chaeto keep falling off?

[match55]

I have a tennis ball size chaeto sitting in the corner of my refugium.
it has been like a 6days, and the chaeto keep falling apart...
like a little pieces flowing everywhere.
its still a ball shape but a lot of them fall apart and flow to my return section or free flowing in the refugium.
is that normal?

 

[melosu58]

I dont use cheato but use grape calerpa instead. Is the water flowing under the baffle or over to the next section?

 

[match55]

I dont use cheato but use grape calerpa instead. Is the water flowing under the baffle or over to the next section?

over to the next section?
I will add a net or something to prevent them get into the return section later.
but why r they keep falling apart ToT

 

[melosu58]

Put a sponge before the return section.

 

[match55]

r the part that fell off died??

 

[melosu58]

I wish I could help but I`ve never used cheato before.

 

[match55]

I wish I could help but I`ve never used cheato before.

thats cool, at least u told me to add a sponge XP

 

[goisles1]

Mine does this too... My Cheato ball is like 10times bigger then when I setup my fuge a few months ago. But little pieces always break away from the "nest". I usually have to remove them during water changes as they always end up stuck to my intake of my small HOB filter I have in the fuge. These peices are actually alive, nice and green.. they just seperated from the nest.

One day I will modify my fuge to contain the Cheato more. I have plans to redo my entire sump using eggcrate. I saw a vid somewhere that had an awesome setup

 

[Zer0]

Yeah, they are still alive. They just break away from the ball and free float.

 

[match55]

should I pick up all the flee float ones and make them a ball again LOL?
oh and talk about eggcrate, maybe i can make a chaeto corner for it haha

 

[Ratrik13]

My chaeto does this as well, but I'm of the opinion that it's either fragments from when I trim for nutrient export, or a natural process. It's not been much of a problem for me though as I've just let them drift till they find a nice spot to get stuck (often times in the pre-filter screen for my skimmer) and start growing their own colonies or until I get annoyed enough to pull 'em out. By the way, don't be surprised if it doesn't keep a nice tidy ball shape to it, mine looks more like wild shrubbery now.

 

[mdaniel2882]

The whole point of this macro algae is to export nutrients. You have to remove it from the tank to accomplish this anyway so don't stress about the pieces just take them out an throw them away and the phosphates and nitrates with them. get a mass the size you want it and just keep it pruned.

 

[Zer0]

I don't really know if you can make a ball out of the scrap pieces.. but you can try?? lol.

 

[match55]

I don't really know if you can make a ball out of the scrap pieces.. but you can try?? lol.

LOL I was jk, but if I kept saving all the pieces I might actually make a small one out of them LOL

 

[goisles1]

The whole point of this macro algae is to export nutrients. You have to remove it from the tank to accomplish this anyway so don't stress about the pieces just take them out an throw them away and the phosphates and nitrates with them. get a mass the size you want it and just keep it pruned.

Hey.. Can you elaborate on this? Why do we have to remove the Cheato.. I thought just having the Macro in the Fuge accomplised this; as well as keeping Nitrates down?

 

[CaptainAhab]

It does.. but as it consumes the nitrates/presumably phosphates it grows.. You just need to trim it back when it gets over grown. So the statement is accurate although I understand your confusion at the wording.

 

[goisles1]

I understand now.....Thanks!!

I just want to make sure I'm doing things correctly