So apparently chaeto hates me bc I can’t seem to keep it alive for more then a month tried 3x and get good growth for about 4-6weeks then it just gets really weak and dies off. I am using a AI Prime fuge light and dosing BA chaetogro and still samething. I do have high nitrates and phosphates, and I am running quite a bit of flow through the refugium. I tried different light intensity too, so I’m thinking of just selling off the light and investing in an algae turf scrubber since I have no problem growing hair algae. So my question is which would be more effective the scrubber or a bio-pellet reactor. Thanks
Turf algae scrubber or bio-pellets
- Thread starter Dra49ers
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EmdeReef
2500 Club Member
Cheato can be finicky. If it grows in your tank it can be a great nutrient export but the moment you have to start dosing stuff it’s not worth it honestly. I’ve switched to ulva and have to harvest it twice a week.
Algae is better at exporting both nitrate and phosphates, biopellets will impact nitrates much more than phosphates. Tuning the reactor takes some practice and time or you can reduce nitrates too much.
I’d give ulva a try first and then you can invest in a scrubber.
Algae is better at exporting both nitrate and phosphates, biopellets will impact nitrates much more than phosphates. Tuning the reactor takes some practice and time or you can reduce nitrates too much.
I’d give ulva a try first and then you can invest in a scrubber.
AlgaeBarn
Marine Aquariums Made Easy!
Before you jump ship, can you go over your parameters? Can you also post some tank photos? I think we could get it growing for you.
Okay thanks, I’m using the AI Prime fuge light at only 50% intensity and followed the dosing directions for the brightwell chaetogro. It’s a fish only system 20% monthly water changes, Red Sea skimmer rated for 500 gallon fish only tank (my tank has a total water volume of 180-200g) change socks and filter pad every 3rd day.
Ammonia 0ppm
Nitrites 0ppm
Nitrates 65-90ppm ( hard to distinguish color chart)
Phosphates 5.0ppm
Snookin
Well-Known Member
Why are you trying to grow cheato in a fish only tank? If you have an algae problem then feed less and do a week long blackout with multiple water changes. Run gfo and strip water of phosphates.
Realposition
Community Member
Water changes are a pretty expensive and labor intensive way to bring down nutrients in a big tank. I'd rather grow algae or dose carbon.
AlgaeBarn
Marine Aquariums Made Easy!
@Dra49ers Can you post photos of your display?
Can you also post a video of the water flowing through the sump? I want to get an estimate for flow down there. The cyano on the chaeto makes me think flow isn't the best.
Some notes
The macro that always seems to work when chaeto doesnt is sea lettuce. For your setup, I would recommend the 4oz portion (softball - https://www.algaebarn.com/shop/macroalgae/clean-sea-lettuce/). If it doesn't work, I'll extend a 100% guarantee that the sea lettuce will work. We routinely have tanks that bottom out on nitrates/phosphates when the sea lettuce gets going. You can moderate this by pruning more sea lettuce, so it doesnt suck it down so fast.
Can you also post a video of the water flowing through the sump? I want to get an estimate for flow down there. The cyano on the chaeto makes me think flow isn't the best.
Some notes
- The hair algae may be inhibiting the growth of the chaeto.
- A lot of times we recommend a manual prune of the hair algae, and then boom, the chaeto takes off.
- Do you have the skimmer before or after the chaeto?
- Do you have a spare pump(something like a maxijet/pond pump/small return pump)? I can show you how to get the chaeto tumbling with one of those.
- Lighting: I would ramp the intensity of the AI fuge to 100%. 16/8 (on/off) reverse photoperiod. I'm not a fan of 24 hour on.
The macro that always seems to work when chaeto doesnt is sea lettuce. For your setup, I would recommend the 4oz portion (softball - https://www.algaebarn.com/shop/macroalgae/clean-sea-lettuce/). If it doesn't work, I'll extend a 100% guarantee that the sea lettuce will work. We routinely have tanks that bottom out on nitrates/phosphates when the sea lettuce gets going. You can moderate this by pruning more sea lettuce, so it doesnt suck it down so fast.
