Cheato Disapearing?

[KingRicky]

I have noticed over the last couple of weeks that my Cheato in my Refugium has slowly started to disappear. I used to have to prune it at least once a month, the last time I pruned it back to the size of a softball and now it is smaller than a baseball. All my prams check out so this has me baffled. At this rate I will not have anymore in a week or so. Has anyone else experienced this?

 

[MikeB]

How much flow is going to the fuge. Sounds like your not feeding the fuge with enough flow. It thrives off nutrient rich water and if your not giving it enough water to get nutrients from it will die off in my epxeriance.

 

[ReeferRob]

Too low and or too high mag. can contribute as well in my experience.

 

[Mr E Wrasse]

perhaps your nitrates are low enough that the chaeto can't feed? though i'd say that would be a good thing

 

[subielover]

Any crabs back there?

 

[KingRicky]

Any crabs back there?

No, just a spiny Urchin and some snails.

 

[KingRicky]

How much flow is going to the fuge. Sounds like your not feeding the fuge with enough flow. It thrives off nutrient rich water and if your not giving it enough water to get nutrients from it will die off in my epxeriance.

Not sure, I have the supply to the fuge throttled back pretty good. I will have to measure it this evening.

 

[Ike]

spiny Urchin

Most likely the issue...

 

[110reef]

Mine has disappeared also. Seems the decline coincided with raising the mag to kill off my byropsis. Cheato, gone, byropsis still thriving.:cry:

 

[Myteemouse]

did you start dosing anything in your system?
long shot
but I know dosing microbacter and or vodka will nearly MELT chato.

 

[Ike]

I had magnesium as high as 2200 and chaeto grew fine...

 

[stunreefer Verified Sponsor]

It thrives off nutrient rich water and if your not giving it enough water to get nutrients from it will die off in my epxeriance.

perhaps your nitrates are low enough that the chaeto can't feed?

Yes, chaeto needs something to "feed" off of in order to survive... if there isn't PO4 or NO3 present it will recede. The aquaculture facility I worked at we propagated it, and there would be enourmous amounts in a large holding tank. Eventually it would literally "suck" all the nutrients out and stop growing and begin to die off... at that point we would add fertalizer to keep it going ;)

No, just a spiny Urchin and some snails.

The definition of a refugium is a place where organisms can take refuge with (seemingly) no predation... there's likely little food available for the urchin or snails in the refugium and as mentioned they might be feeding on it. Remove them and see if the chaeto begins to grow again, otherwise it's depleted the nutrients to a point where it can no longer survive let alone grow. FWIW chaeto will release nutrients back into the water column as it dies so I would remove it before it deteriorates into nothing.

but I know dosing microbacter and or vodka will nearly MELT chato.

This is due to the fact that a probiotic system will reduce nutrients greatly... the reduction of nutrients causes the chaeto to die. Same can happen for one running GFO and/or a Denitrator.

 

[ilovereef]

urchin in a reef?

 

[KingRicky]

urchin in a reef?

A buddy had it in his display without a sump and it was munching on his coraline so I got it and put it in my fuge until I can find a better home for it.