[oct2274]

I can tell you one thing, it took me months to figure out how to maximize my chaeto growth. Alot of things you read are just not right and can lead to it being unhealthy, dead, or having very slow growth.

Things i have learned

1. too much light is not good. contrary to belief.......intense lighting is not needed for optimum growth and can even slow growth or totally kill it. I've played alot with different bulbs and distance from bulb to water. The best bulb i have found so far is the cheap 20 watt 6500k bulb from walmart with an 8 inch clipon reflector from homedepot. The bulb can be no closer then 9 inches from the water/chaeto. I recommend 10-11 inches for the best growth It is best to start it further away and slowly move it closer till you get the results you are looking for rather then frying the chaeto and killing it.
2. depending on your water conditions you may have to suppliment iron. for me this was one of the turning points for mine. I use the kent iron. I would dose at 1/2 to 1/3 of what is recommended on the bottle until you see growth take off. I then stop dosing until i see a noticeable decrease in growth.
3. it likes flow, but it doesn't have to be extreme flow. mine gets around 500-600gph over the top portion of it. the bottom doesn't get much direct flow.
4. Pruning is key, but don't over do it. I would say do medium to large prunings and let it go for about two weeks or until it starts filling it's space back up. I would not prune more then once a week for sure.
5. Lighter color isn't always necessarily bad. Usually lighter color comes from rapid growth or too intense lighting. If you use the bulb and reflector i suggest above at the distance recommended you will get a medium green color on the top portion directly under the light and on the edges and underneath it will be deep green.
6. It may not grow well in a newly setup tank because there aren't alot of nutrients. In this case keep the size of the chaeto ball small so that it doesn't starve itself.