What's wrong with my refugium?

[Jeremy165]

Could you please help me understand why won’t my Chaeto grow?

125 gallon tank plus 30 gallon sump. My sump is the Eshopps AF-300 with refugium.

Tank is 3 months old. I’ve dosed pods to DT and QT. Corals, fish, and inverts all look very happy. But my chaeto doesn’t look happy, is losing its green color and getting smaller.

I have 1 banggai cardinal, 1 filefish, 1 firefish, 1 starry blenny.

About 25 snails and 20 hermits, 3 shrimp, 1 tuxedo urchin

Is there not enough flow in the refugium area?

Or not enough light?

This is my refugium light. And I have it on 16 hours a day, opposite the time my DT lights are on.
Amazon product ASIN B07T9Y7LQ4Configuration: Total 42 LEDs, 30 pcs 6500K white LED, 6pcs blue LED, 3 pcs pink LED, 3 pcs Green LED.
Lumens: 1050.
8.4 watts.

Or just not enough nutrients to grow?

Thank you!

 

[kingranch2003]

Could you please help me understand why won’t my Chaeto grow?

125 gallon tank plus 30 gallon sump. My sump is the Eshopps AF-300 with refugium.

Tank is 3 months old. I’ve dosed pods to DT and QT. Corals, fish, and inverts all look very happy. But my chaeto doesn’t look happy, is losing its green color and getting smaller.

I have 1 banggai cardinal, 1 filefish, 1 firefish, 1 starry blenny.

About 25 snails and 20 hermits, 3 shrimp, 1 tuxedo urchin

Is there not enough flow in the refugium area?

Or not enough light?

This is my refugium light. And I have it on 16 hours a day, opposite the time my DT lights are on.
Amazon product ASIN B07T9Y7LQ4Configuration: Total 42 LEDs, 30 pcs 6500K white LED, 6pcs blue LED, 3 pcs pink LED, 3 pcs Green LED.
Lumens: 1050.
8.4 watts.

Or just not enough nutrients to grow?

Thank you!

Id say at 3 months in, your nutrients could be too low. Any recent measurements of n03 or p04?

 

[Catawba_Valley_Reef]

Generally two reasons, not enough light or not enough nutrients.

This is a really young tank with a low bioload. Four small fish is not much at all.

What are your nitrates and phosphates?

I would hold off on adding chaeto until you really need it….to help bring doen no3/po4.

 

[Jeremy165]

Thank you!

Nitrates and phosphates both test at zero.

I had a few weeks of really bad hair algae. So I got a tuxedo urchin, 2 turbo snails and a starry blenny. I was testing for nitrates and phosphates but it was coming up as zero. It was probably all in the hair algae. The urchin, turbos and blenny knocked out almost all the hair algae and I still test at zero for nitrates and phosphates.

 

[Catawba_Valley_Reef]

I would try to get your nitrates and phosphates up so they are measurable on a consistent basis.

Once the tank matures and you have consistent no3/po4 levels, then you can add chaeto and it should do well for you.

 

[slagman]

Generally two reasons, not enough light or not enough nutrients.

This is a really young tank with a low bioload. Four small fish is not much at all.

What are your nitrates and phosphates?

I would hold off on adding chaeto until you really need it….to help bring doen no3/po4.

Use britwell cheato grow I been using the tunze refugium ligh and been growing crazy