[MatthewR]

Hello everyone, or anyone.
I just got some chaeto from a guy today, and put it into my sump. It was about a baseball size. I was wondering does this stuff float? Because mine just kind of sank down to the sand bed. Any help is greatful.

[ianizaguirre]

mine floats but i dont think it matters it grows with light its easy just place it and forget it

[pyromaniac398]

Yup like Ian said pretty low maintenance just throw it in the water and give it plenty of light. It will do the rest

[tonguis]

My baseball sized specimen, floated at first then sank. I have read about tumbling them for really fast growth. I dont tumble mine, but i did angle my skimmer hose to where some of the output gets pushed back into the refugium section and creates a little current, enough to where I can see the different types of Algae ever so gently swaying. Since I did this my chaeto has almost doubled in size in less than 2 weeks. As well as my other Macro - Algae's. I started out with about 1/4 pound of Red Gracillia, now I have half of my refugium filled up with it, My red kelp is growing slowly but surely and the grape caulpera has doubled and the Maidens Hair has also doubled since I introduced that gently current.

[e_baer]

If you get some 6700k bulbs over your fuge everythig will grow extrmely fast. My cheato, mangroves and seagrass have grown tremendously with 6700k lighting.

[tonguis]

Yes, you are correct Sir. My light has 3 6700k bulbs in it.

[e_baer]

I went with a pair of flood lights with 6700k bulbs. They are very bright and perfect for the 40g breeder plant tank.

[tonguis]

Flood Lights, as in the kind you install outside under your eave on the House?? I never thought of that, thats an awesome idea, and much cheaper then paying the price for the light that comes with refugiums. I bet it is much brighter too then those little lights?

[e_baer]

Yeah, sure is a lot birghter and cheaper!

[Todd L]

Originally Posted by tonguis

My baseball sized specimen, floated at first then sank. I have read about tumbling them for really fast growth. I dont tumble mine, but i did angle my skimmer hose to where some of the output gets pushed back into the refugium section and creates a little current, enough to where I can see the different types of Algae ever so gently swaying. Since I did this my chaeto has almost doubled in size in less than 2 weeks. As well as my other Macro - Algae's. I started out with about 1/4 pound of Red Gracillia, now I have half of my refugium filled up with it, My red kelp is growing slowly but surely and the grape caulpera has doubled and the Maidens Hair has also doubled since I introduced that gently current.

Al,
I just read this and have a question!

I have a small HOB fuge (of sorts) I built myself. I have a 40gal FOWLR, and the HOB I estimate holds maybe 4gal? I really only intend it to be an algae filter to help control my nitrate and phosphate levels.

I originally set it up so that the output of my skimmer fed the HOB. This was the only flow it received. I have LR in it, and about a 3" sand bed.
After an initial growth of period it looked like they were doing well (chaeto, red gracilla, maidens hair and I forget what else), but then after a few weeks everything pretty much died off on me.

Someone here told me they thought that perhaps the reason for this was because I only fed the fuge off of the outlet from my skimmer....does that sound plausible? I took their advice and changed the configuration so now it gets probably about 100 or so (at least) gph flow thru the fuge. The skimmer now is hanging back on the main tank. The light I have on the fuge is a 14W T8 8000K, and from what I read here seems to be adequate. Any idea as to what could have happened?? I should also say that the flow was pretty slow too prior to now.

I'm waiting right now to get some more chaeto and am hoping this should do the trick. My lfs said it seemed that somehow nutrients for the algae musst have been lacking, but the (grape) caulerpa I have in the main tank and in there seems to be doing fine and flourishing! I just haven't been able to figure it out!

Sorry for jumping in on your thread here Matthew!

[tonguis]

Well, a couple of things I see that could have been the problem.
1. The only feed/input to the fuge was from the skimmer. The skimmer takes out of the water the very nutrients that the macro algae's need to grow and if your skimmer is very efficient then your Macro algae's basically would have starved to death slowly. A couple of weeks sounds about right for them to die off with little or no nutrients to absorb from the water. Also, different types of Macro's ( grape caulerpa, red gracillia, maidens hair, caulerpa, mangrove trees, etc...) all have different needs. Like Mangrove's for instance primarlly will take out phosphates, Red Gracillia will take out Nitrates first then filter other nutrients. Also most of the Macro's require a decent level of calcium, especially maidens hair. Keep your calcium lvl's up there and watch them flourish.

2. Macro's will do best under 6700k lighting. Take e_baer's advice and use floodlights they really are cheap, but not sure where he found 6700k bulbs, unless the normal bulb is 6700k.

You dont want to high of a flow through the fuge because you want to give the macro's time to absorb what they need from the water.

I hope this helps.

[Todd L]

Thanks Al,

That does help!

[e_baer]

Natural Light Bulbs Category Menu model #'s 9265, 9266, and 9267

I have 2 of the 9266.

[tonguis]

Nice, now I see what your using. I believe I can get those at Home Depot or Lowes.

[tonguis]

e_baer what is your picture of, I cant make it out? Looks like a truck and some cars in a parking lot?

[e_baer]

Originally Posted by tonguis

e_baer what is your picture of, I cant make it out? Looks like a truck and some cars in a parking lot?

That would be it. lowered jetta 1.8t thats chipped, intake and exhaust, gti with stage 2 and chipped exhaust intake etc, specv with some mods, and a cobalt ss with a lot of work done to it. Then in the middle is my ranger that has an engine swap for a cummins turbo diesel.

[reef4gsp]

NOW THATS A MOTOR SWAP!!! PM Pics Please! How is the oil pan not an inch off the ground??!?!?!? Auto or Stick?

[newguy420]

is one 65w bulb enough for cheato growth? it is 6500k color. How many hours should it be on? my cheato isnt growing that fast and Im wondering why.

[e_baer]

65w and 6500k are 2 different things. 6500k is the color of the light. How large of an area are you trying to light up, and how far away from the water is the bulb?

[e_baer]

Originally Posted by reef4gsp

NOW THATS A MOTOR SWAP!!! PM Pics Please! How is the oil pan not an inch off the ground??!?!?!? Auto or Stick?

I was kidding. Its not an engine swap, athough, that would be a pretty sweat swap! When this engine goes, I do plan on getting a crown vic with a good trans and engine and swapping that in though. The engine mounts are very similar so not too much extra work will be needed. I only have 70k miles on the vehicle. Also, its a 3.0 flex fuel, and this particular engine I have is known to last 300k miles! Unfortunately the way I drive and the terrain I have been thorugh, I will be lucky to see it run 150k.

This is the kind of terrain I have been through: and yes, those are bald street tires lol. And yes, I got new tires, 31"x10.5" A/t

[newguy420]

I know 65w and 6500k arent the same. It is 1/3 the size of a 30g sump. bulb is maybe 4" from surface of water.

[e_baer]

I would get another bulb over that then. It could be the lighting, could be something else.