Chaeto/algae questions

[renogaw]

Ok. i've bought chaeto from two people here. I've got some from the LFS. I have the whole refugium set up as suggested here . i have the light that melev's reef suggests (the PC in the spotlight that puts out 5100k and 75w) and it's about 5" away from the water. The chaeto does not seem to be growing, and i still have algae growing on my glass and i just beat another outbreak of cyano yet my phosphates and nitrates all read zero from multiple test areas (inside the wetdry, inside the DT at 2 different levels, and from the fuge). i have no hair algae (never have really) and my coralline is growing like mad. should i be expecting the chaeto to be growing or is it starved? if it's starved, why would i have the algae growing on my glass still, or is that going to just be there forever?

 

[dejaco]

Calm down grasshopper! If as you say your water parameters are all "fine" then relax. The fish and inverts will produce wastes, not every bit of food you put into tank will be eaten and that will become waste. The Chaeto will not starve to death. I usually only have to thin mine out every 3 - 4 months.

 

[renogaw]

hehe, just a little confused is all everyone says how much their chaeto grows like weeds and i'm not seeing any growth at all, actually a decline. anyone else?

 

[bang guy]

Couple thoughts.
What is the waterflow to the refugium? Many hobbiests incorrectly believe that the flow rate should be slow. It should be at least 8X.
The algae on your glass is probably Diatoms. Diatoms are better than any other type of algae at obtaining nutrients. The only way to limit Diatoms is to limit Silicates.
Are you sure the offending slimey stuff is Cyanobacter? Is it possible that it's Dinoflagillates?
Macro algae does not instantly adjust to a new environment. It will take time to adjust to your refugium and start to grow.

 

[renogaw]

oh boy, what's a dinoflagillate?
the silicates shouldn't be introduced to the tank anymore, since its been up for over 6 months right? i haven't added any lr or ls and i have to scrape or scrub every 3-4 days to keep the glass looking good. my kole tang loves the stuff though so i keep one wall not scrapped--i see his mouth marks all over it lol.
i have no clue what the flow rate through the fuge is. i have a ballvalve that is half closed and can open it up. the mag5 (or 9... cant remember now) is the return for both the fuge and the wet/dry.

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by renogaw
oh boy, what's a dinoflagillate?
the silicates shouldn't be introduced to the tank anymore, since its been up for over 6 months right?
True if you're using deionized water. Diatoms are not a terrible thing. Most snails in the hobby are 100% dependent on Diatoms and they benefit many filter feeders.
As long as you don't have to clean the glass daily then you're probably fine.