Fluorecent lamps for Chaetomorpha may not be optimal

[CJ]

Originally posted by TheMandarinFish
24 / 7 light in a refugium is supposed to help control PH swings, increase macro growth, and reduce the likelihood of caulerpa going sexual, correct?

What helps control pH swings is when you have the refugium lights on a reverse cycle, that is they are on at night while your tank lights are on during the day. Photosynthesis consists of two different phases which are influenced by both light and temperature, those are actually series of reactions. To keep it simple, plants capture energy from the sun, your light in this case, and use CO2 to "make" their food with or without light. It's all very complicated but if you are on a reverse cycle you are evening out the removal of CO2 and stabilizing your pH to a certain extend.

I don't have any personal experience but I have seen posts that would indicate that 24/7 lighting reduces the likelihood of caulerpa going sexual. However, you say you have Chaetomorpha. Chaetomorpha does not go sexual, that is the beauty of it.

[Eric Boerner]

I originally posted to this thread 4 months.

I had a problem with my chaetomorpha not growing for the past 6 months prior. In fact, it seemed to be on a decline at that point.

In the past month, my chaetomorpha is now on the upswing, and is growing at rapid rates.

Here is some of the "other" issues I was dealing with at that time as well.

1. I was having a heat problem. My take temp swings were going from 84 in the morning to 87 at night. it spiked to 89 on a couple nights. I normally try to keep my tank at 84.
2. I also had a major cyano/green hair algae outbreak at the time.
3. I was strictly dosing kalkwasser (mrs balls pickling lime).
4. I lost a couple stony corals, and 1 fish during that time.

Since then, I have done to the following that may have effected the returning growth rate of the macro.

1. I have added 2 more fans in my canopy. This has dramatically reduced the heat issue I had. I can now stay in a 1 to 2 degree variance, limited to 83 to 85. My tank temp is more stable.
2. My cyano is practically all gone. I still have patches of hair algae though.
3. I have returned to dosing bionic for my small tank instead of kalkwasser.

I did not change the bulb in my refugium or change my lighting regime, so I don't think that lighting was an issue at all.

I have a distinct feeling that resolving heat issues along with changing back to bionic is what helped increase growth rates.

[Dag]

Randy, can you update your chaeto growth?

I was assuming the caulerpa (and anti-herbivore chemicals) were killing my chaeto. Now I'm encouraged to think it was just the fluorescent. I'm using the Brightlight.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

It has continued to grow very well with the track lights.

was assuming the caulerpa (and anti-herbivore chemicals) were killing my chaeto.

That's possible, but I don't know for sure that that happens. I grow both, but I grow my Chaetomorpha in a refugium that is "upsteam" from the one with the Caulerpa racemosa. It is also true that the Chaetomorpha does not grow as well in the Caulerpa refugium, but I do not know if that is because the lighting is different (it has a 175 w mh lamp) or due to the Caulerpa, or something else.

[Dag]

I was also growing my chaeto "upstream" but it hasn't helped. Neither did the incandescent. Maybe it's just my strain of chaeto and I should try another specimen.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Could be. Or maybe you don't have much in the way of dnutrients for it to use?

I also add iron, which may make a difference.

[Dag]

Could be. I started feeding more, cause I think I'm probably starving everything. My trachyphyllia is separating from its skeleton.

[Kurant]

I just thougth I'd revise this thread. Why? I cannot get this stuff to grow in my system.

55g with 5.6g refugium, 2" sandbed, and a good population of pods. Chaeto absolutley refuses to grow. I had a small Cyano outbreak, i recently cleaned and took out 2 inches of sand off the top, as it really isn't somthign I wanted in there (4 inch sandbed, not the sand).

I use a regular 18" 15watt striplight from a 2 fixutre 55g hood. The stuff grew for quite a while, and then stopped.

All this is great info, but it seems this stuff is a mystery to everyone. I also put Caluerpa into my fuge now, I need somthing to export nutrients. Still, would like to toss that stuff out the window, and have Chaeto.

