Saltwater tumbleweed: what is your experience with Chaeto?

[Peace River]

Saltwater tumbleweed: what is your experience with Chaeto?

Whether in a refugium or an algae reactor, Cheatomorpha (often referred to a Chaeto) is a tool that reef keepers use to improve the water quality in their tanks. What is your experience with Cheato? Have you grown it? Did you grow it in a refugium, algae reactor, or something else? Have you been successful growing it, did you run into problems, or maybe both? Was it wiry or soft? What shade of green was it? Tell us about your experience and please share any tips or challenges in the discussion thread.

Photo by @hart24601

 

[o2manyfish]

I grow lots of it. I mean about a 5g bucket a week. I was growing it in the overflows of my outdoor frag tanks. But after a coral wipeout last March I ignored the frag tanks for 6+ months and the chaeto went from the frag tank over flow to the 180g (2 of ) frag tanks. And the chaeto just lying in low flat tanks and soaking up the winter sun was producing enough chaeto to remove a full size plastic trash bag every two weeks.

For over a decade of monitoring phosphate levels the levels in my system have been high. Usually Phos is 1.6-1.8 but it's run as high as 2.4 for over a year - Without any algae issues.

Now after 10+ months of outrageous chaeto growth I'm seeing phos level of .06 to .08. And now I have algae issues in the frag tanks I didn't have with the higher phos levels.

Dave B

 

[Kathy Floyd]

Following.... I don't have any, so very curious what people have to say.

 

[cwerner]

I grew a lot in my old tank. Nowadays I prefer a turf scrubber, but it worked just fine. Chaeto itself isn't very useful except as nutrient export. The herbivores in your tank won't really eat it. It's a great refuge for pods and bristleworms though.

 

[Pseudoskill]

I grew some in the overflow part of my 40L IM tank. The chaeto itself grew really well but I could not get my nitrate levels up enough to support corals no matter what I did. I had 6 fish and feed daily, still registered dang near zero on RedSea and Hanna nitrate tests.

 

[Reefer Matt]

I grow it in the reef tanks, doesn't grow well in predator fowlr. I put it in a floating basket with a cheap grow light. I don't add anything extra to make it grow.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Ive had good luck with chaeto growth but grew so fast I could not give it away fast enough and I wanted use of the space in sump it was in, so I pulled it all and went with an algae scrubber which i still utilize

 

[zoomonster]

Chaeto works great and grows fast. I just use a cheap clip-on fixture with a 100w 6500k compact florescent that's on at night. The only problem I have is containing it. Little filaments manage to get around and clog up pumps and reactors like hair in a vacuum.

 

[ReefGeezer]

I had Cheato in a big ball in a lighted section of my sump. I also had it in a basket fed by my calcium reactor effluent. Both worked. The problem I had was that it was unnecessary. I was adding ammonium and phosphate stock solutions to keep nitrates & phosphate detectable and keep the Cheato growing. At the same time, I had poor growth and color in my corals. I replaced the cheato with a cryptic refugium. I have to manage nitrates and phosphates a little now but my corals are growing much more rapidly and have better color.

 

[shakacuz]

have been keeping and selling it here and there since i started my tank!

 

[twentyleagues]

I had a large display refugium on my last system which grew well. I had calurpa, dragon tongue, a blue and sea lettuce (sorry i foget the scientific names) oh ulva! that did ok with removing phosphates and nitrates. I added some chaeto to my sump got it rolling well and had a issue with to low nutrients. My display fuge started looking bare and corals were sad. By itself in a high nutrient system its probably great.

 

[fowler279]

I currently grow chaeto in my fuge section of the sump. Grows well and controls my phosphates pretty well. Nitrates still a little high. Starting to think the hair algae is actually consuming more of the Phosphates than the chaeto but it does grow well. Not seeing all the benefits of it but still working on the hair algae so we will see.

 

[Cichlid Dad]

I grow chaeto in my sump. I pull out 3/4 every 2 weeks and it fills the refuge that fast. I heavy feed so I need heavy out. I use a 27.00 Amazon grow light.

 

[littlebigreef]

The real question to vote on here is how do you pronounce it.

 

[Dburr1014]

I grow it and give it away to who ever wants it. If can't find anyone, I throw it on my back lawn.

 

[t5Nitro]

Chaeto seems easier than an algae turf scrubber, doesn't it? It seems easier to pull and throw chateo than taking the screen off a scrubber and manually cleaning the screen. I feed heavily.

Would red ogo grow just as easily if well lit and be of similar utility? Plus food for herbivores.

I tried ogo in the past. And it all melted away to nothing.

 

[NkSde]

I grow it in my nano to give it some more cleaning, about to transfer that ball to an external and plumb in though.

rn it’s a home for my pod seeds and helping filter the nano.

 

[kdx7214]

I have some in a lighted part of my sump, but it's still small a year later. Hasn't grown a bit.

 

[vtecintegra]

I grew it in a reactor. It was a total mess All kinds of slime and junk also grew in it. I had to constantly remove and wash the chaeto, and scrub the reactor.

 

[NewReefAdventure]

I have tried and I have failed... even changed out the cheaper grow light for a tunze... it does not grow for me that said, I do have a small piece of caulerpa successfully growing so I can at least grow something and the tangs like it.