growing chaetomorpha

dadummy

dadummy

Member
hello folks,
how does everyone grow thier chaeto?
what lighting?
water flow?
additives? (such as Iron)
does it tumble? or sit still?
I have some chaeto under 28W pc with a 6700k bulb. at first had minimal flow with no growth.
then increased flow with minimal growth.
I read you want to tumble the chaeto for it to grow.
I don't have an iron test kit, so I haven't dosed iron and don't want to fuel the hair algae
If tumbling is the best option I will have to devise something for the chaeto to roll in or take the rock out of the fuge, the algae gets snagged.
is there something else missing?
thanks for your time
 
weberian

weberian

Member
I just replaced my fuge light. Went from 50W phillips grow light bulb (incandescent) to a 65W pc 6500K $40 fixture from Home Depot. Cheato has tripled in size in the last two weeks since I made the change. It's a Lights-of-America fixture, plastic-encased for outdoor use, near the electric timers in my local Home Depot. I forget who told me about it, but it was someone from here at SWF.
My flow is at it's max, but the cheato doesn't really move, but like I said, it's growing good now.
 
hurt

hurt

Active Member
High flow, my fuge has a 40X turnover, and I wouldn't mind if it was a bit more. I use a 65w pc 10K light. I also put some in my overflow and it grows faster than the chaeto in my fuge does(MH lighting, tumbling, and very high turnover)
 
kingspade

kingspade

Member
does chaeto NEED flow other than what flow it can attain from the water comming from the drain pipe? would you reccommend i put a powerhead in my fuge?
 
dadummy

dadummy

Member
thanks for the replies,
i will try more light, have been looking for a deal on a ballast and such, can get 2 X 28 6700k retro for like 35 bucks
 
blazehok68

blazehok68

Active Member
I Use 2 Mini Pc Lights 1-20w 1-10w, Minimal Flow, And My Cheato Grows Like A Weed. I Also Keep The Light On 24/7
 
T

thomas712

Guest
Originally Posted by Hurt
High flow, my fuge has a 40X turnover,
:scared: :scared:

That's insane, and not normally the way a refugium is designed to work, but I'm curious as to what you feel your success is like with a turnover rate like that.
Please explain your refugium, any sand or just the macro?
Thomas
 
hurt

hurt

Active Member
That's insane, and not normally the way a refugium is designed to work, but I'm curious as to what you feel your success is like with a turnover rate like that.
No-not insane at all, just the results I have experienced. I have a 20g fuge which normally operates with just 15 gallons. It has roughly 600 gph actually going through it=40X. In my fuge there are 3 different compartments. The areas to which I have experienced the best growth of chaeto are between the first two baffles and in the last chamber(return pump). These two areas actually have more "flow through." The middle chamber is the actual fuge and has less "actual flow" and this is the area to which it grows a bit slower. Also I have recently put a ball of chaeto in my overflow and that is really growing fast. If I calculate the turnover in this area: maybe 1/2gallon with 600gph going through it=1200X turnover :scared: . This area also has MH lighting, but this water is very fast and is the area to which I have experienced the best growth. Thus, from my experience chaeto does best with HIGH FLOW.
Please explain your refugium, any sand or just the macro?
Water enters on the right, is skimmed, goes under the first baffle into the actual fuge chamber, where another skimmer is located. Then goes over the last baffle to my return pump. Also I have a 3 inch sandbed with Oolitic sand(.2mm-the smallest stuff)
Here is an older picture of my fuge. On the far left(return chamber) and between the first two baffles are the areas to which I have experienced the best growth. Again this is an old picture and thus no chaeto in these two areas of this picture.

 
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