Weird purple film on Chaeto...help

[Jojo1628]

I tried to clean my refugium and only find that I think my chaeto is dying...or it's dead already...i don't know what kind of weird purple film is? a type of algae?? will anything eat that? my tank has been running for 13 months and I have daylight bulb shinning on top of the chaeto, still don't know why it doesn't grow...here's a picture of the purple film...my refugium is diry as hell now, main display tank is looking great tho

 

[yote]

Probably cyano bacteria.But as long as its in the fuge,I'd dont know that I would bother it.

 

[Jojo1628]

but is this killing off my chaeto?? I don't want the cyano bacteria to spread to the main display, what's the best lighting spectrum for chaeto? I'm thinking I should use halogen type bulbs instead of those energy saver bulbs for it...

 

[Smitty]

+1 Yote, I have different algae in my fuge also, including a little cyno, but as long as it's in the fuge and not the tank, I'm ok with that...Thats one of the purposes of the fuge is to attract the algaes to it and not the dt. I would leave it alone, and just add more cheato.

 

[Jojo1628]

thanks for the inputs...what would be the best spectrum / type of bulbs for chaetos??

 

[Smitty]

Any type of daylight bulb should do, my hang on fuge is directly under the pc lights I have.

 

[daugherty]

look for a cfl bulb that says 6500k

 

[mng777777]

I tried to clean my refugium and only find that I think my chaeto is dying...or it's dead already...i don't know what kind of weird purple film is? a type of algae?? will anything eat that? my tank has been running for 13 months and I have daylight bulb shinning on top of the chaeto, still don't know why it doesn't grow...here's a picture of the purple film...my refugium is diry as hell now, main display tank is looking great tho

I have the same situation going on in my fuge. The chaeto starts to grow and then the Cyano grows over it, then the chaeto grows some more. It's a nasty mess of cyano, chaeto, bristles, and pods, but may tank looks great so I cant complain.

Hey look I just hit 500!

 

[yote]

Hey look I just hit 500!

Congratulations on hitting 500 posts.:D
Now you need to get a life:mrgreen:

 

[Bifferwine]

Hey look I just hit 500!

Heh small potatoes! How 'bout you try and keep up with the big boys?! ;)

 

[daugherty]

Heh small potatoes! How 'bout you try and keep up with the big boys?! ;)

some people dont live on here like dustin he is going to pass you in a few months biff

 

[Jojo1628]

I'm on my way to 100 yay!!

 

[mng777777]

I want so badly to be a big boy! Someday hopefully my dreams will come true...

 

[wontonflip]

So far, the only bulb that I've found to work well for me is this stupid Brinks CFL floodlight. I call it stupid because it only lasts me a month because I leave it on 24/7. Prior to that, I used a regular floodlight and my chaeto died. After I put in the CFL, my chaeto is just HUGE. I'll be selling some to my lfs just to make space.

I've tried the n:vision brand from Home depot...only to have it turn off after a few hours of being on. To get it to work, I had to unscrew it, and put it back in after a few minutes. It was a 26W, i think, equivalent to 130w...not sure.

My Brinks cfl that I use is 23w, equivalent to 120w. If anyone has better suggestions for tried-and-true bulbs that last, do let me know. As much as I love how the Brinks is making my chaeto thrive, I hate changing it out every month.

 

[mng777777]

most fixtures have a built in heat activated cut-out switch. If the switch senses too much heat, it cuts out, to prevent fire. You might try a smaller bulb, or a bigger fixture.

 

[XxKnuckleheadxX]

im using the energy saving bulb also cfl bulb 6500k.. so far so good. im not running 24/7 im running reverse from the display.

 

[mng777777]

most fixtures have a built in heat activated cut-out switch. If the switch senses too much heat, it cuts out, to prevent fire. You might try a smaller bulb, or a bigger fixture.

BTW: my point was that I think most of us use the 6500k bulb from home depot that you are having trouble with. I personally use the 26w bulb, probably the exact one that you are having issues with. You should try a different fixture for it before you buy another brinks bulb. Just make sure that the fixture is rated high enough to handle the bulb you want to use. Realize that even though the CFL uses less energy, it still produces the same amount of heat as an incandescent bulb. An easy way to judge the compatibility of the fixture to a CFL bulb is to compare the equivalent rating of the CFL bulb to the fixture. In other words, the 26w CFL says on the pack, equivalent to a 100w incandescent bulb. Even though it's only drawing 26w, It's still going to produce the same heat as a 100w incandescent bulb would, and therefore it doesn't belong in a 60w or even a 75w fixture. I hope that helps!

 

[dcantucson]

Heh small potatoes! How 'bout you try and keep up with the big boys?! ;)

Bifferwine, Just how many hours do you think you have spent posting 16,000+ posts? Wow!

 

[sen5241b]

I had a chaeto die off after one of my 2 fuge bulbs died. Chaeto needs a good strong plant light! I'd estimate 10-15 watts per gallon. I have a 2G fuge and 30 watts of Halogen light. My chaeto grows well and has to be cut back twice monthly.

 

[mennazeher04]

Im in the process of making a fuge and i was just wondering where to get a fixture and what type? I know that is what you all are talking about now but i dont think this was mentioned. thanks.