Couple Chaeto Questions

[SkinnyPete]

I'm running a small HOB fuge, about 5 gallons, with chaeto. My tank is 110 gallons and I realize the HOB is probably undersized as a fuge for my set-up. I trimmed the chaeto back yesterday and put two seperate golf ball sized pieces partially held down by rocks on my sandbed. It seems to be staying together - not really in direct water flow. The tang seems to love it - I'm looking to decrease my PO4 and keep my NO3 low, so I'm assuming the more chaeto the better.

1. Does anyone keep chaeto in their main tank?

2. If chaeto dies, will it leach PO4 and NO3 back into the water?

3. Is it nutritional for tangs, or just a treat?

Thanks all.

- Skins

 

[ellisz]

1. I guess you could but I find it hard to remove once it tangles up in something. Not the prettiest macro for the display either.
2. I have never had chaeto die. It won't go sexual like other macros. I had some in some live sand that lived for a month or more with no light. It did not thrive but when I got the sand in the tank and lit it, stuff started growing from the sand.
3. I did not think tangs would eat it. I would think it would be ok though.

 

[IndyReefMan]

I have chaeto in by fuge. In the 6 mos I've had it it's gone from the size of a baseball to bigger than a basketball. My tangs won't eat it but they love Caluerpa.

 

[natman2]

I have had cheato in my main tank before and my tang seemed interested but rarely ate much of it. My six line wrasse on the other hand probably ate more of it trying to pick out the pods most likely, that usually populate balls of cheato.

The cheato actually went into the tank in an effort to boost my almost non exist pod pop there but the six line seems to be able to hunt down and eat every last one. They dont ever seem to have a chance to get established with this fish in the tank.

 

[SkinnyPete]

It seems to be doing fine in my fuge - but my fuge is only 5gallons and my tank is 110 so it doesn't seem to be putting a dent in my PO4 numbers. I'm trimming it and placing it in my main. My yellow tang eats it and I know its okay for them, I was just wondering if it is actually nutritious for them.

I found a couple places in the tank where the chaeto really doesn't look that bad. Some of it is under a rock though, to weigh it down. I'm not sure if this will allow enough light to get to the entire thing. I will wait and see. I am noticing that the tops seem to be turning purple - which seems odd.

 

[natman2]

the purple color is probably cyano taking hold of your cheato. It happens and don't let it. Pick up your ball of cheato and give it a bit of a message to break it loose. Cheato loves current and cyano dos not.

Once your macros really start to take off it will starve off any nuisance algae/cyano.

 

[ZoozFishMaster]

Make sure you prune the chaeto frequently. It can grow amazingly quickly (mine near doubles in size every week), so prune it frequently. From my experience, if it gets too dense, the chaeto at the bottom can be starved of light and begin dying. If it gets really dense it can also trap a lot of detritus and impede water flow, allowing cyano and sometimes nuisance algae to begin growing on it.

FWIW, my purple tang and turbo snails love eating it. Although I have offered it to yellow tangs in the past and they didn't want anything to do with it. HTH

 

[ZoozFishMaster]

Make sure you prune the chaeto frequently. It can grow amazingly quickly (mine near doubles in size every week), so prune it frequently. From my experience, if it gets too dense, the chaeto at the bottom can be starved of light and begin dying. If it gets really dense it can also trap a lot of detritus and impede water flow, allowing cyano and sometimes nuisance algae to begin growing on it.

FWIW, my purple tang and turbo snails love eating it. Although I have offered it to yellow tangs in the past and they didn't want anything to do with it. HTH

 

[SkinnyPete]

Thanks for the advice. I just took a look at the chaeto that I placed in my main tank a few days ago. The two pieces do not look like they've grown at all - and get this. There is actually hair algae growing on it. My hair algae is just taunting my chaeto. It's sad really.

I'm doing my weekly water change today and I'm going to remove the three rocks that have the majority of the hiar algae and scrape them clean. This algae sure is frustratiing. It's been probably 3 months and I'm really tired of looking at it. I actually forget how nice my tank used to look like - I have no purple left - just brown and green.

Thanks again for the help.

- Skins