Sorry it took so long I’ve been trying to post the videos but i keep getting an error message. Can you PM me with an email address I can send the videos to?
I have the skimmer before the refugium, yes I do have an extra mj1200 I can use, I will change the lighting schedule as you suggested. Thank you again for your help.
I have the skimmer before the refugium, yes I do have an extra mj1200 I can use, I will change the lighting schedule as you suggested. Thank you again for your help.
AlgaeBarn
Marine Aquariums Made Easy!
You can send it to [email protected], Please put in the title ATTN: SEAN - Turf algae thread R2R
Thanks for the display tank shot, wanted to make sure the display wasn't covered in hair algae.
How heavy are you skimming (does it look like light tea or does it look like sewer skum)?
I sent the videos via email, the skimmer collection cup comes out with a really dark gunk not light at all, in regards to hair algae inside the display there is only some on the back wall and on one of the flat pieces of rock. I tried to scrub most of it off but by no means was may tank covered in hair algae.
AlgaeBarn
Marine Aquariums Made Easy!
Got the video!
The main culprit I would pinpoint will be flow in the refugium. It looks like the flow is pretty laminar (smooth) and flowing mainly over the top. We want to ensure that good mixing is occurring all around the chaeto to ensure that it has a constant supply of nutrients (CO2, Nitrate, Phosphate, etc). If the flow is too slow, you get this very thing boundary layer on the chaeto itself that prevents the chaeto from getting the nutrients it needs.
Can you send me a profile shot of the sump and I can show you where to place the maxijet and how to plumb it?
Darth.Daddy12
Active Member
Plants need iron to grow. Small amounts of it but very essential nutrient. Ime cheato is little more resilient then algae. I run both algae scrubbers and cheato fuges depending on if the system is fresh or salt water as for crest there really isn’t any other good export options. My first initial action is you’re way overpowering your fuge with that light. I use cheap Chinese acke lights and growth doubles in a week time. I also don’t reduce flow through my fuge it’s gets full filtration flow as I like the fact it acts like a filter pad collecting detritus and the pods eating it up.
I use same cheap lighting on my scrubbers although imo regular 5500-6500k lights seem to work better. I run reduced flows through my scrubbers as I don’t want to be breaking off pieces clogging pumps up.
All this said I way underpower my lighting on either compared to what you’ll be told is preferable lighting and I also have migrated to almost 24/7 lighting on the fuge (which testing is starting to show to be beneficial for growth and nutrient export only needing to reduce lighting times on coral tanks to keep from stripping everything.)
Here my view.. they both work very well. How well do you need? My 10g pico with 6 fish gets purposely overfed with a full cube daily and softball size cheato with 12w red blue light running 16h holds that nutrient input steady at 5 and .1 I can increase time to 20h and reduce further and run 24/7 and strip all nutrients and run 0-0.
Tanks I run scrubbers on I’ve had nitrate and pho’s issues of 50ppm weekly increases and 2.0 accordingly. (125g freshwater predictor tank with 36 fish all 4-12” most around 6-8” feeding is 8oz hicari daily lol. A simple diy upflow scrubber with 12w 6500k bulb was able to eat up 50ppm and 2.0 pho’s as it is able to hold that tank steady wo getting worse. Recently added a small reactor converted to scrubber using cheap grow rope lights and in 10ish day that addition has brough the tank down to 10-20ppm and 1.2 pho’s.. last I checked it was still dropping. These were cheap 1h builds from parts laying around mind you to test. I’ll be making a larger version properly plumbed under tank and running off a fx6 output soon.
The moral is they both work and work too well. My advice contrary to what most antidotal theory is.. run a 6500k light on your fuge and be done. Planted tanks all run 6500k lighting I see no reason to over power a fuge with $300 display lighting. A $12 bulb in 6500k par38 size placed in a reptile 8” heating reflector will grow anything you want ever.
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