Question about cheato

[adudle00]

So about a month ago, I picked up a bag of cheato to add to the back middle chamber of my biocube 14. I took out the bioballs and have a bunch of live rock rubble back there. I just basically put the cheato on top of it. Everything was okay, but during my last water change about a week ago, I noticed that a lot of 'stuff' is starting to get stuck and build up in the cheato. I just left it alone, but then yesterday I was checking on it, and I noticed that there are big bubbles back there (maybe 5?). They're about the size of 1/8" to 1/4". I popped them and then this evening when I checked again there were a couple more. What are the bubbles and why are they happening? Is it normal for 'stuff' to get stuck in the cheato? Should I take it out? Replace it?
I also just checked my water. Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate are all basically 0. Maybe a tiny bit of ammonia, but definitely not 0.25. I don't have any fish, just crabs, snails and a few corals. The tank is almost 3 months old.
Thanks in advance for any advice!
-Ash

 

[SeaBee]

Sounds like a nitrogen bubble. Take the cheato and roll it in there a litle so it gets light on all sides. Is the cheato loosing color?

 

[adudle00]

Sounds like a nitrogen bubble. Take the cheato and roll it in there a litle so it gets light on all sides. Is the cheato loosing color?

The cheato hasn't lost any color, but I will try rotating it around a bit when I do my water changes from now on. I was afraid that if I moved it around and the built up gunk got into the water, it would cause my nitrates or something to spike. I don't know though.

 

[SeaBee]

Are you talkimg about the brown and bubbly stuff that gets in there? If so, that means you dont hve enough water going through there. I would suck it out with a turkey baster, and just roll the cheato like a little each day so it all gets exposed to the light. Sounds like that other algea that grows, and if its in the sump it should be ok, but when in doubt, take it out.

 

[adudle00]

Are you talkimg about the brown and bubbly stuff that gets in there? If so, that means you dont hve enough water going through there. I would suck it out with a turkey baster, and just roll the cheato like a little each day so it all gets exposed to the light. Sounds like that other algea that grows, and if its in the sump it should be ok, but when in doubt, take it out.

Yeah, that's exactly what I'm talking about. I probably don't have enough flow going through there, since it's a small tank and it has the stock pump. I'll try to move it around a bit now and hopefully there won't be as much stuff getting stuck in there. Thanks for your help!

 

[PRC]

It sounds like your popping bubble algae...Don't do that...when you pop it...the "seeds' spread throughout the tank.

 

[adudle00]

It sounds like your popping bubble algae...Don't do that...when you pop it...the "seeds' spread throughout the tank.

Opps...What's the best way to take care of it?

 

[PRC]

You can try to remove it by picking it out with tweezers, but like I said earlier, if you pop it, it spreads around the tank.

If it's just attached to the chaeto I'd grab a pair of scissors and cut the chaeto and remove it.