Cheato problems

[Joe Batt]

Hi All

I am having a problem growing cheato in my refugium.

When I first put it in there was a spirt of growth and I slowly increased the lighting up to a 12 hour reverse cycle. Now it just seems to slowly die on me.

I am running a Kessil H380 around 10 inches above the refugium. My nitrates are around 5 and Po4 around 0.03. Im using Triton and Core 7 so that doses iron as part of the mix.

Can cheato get too much light?

 

[Katrina71]

Is it turning white?

 

[Joe Batt]

Not really just the bits out of the water dry up a turn white. Just seems to go mushy and limp

 

[Joe Batt]

Any ideas anybody?

 

[dwest]

Any ideas anybody?

I’m wondering if your phosphates are really closer to zero... your recent increase in photoperiod then subsequent stoppage of growth indicates a limiting algae nutrient. Did you recently change fuge lighting or have you had the H380 for a while? Either way I would either decrease photoperiod or dose phosphates and see what happens.

 

[Fitzty]

Same thing happened to me. Take your ramp up slow. I have a cheap grow LED from amazon and my expensive 380 just sits there. It’s huge now. I would buy a clamp and grow light and get the 380 slowly introduced.

 

[Joe Batt]

I’m wondering if your phosphates are really closer to zero... your recent increase in photoperiod then subsequent stoppage of growth indicates a limiting algae nutrient. Did you recently change fuge lighting or have you had the H380 for a while? Either way I would either decrease photoperiod or dose phosphates and see what happens.

The latest ICP last week showed Po4 slightly elevated. I test Po4 with Hanna ULR phosphorus checker and have a rough calibration of the readout between it and the ICP. I don't think its the Po4.

I am cutting the lighting period back from a solid 12 hours, to 21:00 to 06:00 in periods of 20 on, 10 off. That works out as 6 hours, a 50% reduction. Lets see what happens.

(Possibly get a piece of frosted perspex and put it over the refugium to reduce the H380's par for a few weeks)

 

[Flippers4pups]

My experience with the chaetomorpha algae is when it stops growing, reduce the photoperiod. Sounds like your on the right track doing that. To reduce the release of excess nutrients and toxins back into the water collum, remove the parts that are dead/white.