Harvesting Chaeto

[cgarsmokr]

I have quite a bit of Chaeto but I still have a nitrate problem. Do I have to harvest (take out) the Chaeto to remove the nitrates?I'm, a bit confused!

[graveyardworm]

By harvesting the cheato you create more room for new strands to grow. As long as its growing its using nitrates. I've been thinking the past few days and I'm a bit puzzled as to whether it binds nitrate or converts. If it binds nitrates then positively yes you need to remove the cheato to remove the nitrates. If it converts then you dont necessarily need to remove it to remove nitrates. Something I'm planning on researching.

Anyway pruning encourages more growth and is good for the macro overall.

[Gordonious]

David, please let me know what you find. If it is converting that it does then perhaps we could keep a ton of animals that eat chaeto in with the chaeto to help cut down it's size every once in a while. I recently found that some of my emerald crabs were chewing on it. If all they do is store it though then the emerald crabs would just be releasing it all back to the water.

I would imagine that if the algae actually converts it or breaks it down then it may store it as well. Similar to us storing fat or plants storing other nutrients before use.

[graveyardworm]

Keeping animals that eat the cheato would be counter productive to a point. The chaeto is binding more than just NO3, also phosphates, and heavy metals. Removing this stuff is important. If the fish eats it then it gets pooped back into the tank.

[Steverino]

so do you remove the outer 'edges'of the ball of chaeto? do you just cut the clump in half? does it even amtter?

[Gordonious]

If it's grown like crazy it probably doesn't matter. I'd probably cut it in half though so you have some of the healthiest stuff that is on the outside.

[ScarabRa]

I pull the clumps apart, so the light goes thought the whole clump evenly, and it fills back in the gaps left from pulling it apart.

I then removed the excess/culled plants, but made sure I saved the little critters that might still be attached, and add them back to the tank.

When I was actively maintaining my algae scrubber, I had the best experience with my plant removing nitrate (along with other nutrients), by removing plant growth completely from the system.

I traded it in to the LFS.

It was Prolifera, not cheto, but I would assume the outcome would be similar.

The easiest / best way to get rid of chemical concentration is water changes.

Do a 20 gal water change, if your system is a 55 gal. or calculate that same volume for your sized tank.

In college, I ran a Prolifera alge scrubber on a heavely stocked fish only system, with some mushrooms and xenia for decorations, as an experiment. You need ALLOT of fast growing plants to keep up with an efficient nitrate removal system. I had approx 2 gallons of prolifera in my system at any time. I was able to keep it down around 2 to 5ppm, without doing ANY water changes. I ran this setup for approx 1.5 years.
It was basically a large refugum.

NOTE: When I say approx 2 gallons, I mean volume of plant...meaning if you cut open a plastic gallon milk container, and filled it with plant, packed in tight with zero water.

I replaced evap with ro/di, and added minimal "RED YELLOW AND BLUE" and fed only Spirilna20 (my fav high quality flake food)

[cgarsmokr]

ScarabRA, How did you get the critters out of the plants. I'm sure I have alot but the Chaeto is is large clumps.

[ScarabRa]

Originally posted by cgarsmokr
ScarabRA, How did you get the critters out of the plants. I'm sure I have alot but the Chaeto is is large clumps.

I attempt to get the big guys by hand, then I knock the plants on the inside of the wall of a bucket, slapping it gently till nothing else appears on the bucket wall, then wash the whole lot back in to the alge chaimber. (brutal, but it works)

someone asked for a pic of my tray in a pm, So i figured id post it here too.

I dont sell these, this is an adaption of a freshwater above tank bilogical filter, just used it cause it was the perfect size, and it was free...lol