Please help!!! My chaeto is dying!!

[Dom]

I'd like to know what your total water volume is, the size and frequency of your water changes.

 

[Thespammailaccount]

How do I add iron?

Red Sea trace elements is great it has iron in it. I light my cheto 24 hours a day because I feed heavy and keeps nitrates at 5ppm. Heavy in heavy out and it grows like a weed with just a cheep GE grow light.

 

[Thespammailaccount]

Red Sea trace elements is great it has iron in it. I light my cheto 24 hours a day because I feed heavy and keeps nitrates at 5ppm. Heavy in heavy out and it grows like a weed with just a cheep GE grow light.

Red Sea trace elements does require calcium testing at the least. All for reef supplement might have iron in it not sure if you have to test though

 

[Dom]

I'm puzzled about something: If the purpose of adding Cheato (or any other macro algae) is for nutrient export, why are we adding nutrients to get the chaeto grow. No growth should equal low to not detectable levels of nutrients, which is the goal.

 

[Natescorals]

I'd like to know what your total water volume is, the size and frequency of your water changes.

20 gallon long with a 2.5 gallon refugium.
I’m doing water changes weekly. I’m also running filter floss
Poly filter pad
Phosgaurd
Purigen and
Seachem matrix, and a skimmer.

 

[Natescorals]

I'm puzzled about something: If the purpose of adding Cheato (or any other macro algae) is for nutrient export, why are we adding nutrients to get the chaeto grow. No growth should equal low to not detectable levels of nutrients, which is the goal.

Lol

 

[Dom]

20 gallon long with a 2.5 gallon refugium.
I’m doing water changes weekly. I’m also running filter floss
Poly filter pad
Phosgaurd
Purigen and
Seachem matrix, and a skimmer.

So you are doing weekly water changes on a system with a total of 22.5 gallons. How big are your weekly water changes?

 

[Natescorals]

Lol

Well it’s not growing and my nitrates and phosphates are more than high enough to grow chaeto so nitrates and phosphates aren’t the issue. I’m deficient in something else

 

[Natescorals]

So you are doing weekly water changes on a system with a total of 22.5 gallons. How big are your weekly water changes?

2.5 gallon water changes

 

[Natescorals]

Red Sea trace elements does require calcium testing at the least. All for reef supplement might have iron in it not sure if you have to test though

But how can I test for iron? What are iron levels supposed to be at to grow chaeto?

 

[Natescorals]

Nutrient import is very low

 

[Natescorals]

So I don’t understand how nitrates and phosphates are so high. I know that their high too because the water looks a bit cloudy

 

[Thespammailaccount]

I'm puzzled about something: If the purpose of adding Cheato (or any other macro algae) is for nutrient export, why are we adding nutrients to get the chaeto grow. No growth should equal low to not detectable levels of nutrients, which is the goal.

I add nutrients to feed my fish and corals which also include some NPS corals and filter feeders which require frequent heavy feeding. The waste of the feeding nitrates and are removed from the water column from the cheto that uses nitrate and phosphates to grow

 

[Thespammailaccount]

But how can I test for iron? What are iron levels supposed to be at to grow chaeto?

I would go with this. It is the cheapest and easiest solution. This one you dose based on Alkalinity level.

 

[Natescorals]

I add nutrients to feed my fish and corals which also include some NPS corals and filter feeders which require frequent heavy feeding. The waste of the feeding nitrates and are removed from the water column from the cheto that uses nitrate and phosphates to grow

I don’t really understand that but beautiful tank!

 

[Thespammailaccount]

I would go with this. It is the cheapest and easiest solution. This one you dose based on Alkalinity level.

 

[Natescorals]

I would go with this. It is the cheapest and easiest solution. This one you dose based on Alkalinity level.

Go with what?

 

[Thespammailaccount]

 

[Natescorals]

Oh okay thank you!!

 

[Natescorals]

But doesn’t all that come with my salt mix? What about the iron?