Chaeto dying fast - PAR 200 too much?

Steverd

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 16, 2018
Messages
243
Reaction score
175
Location
Washington
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
My Chaeto is dying fast.
II had a FULL chamber of Chaeto two weeks ago, now almost nothing.
I am using a UFO light what is giving 200 par is that too much? Is that melting the Chateo?

Temp is 77
Sal 1.024
Kent marine Iron - Manganese
Tropic Marin Pro Reef salt
Nitrate 20

THOUGHTS?
Thank you

IMG_3310.JPG
 

Spare time

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 12, 2019
Messages
12,039
Reaction score
9,674
Location
Here
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I have mine directly under an AI prime HD on full blast so I don't think that is it. Any clue what your phosphates are?
 

Pistondog

5000 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 28, 2020
Messages
5,263
Reaction score
9,402
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
My Chaeto is dying fast.
II had a FULL chamber of Chaeto two weeks ago, now almost nothing.
I am using a UFO light what is giving 200 par is that too much? Is that melting the Chateo?

Temp is 77
Sal 1.024
Kent marine Iron - Manganese
Tropic Marin Pro Reef salt
Nitrate 20

THOUGHTS?
Thank you

IMG_3310.JPG
Its not excessive par.
Check iodine with icp test or get some lugols and put in a drop a week.
Removing chaeto reduces iodine.
 

xrouter

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 15, 2020
Messages
93
Reaction score
155
Location
UK
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Don't want to thread hijack but I am having this exact same issue and my die off look identical and came here to ask same question. Also can't check my iodine level but have brought some `Continuum Reff Basis Cheato Grow`, cant find out if it has any iodine in it but will be dosing as soon as it arrives.

I turned down my Kesil H80 to half intensity just encase that was the issue but from what people are saying here that is not going to be the issue...readings are

1601236724749.png


Phospate spike seems related as it was stable prior to issues with die off.

1601236920221.png


Tank is two months old and doing water changes every week.
 

Saltyreef

I'm not your dad...
View Badges
Joined
Nov 25, 2018
Messages
7,041
Reaction score
6,030
Location
Central Coast, California
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Don't want to thread hijack but I am having this exact same issue and my die off look identical and came here to ask same question. Also can't check my iodine level but have brought some `Continuum Reff Basis Cheato Grow`, cant find out if it has any iodine in it but will be dosing as soon as it arrives.

I turned down my Kesil H80 to half intensity just encase that was the issue but from what people are saying here that is not going to be the issue...readings are

1601236724749.png


Phospate spike seems related as it was stable prior to issues with die off.

1601236920221.png


Tank is two months old and doing water changes every week.
Is the chaeto your only source of nutrient export?
 

xrouter

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 15, 2020
Messages
93
Reaction score
155
Location
UK
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
No, Skimmer + socks, think that is too much currently?

I had planned to feed heavy hence the 3 methods but didn't want to over do it until the tank is stable but I'm certainly not going light on feeding currently. I do have diatoms in the sump and so there must be some nutrients?
 

hart24601

5000 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 18, 2014
Messages
6,576
Reaction score
6,630
Location
Iowa
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
It can be tough to figure out why chaeto dies off. Really if there is a limiting nutrient of any type it will die off. Despite using AWC it wasn’t until I added chaetogro on a doser that it took off despite trace elements being “ok” on triton test and detectable nitrate and phosphate. To the original question, no 200 par isn’t too much. Mine floats about 8” or less under h380 and that was 1500-1800 par last time I tested it at that depth!
 

ScottB

7500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 5, 2018
Messages
7,873
Reaction score
12,155
Location
Fairfield County, CT
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
No, Skimmer + socks, think that is too much currently?

I had planned to feed heavy hence the 3 methods but didn't want to over do it until the tank is stable but I'm certainly not going light on feeding currently. I do have diatoms in the sump and so there must be some nutrients?
Most new systems are PO4 limited unless you inherited some old, PO4 loaded rock (which I have no problem with). What is your test kit for PO4?

Macroalgae dies because something is limiting. NO3, PO4, I, Fe, or lighting. Could also be trace stuff but I've not experienced this problem. A refugium is always a very LATE addition to what I typically build. It is a great tool for solving a nutrient export problem, but IME that doesn't take place very quickly unless someone is feeding far too much.
 

xrouter

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 15, 2020
Messages
93
Reaction score
155
Location
UK
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Most new systems are PO4 limited unless you inherited some old, PO4 loaded rock (which I have no problem with). What is your test kit for PO4?

Macroalgae dies because something is limiting. NO3, PO4, I, Fe, or lighting. Could also be trace stuff but I've not experienced this problem. A refugium is always a very LATE addition to what I typically build. It is a great tool for solving a nutrient export problem, but IME that doesn't take place very quickly unless someone is feeding far too much.

All my test kits are Salifert. P04 was barely registering (hard to tell between 0 & 0.03) until the last few week or so. Maybe that was the issue then and the die off is generating the PO4 now.
 

xrouter

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 15, 2020
Messages
93
Reaction score
155
Location
UK
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
On the iodine, it seems this can be removed by carbon which I was running. Don't supose you were doing the same OP?
 

xrouter

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 15, 2020
Messages
93
Reaction score
155
Location
UK
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
OK I turned off the flow to the carbon and started dosing Cheato Grow and turned light back up full and die off has stopped and cheato is now a nice dark green so clearly I was missing something and based on everyone's comments I think that was iodine but whatever it was the Cheato Grow had instant effect!
 

Mastering the art of locking and unlocking water pathways: What type of valves do you have on your aquarium plumbing?

  • Ball valves.

    Votes: 37 54.4%
  • Gate valves.

    Votes: 37 54.4%
  • Check valves.

    Votes: 15 22.1%
  • None.

    Votes: 15 22.1%
  • Other.

    Votes: 6 8.8%
Back
Top