Chaeto plant

[Wreck_it_Pabs]

I think it's dying..what is the proper care for this plant?

[alco1]

consistant lighting... if you turn the lights off, it becomes sexual and dies and sends all these little seedlings around your tank.

To keep it alive.... it just needs something to eat like nitrates/phosphates etc... just all the bad stuff you don't want in the tank

[Maridia]

Originally Posted by alco1

consistant lighting... if you turn the lights off, it becomes sexual and dies and sends all these little seedlings around your tank.

To keep it alive.... it just needs something to eat like nitrates/phosphates etc... just all the bad stuff you don't want in the tank

I have a small lamp on 24/7, but it's a somewhat dim light. Is this sufficient keep my ball o chaeto alive? Or does the light need to be super bright?

[Sniperhank]

Cheato doesn't have an issue with going sexual like caulpera does. I have kept it in my refugium under 24/7 lighting as stated above. The ball will continue to grow, but might end up getting large to where the bottom half becomes light starved. This is sometimes recommended to "tumble" it to prevent this, though I never ran into this issue personally. I have a simple 10 dollar clip on work light from walmart with a leftover bulb I had from a desk lamp. It works well for the price since the lighting doesn't have to be on the same level of soft corals...though it can be if you had such a unit laying around.

[mr_X]

You don't even have to keep the light on 24 hours. I've never done that and even with caulerpa, I've never had a problem. Stonger light will make it grow faster.

[KeithFrancis]

So should calerpa get light 24/7 as stated earlier? I've not had great success with it, on my second go around with it.

[mr_X]

Some folks do that, but all you need to do is keep it pruned. It's when the refugium is so packed that there's no room do they release nutrients.

[Gregcoyote]

It will grow faster if you give it a dark cycle.

[KeithFrancis]

Ok, Lfs told me to leave lights on 24/7 to keep it from going sexual, is this correct?

[mr_X]

No. Chaeto can't do that.

[KeithFrancis]

Sorry x, I meant clerpa

[mr_X]

I would just prune it before it overgrows the refugium and you shouldn't have a problem.

[KeithFrancis]

Thanks X will do