[Dag]

I can't grow chaeto either. I even put some in an onion bag and stuck it in my overflow box, hoping the high current would stimulate growth. It grew a little.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

As I was adding new halogen lamps yesterday, I got to thinking that some of the difference between the halogen lamps and the fluorescent "equivalents" that I did not find as effective might actually be the heat. The Chaetomorpha mat gets warm, and that extra warmth from the halogen lamps might make a growth difference. I'll try measuring the temp inside the mat this weekend.

[quack]

me thinks u may be on to sumpin!! 1 250 mh seems to be growin mine nicely

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

The top of the mat of Chaetomorpha is at least 2-4 deg F warmer than the surrounding tank water when using halogen lamps. I didn't measure it with the fluorescents, but I expect it is not higher than the tank water, and might even be cooler (more like the air temp).

So temperature might be part of the diffeence that I see between different types of lights.

[Chicago]

jumping in here,,,....

i am starrting a refugium which is a 300gallon rubermaid attached to a 500 gallon reef. i have been in the hobby for years but nevere real did a true macro fuge. is this macri algea the true choice of those who have been using this stuff and doing macro fuges?

i rember sprung was recomending adifferent algea in his books, doe to issue of sexual reprductins.


please let me know your success stories and why/

thanks again.

[Kurant]

The most obvious advantage to Chaeto is that it doesn't go sexual, releasing toxins into your tank... It's a farily new thing, seeing more and more of it pop up all over reef central. It does remove phosphates and silicates, and I'm still not sold on it's de-nitrifing yet. It doesn control the pest algae in my tank very well.

With that said, as you can see from above it's weird how this stuff chooses to grow in one persons tank, and not others. My chaeto has just recently begun to start growing again. I removed 2 inches of the 4 inches of sand, since there isn't enough footprint in a HOB fuge to denitrify, 2 weeks of Chemipure/Purigen and a new Jalli PC fixture, and it's begun to grow again. Very rapidly. It's not known a great deal about it, therefore, it's hit and miss, but overall, it's pretty sucessful.

[greg s]

I keep two areas of chata..one lit 24/7 by a 65 watt
65k p/c...and the stuff grows like gang buster!! so much so
that i have two 1 foot square (roughly) pieces that sit in
my baffle that is not lit...the only light it recvs is out of the side of
light about 2 feet away!! the baffle chata hasnt been lit in 2 mnths and is green and very health...just slower growing
..i was a little worried at first b/c it went from 24/7 light
2'' of the water to none....but has done just fine....
i love the algea...do you think it get brittle b/c of not
enough pruning...the strings in my chata are a good
2- 2 1/2 feet long!! but i prune a handful a week...greg

[greg s]

man what you should get is a HPS high pressure sodium
from a hydroponics store...the are the perfect spectrum
for growth of all plants...there just not the best viewing
lights...they focus on the red spectrum but go up to a 1000 watts

[greg s]

or just steal a street light!!! lol!!

[catastrofe]

I've had no trouble growing Chaeto under both an 18W Lights of America fixture, and (now) 2 - 20", 28W Coralife strips each with a 50/50 lamp.

I will say that it seemed to grow faster under the LOA fixture and the spectrum of that lamp was very yellow. . .

[melev]

Hey Randy, another user here pointed me to your thread. Check out my thread.

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...92#post2376392

[killagoby]

My nitrates are at 0, so are my phosphates. I have nusance algaes growing all over the place in my main tank, but I can't seem to grow Cheateo or Carulpa in my fuge. I'm afraid to dose anything because it might help the nuisance algae grow. Any suggestions?

[Triterium]

killagoby, i was having the same problem.
You probably have zero nitrates and phosphates because the nuisance algae are eagarly taking them as they become available. What worked for me was the addition of a phosphate reactor and a good skimmer. HTH

[AIMFish]

killagoby, the next time you add some macroalgae to your fuge try removing as much of the micro from your tank as you can. Like Triterium said the nuisance algae in your tank is taking up those available nutrients, leaving none available for other algaes. Try removing it so the new guys have a chance