/at-wits-end-with-chaeto.635357/

 

[Mr Fishface]

I use caulerpa prolifera and enjoy it. Gives me kind of a sea grass look and flows in the current. Plus my boxfish is enjoying swimming through the blades lol.

 

[JustAnt]

I use sea lettuce. No problems

 

[Bret Brinkmann]

I have 5 different caulerpas, halimeda, dragon's breath, and a few others. I also think I have issues with them going sexual as I have been getting large pH swings and I suspect my O2 is all over the place too. If you go caulerpa, then remember that it's better to trim early than late.

The term out compete has got people thinking only what YOU want will grow. Not true, the undesirable stuff just grows more slowly in my experience.

 

[brawthy]

We usually suggest growing sea lettuce. Provided your parameters are in good shape, it grows in large sheets and doesn't break apart as easily as chaeto, but has similar nutrient absorption rates and growth rates! Also, (unlike chaeto) it is a great supplement for everything from tangs to emerald crabs to urchins.... Well, you get the idea. It can be "recycled" in part back into a weekly treat for your livestock that likes eating nori and other algaes.

Thanks for the tip! I definitely want to try this, because I hate how nasty cheato gets. What should we be wary of when using it as opposed to cheato? Could I use my cheatomaxx light for the lighting, or does sea lettuce have different requirements?

 

[Ebslinger]

How about growing xenia instead of a macro algae?

 

[Darth.Daddy12]

You could just run media instead of macro.

And increase water changes by 500% lol that’s horrible option.

 

[Darth.Daddy12]

I use caulerpa prolifera and enjoy it. Gives me kind of a sea grass look and flows in the current. Plus my boxfish is enjoying swimming through the blades lol.

Not sure I’d ever risk using caulerpa.. eventually sooner or later you’ll want to get rid of it and you can tear down the entire tank and bring back up and still have it.. worst option possible imop.

 

[brawthy]

How about growing xenia instead of a macro algae?

It will migrate to the display at some point

 

[Darth.Daddy12]

I'm not looking for tips on growing Chaeto because I've tried them all and it still eventually breaks apart and makes a mess in the sump. Just wanted to know if someone had the same problem and switched to another Macro Algae and had success?

Imop there is two ways to properly export nutrients from a tank . That’s cheato (only breaks apart when flow is too high)

Or turf scrubber. A turf scrubber is much more effiecent then cheato but also a lot more work. Turf scrubbing needs higher lighting and more flow vs cheato which will grow in any flow and lighting.

I don’t think there is a better option and as far as outcompeting what in the tank... that’s impossible.. your feeding your tank the best most expensive lighting you can afford running it prob 12h a day and expecting your cheap lighted fuge lit 8h a day to compete?

This just isn’t logical or a fault of the cheato. You’re flow is too high which is why it breaks apart. Second you have other issues in your rank that are your fault not the cheato which is why you’re growing algae. There is no quick fix. You need to figure out what it is your missing or doing wrong and correct it to get rid of the display issue.

 

[EW_Fish]

And increase water changes by 500% lol that’s horrible option.

500% what are you talking about

 

[Darth.Daddy12]

500% what are you talking about

500% what are you talking about

There is no bio media on the market that’s going to replace a fuge not even close. By doing so you’ll only increase needs to donwater changes and keep water parameters in check. There is no manic sauce to keeling nitrates and pho’s down in a tank.. only natural consuming plants. That was my point. You can by 1000lbs of export or whatever your choice.. it won’t ever come close to what a gold ball size price if algae with some light can do..

 

[acropora4u]

i added Chaeto about a month ago, run a led for fuge 12 hrs a day ( reverse cycle) and PO4 is down to 0.03 and holding steady and any algea in the display is dissapearing...iTS THE STUFF to go with.

 

[JustAnt]

Thanks for the tip! I definitely want to try this, because I hate how nasty cheato gets. What should we be wary of when using it as opposed to cheato? Could I use my cheatomaxx light for the lighting, or does sea lettuce have different requirements?

I use a kessil H80 and it grows my sea lettuce fine. Doubled in size in around 6 weeks. I run the light 9 hours very night. That’s it. Easy peasy.

 

[C-Reefer]

Not sure I’d ever risk using caulerpa.. eventually sooner or later you’ll want to get rid of it and you can tear down the entire tank and bring back up and still have it.. worst option possible imop.

Completely agree. Found a tiny sprig of cualerpa growing on a rock a few months back, immediatly ripped it out and scrubbed the spot and long story short it completely overtook the tank. took a complete tank overhaul and the addition of a one spot foxface and now I am happily cualerpa free. Never ever will have cualerpa anywhere near my tank again. Now cualerpa Prolifera I may try in my anenome/macro/mangrove lagoon tank because I don't care if its overun.

 

[Darth.Daddy12]

i added Chaeto about a month ago, run a led for fuge 12 hrs a day ( reverse cycle) and PO4 is down to 0.03 and holding steady and any algea in the display is dissapearing...iTS THE STUFF to go with.

It really is the way to go for lower maintained tanks. Medium lighting decent flow and most will have a hard time keeping nutrients up and have to reduce lighting periods. It’s abkut as easy as it can get.

 

[Darth.Daddy12]

I use a kessil H80 and it grows my sea lettuce fine. Doubled in size in around 6 weeks. I run the light 9 hours very night. That’s it. Easy peasy.

I know many with advanced systems like using lighting like this but it’s way overkill imop.. a cheap grow light for $10 is plenty and you adjust lighting times to nutrient levels. That’s why I personally like cheato as lighting source make little difference unless you over light and have to start dosing back. Harder to do with say a kessil then a $15 bulb.. kessil are way over kill for any fuge with a 2-300gallon tank or smaller.