Algae having algae

wontonflip

wontonflip

I failed Kobayashi Maru
I've actually been struggling with this since the fuge was on my 45g. Basically, my chaeto is alive and well, but I keep having to rinse them off. They get red algae growing on them, thereby blocking out light, and slowing growth. So I end up rinsing them. I will admit to being bad about rotating them as much....do any of you have problems of your chaeto getting covered in red algae? Maybe I should rotate once a day.

I had Biff's chaeto in a separate place, and it's doing well. But I've now moved the bunch with the new ball after I rinsed them off. I shut down my above tank fuge for now. I just seem to be getting a lot of red algae up there....at least they're not IN my dt.

I'm guessing high phosphates are part of the cause (I haven't gottena test kit yet for phosphates)...but I thought the chaeto would help keep the phosphates down?

The lights I have on there are 23 watt clfs (equivalent to 100 watts), and they're I think 6500K. They're currently on 24/7. They were previously on a reverse rotation with the dt lights (but I got slow growth that way -- I had more luck having lights on 24/7).

So what could be the cause of the agressive algae growth? Or is it normal, and I just have to rotate the chaeto more often?
 
This is just a guess Wonton.But I'd say to just either flip your chaeto more often.Or maybe even place a small powerhead in your fuge to keep it slowly tumbling. :dunno:
 
Yeah I considered doing the powerhead...but the fuge is tiny...it's maybe a gallon only. I do have a k1 that *might* be weak enough.... I was going to encase the chaeto in a mesh basket to keep big chunks in place. I have to clean the fuge out again. It's a pita cuz it's high up and hard to reach.
 
I gave up on my chaeto completely as it also kept getting completely swamped with red slime algae even with a K1 in there. It just never seemed to grow and wansn't benefitting my tank in the long run.
 
I also have a small 1 or 2 G fuge and sometimes get some red slime on my cheato. I never rinse it. You really need to cut back your chaeto on a regular basis. But I would say your problem is too much light. I recently set my fuge light back from 12 to 8 hours a day and the red slime grows much more slowly now. I can usually cut it back before the red slime begins. 8 hours a day of fuge light on my cheato keeps my phosphates undetectable. Cheato is one of the best ways to keep phosphate low. Its a known fact that skimmers alone will not get all 'trates out.
 
Thanks everyone....

Ironically, Sen, when i first started my fuge in my 45, I had lights on 24/7..and no red algae problems....then at one point, I think a few months after starting, I switched to more of an 8-10 hour/day schedule and that's when my red algae began on my 45g and slowed chaeto growth. So when I moved it to the 125, I put it on a 24/7 schedule.

Oh and when I say "rinse" I mean in old tank water from water changes :) I just shake off the red algae, lightly rub them off with my fingers.

I'll switch to an 8-10 hour schedule again and see if makes a difference, plus a k1 in the fuge.
 
I'm thinking of adding a seperate fuge for my cheato. It's starting to grow hair algae on it. I keep my lights on 24/7 on it. Just don' t seem to have enough flow for it. I have to shake it and flip it a few times a week right now. I don't really rinse it ever though.
 
My chaeto died about a week ago. It was covered in algae. My 2 floodlight 26W CFL's do not give a temp rating so I am not sure what they are. When I get more chaeto I'm adding a pump to make it tumble in there. I have a 700 gph pump laying around. Is that too much? I'll try it. I do like running the lights 24 hrs a day. While the chaeto was growing I had very little algae in the DT. Now, in the week the chaeto has been gone the algae has been blooming. My sand is clumped in it and the goby can't keep up.
 
Last edited:
Chris_150G said:
My chaeto died about a week ago. It was covered in algae. My 2 floodlight 26W CFL's do not give a temp rating so I am not sure what they are. When I get more chaeto I'm adding a pump to make it tumble in there. I have a 700 gph pump laying around. Is that too much? I'll try it. I do like running the lights 24 hrs a day. While the chaeto was growing I had very little algae in the DT. Now, in the week the chaeto has been gone the algae has been blooming. My sand is clumped in it and the goby can't keep up.
Click to expand...

People underestimate what a powerful 'trate reducer cheato is.
 
Chris_150G said:
My chaeto died about a week ago. It was covered in algae. My 2 floodlight 26W CFL's do not give a temp rating so I am not sure what they are.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's why I've rinsed mine in used saltwater....the red algae is blocking the light. I've been rotating it more now, as well, and sort of flipping it inside out, which essentially blocks the light from the algae that's been flipped inside, kills it, and by the time I flip it inside out again, the algae that was inside the ball is gone, and the chaeto it covered is healthy again.
 
I was thinking about this problem. How strong is the flow on your cheato? I have a Rio 6hf with a capacity of 350 gph pushing water through my cheato.

I've had a little red slime on mine but it never grew out of control. I cut mine back only twice a month.
 
Biff, this is not "Biff's amazing chaeto"* advertising thread. I demand you cease and desist this instant!




*that does not necessarily voice the thread owner's personal views, even though said owner did order some of that wonderful stuff.


:mrgreen:


sen5241b said:
I was thinking about this problem. How strong is the flow on your cheato? I have a Rio 6hf with a capacity of 350 gph pushing water through my cheato.

I've had a little red slime on mine but it never grew out of control. I cut mine back only twice a month.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I did not put any powerheads in the fuge with it at the time. I had little flow. So I raised my intake tube above the water to create more movement, but it did not help. So yes, my next step is to stick a k1 in there to tumble the chaeto. I will stick some rock rubble in there, too, for the pods.
 
Woohoo! Hopefully it is okay, that's the longest it's taken to arrive anywhere. And you are right next door in CA! It was supposed to be 2-day. :grumble:

Post pics!
 
wontonflip said:
Biff, this is not "Biff's amazing chaeto"* advertising thread. I demand you cease and desist this instant!




*that does not necessarily voice the thread owner's personal views, even though said owner did order some of that wonderful stuff.


:mrgreen:




Yeah, I did not put any powerheads in the fuge with it at the time. I had little flow. So I raised my intake tube above the water to create more movement, but it did not help. So yes, my next step is to stick a k1 in there to tumble the chaeto. I will stick some rock rubble in there, too, for the pods.
Click to expand...


A K1 is way to much for even a 10G fuge. I would get a lil powerhead from Petsmart.
 

Similar threads

J
Chaeto help
Replies
1
Views
2K
AnotherReefHobbysit
A
J
PULLING-OUT MY HAIR!
Replies
0
Views
2K
Jeff P.
J
A
Converted saltwater to fresh, trouble keeping PH down...
Replies
0
Views
2K
AquaMom
A
H
New here but not new really
Replies
2
Views
3K
SantaMonica
SantaMonica
B
Need an ID on this type of algae any help?
Replies
2
Views
2K
13Austin
1
Back
Top