Cheato floatinf

[schmoore89]

How do I keep my cheato from forming a thick mat on the top of my fuge?? It's quite ugly and I don't like it..... please help.

 

[Labridaedicted]

Higher flow may help. Bubbles can accumulate inside the mat since it is producing oxygen.

 

[schmoore89]

Are you suggesting a pump?

 

[Labridaedicted]

A small powerhead would likely help. I try to tumble my chaeto slowly. Gets more even light and generally remains healthier.

 

[Labridaedicted]

Also, how often do you thin your chaeto mat? If it gets too big it often. Gets dead spots which I've found to be bouyant.

 

[schmoore89]

I try to take half once every couple of weeks.

 

[schmoore89]

I don't have a huge sump. Just a 10 gal below my 55. Idk if I have room for a small power head.

 

[schmoore89]

I believe it's cheato. Could be something else. You decided.

 

[schmoore89]

 

[schmoore89]

 

[Labridaedicted]

Hard to tell in pics. Is it just stiff wiry green curls, or is it leafy. It almost looks like feather caulerpa in the pic. If it is, caulerpa roots and will often float if not attached

 

[mbmax]

It is caulerpa.

 

[Labridaedicted]

It is caulerpa.

+1. Got home to my tablet and got a bigger look. It's definitely caulerpa. If it's smooth leaved, it's C. prolifera. Also, I belive this species has pneumatocysts which would explain the floating.

 

[schmoore89]

So caulerpa or cheato. Pros, cons, keep it, sink it, let it float?!? So many questions!!

 

[Labridaedicted]

Caulerpa. Works the same as chaeto, really. It's going to be hard to keep it from floating if it's not rooted due to pnuematocysts (think water wings for algae) which keep it upright when rooted or floating when loose.

One con to caulerpa vs chaeto is that it can "go sexual" and release gametes into the water. This can result in the caulerpa popping up all over the display, too, which can sometimes be an issue.

 

[schmoore89]

Any real issue or problem with ripping out the cualerpa and switching to cheato??

 

[Labridaedicted]

Any real issue or problem with ripping out the cualerpa and switching to cheato??

Nope. Should be good. And the chaeto shouldn't float

 

[Bob Escher]

How do I keep my cheato from forming a thick mat on the top of my fuge?? It's quite ugly and I don't like it..... please help.

I just go And move it around every morning rotating it

 

[Bob Escher]

Nope. Should be good. And the chaeto shouldn't float

Mine cheato floats why wiuldnt it

 

[Labridaedicted]

Mine cheato floats why wiuldnt it

Sometimes it does sometimes it doesn't. It doesn't inherently have mechanisms to float if I remember right. No pneumatophores. Should have fairly neutral buoyancy