Chaeto for Major Tank Cleaning by Kenneth WingerterWhether from a lack of experience, or an abundance of neglect, some aquarists allow their reef tanks to reach a state of utter nastiness. Perhaps you’ve been there yourself… Where you once had a gorgeous, natural looking, sparkly clean system, there are now patches of filamentous and film algae, piles of detritus, clouds of suspended particulates and excesses of dissolved nitrate and phosphate. Physically and chemically, the environment is a total mess. Some hobbyists finally give up, pull the plug on the tank and walk away forever. Some take the relatively easy way out, flushing the systems clean, maybe even bleaching the rock, and starting again on a completely clean slate. The bravest of hobbyists might try to rehabilitate the system as it is. This latter response, while bold, is certainly not one that produces fast results. To the contrary, it could take several months to eradicate the bad algae, regrow the coralline algae, clean the substrate, etc. So, are you really committed to fixing this whole thing? Ready for the many water changes, many tests and hours of algae scraping? Ready to change your chemical filter media and rinse your mechanical media like never before? If so, then one potential piece of your remediation strategy might seem relatively easy: Add a huge wad of chaeto. Planted refugia do all sorts of things to improve an aquarium environment, from stabilizing pH to creating biogenic habitat for pods. Chaeto (Chaetomorpha spp.) is a favored macroalgae for planted refugia, not just because it does most of these jobs quite well but also because it is very easily cultivated; that is, so long as extremely strong full-spectrum lighting is used. Like most other green algae, chaeto requires intense illumination to grow properly. To illustrate this, we wouldn’t suggest using a light any less powerful than you would trust to grow healthy SPS corals. In order to grow a fat bed of chaeto, you might want to consider lighting the sides of the ‘fuge as well as the surface. Special reactors that illuminate the algal mass from multiple angles will be your best option if you’re trying to grow the most chaeto in the smallest space possible. Chaeto as a living chemical filter Perhaps the biggest reason aquarists add macroalgae to their systems (especially in planted refugia) is to control dissolved nutrients. And macros do indeed do this well–continuously and naturally. All macros. But chaeto in particular is prized for its ability to rapidly sequester nitrate and phosphate. This is because of its potentially explosive rate of growth. Again, to achieve these high growth rates, you must provide extremely bright lighting. Also, you must frequently harvest small portions of your crop in order to keep the mass growing; as soon your chaeto fills the grow space and shades itself, it will stop growing. It might even start to die back, releasing nutrients back into the aquarium water as it decomposes! Whenever possible, harvest the oldest sections of the bed before the newest. Be aware that chaeto’s capacity to remove some nutrients is limited if other nutrients become depleted. For example, it may cease to sequester nitrate if it uses up all available phosphate. It might stop taking up both nitrate and phosphate if it runs out of some vital trace nutrient such as iron. And so on… Thus, as soon as the chaeto has appeared to reach its limit in removing one or more nutrients, generous water changes are recommended; water exchange will not only remove the remaining excess nutrients, but also replenish essential trace elements! Chaeto as a living mechanical filter Though it is seldom mentioned (curiously), chaeto works as an amazing mechanical filter. Its rigid, wiry structure forms a meshy pad of sorts. These tangled bundles are very effective at trapping any suspended particulate matter that gets drawn into the ‘fuge. Reactors work best for this because they force the water to flow through, rather than over, the mat. Still, so long as the water courses through the mat in just the right way, you’ll find (even in a “regular” refugium) that crazy amounts of solid wastes get stuck in the thick algal matrix. This is significant for two reasons. First, it means that the main tank will look cleaner, since most of the gunk will concentrate in the ‘fuge. Also, it means that the amphipods and harpacticoid copepods will very easily find and consume it. So, not only will your pods have an ideal place to live (they love the sheltered inner space of a chaeto mat) but they will also have their food delivered right to them. Perfect! To avoid shaking out too much of the entrapped detritus when harvesting, cut sections out with a sharp scissor instead of trying to rip it away in chunks. Conclusion Of course, refugium macroalgae alone can’t do all of your tank maintenance for you. But used in tandem with a robust clean-up crew that includes copepods, a consistent water change regimen and frequent servicing of filtration devices, chaeto can bring about significantly better water quality and a cleaner physical environment with less “bad” algae.
Steve ball says September 22, 2020 at 3:25 am Getting clean live plants is difficult. Always buy them here Reply
beau shelton says October 6, 2020 at 1:26 pm I hear this is the place to buy for that very reason! Can’t wait until its back in stock! Reply
gerardobarbaro says October 12, 2020 at 8:17 pm This makes wonders for your tank, always make sure you have the lights in rotation from oneanother. Reply
Regina Heitschmidt says October 19, 2020 at 1:50 pm Yes you do. I use a grown light. It runs at night when my display lights are off. Reply
rayhaley says October 19, 2020 at 2:44 pm Absolutely. The more the better. I run mine 18 hours. Reply
Matthew McDonald says September 23, 2020 at 1:57 pm Love the website! The blogs are very informative. Reply
sedieckmann says September 28, 2020 at 6:46 pm Chaeto as a living mechanical filter made a difference in our tank! Thanks! Reply
TiNa Hess says October 3, 2020 at 5:46 am Newbie here. Next on my wishlist will definitely be a refugium in my biocube 32! Reply
mlashawnbenton says October 1, 2020 at 10:49 am just stared using it, alrready seeing results right now. Reply
Jacob T Wright says October 1, 2020 at 5:43 pm I don’t understand why a refugium isn’t just a given with every sump and tank Reply
gandla nagaraviteja says October 2, 2020 at 9:12 am I always Cheto Micro Algae. Good to know more about it. Reply
Dallas Tippie says October 2, 2020 at 11:37 pm Looking forward to having a Refugium for Chaetomorpha in the future. Reply
jeffery486 says October 3, 2020 at 4:58 am Great article Cheato was the first thing I started in my refugium then expanded. Reply
Anchor Sarslow says October 3, 2020 at 2:06 am Cheato is nice but I would rather grow a sea algae tank than just cheto Reply
chidibang316 says October 4, 2020 at 1:44 am Got a wad of this stuff in my 15 gallon nanos refugium Reply
dcreeron says October 4, 2020 at 11:15 am Chaeto just dies in my sump. I use pom pom which grows like crazy Reply
dcreeron says October 4, 2020 at 11:16 am And yes, I have a light over it, and try to get it tumble. Reply
Jesse says October 4, 2020 at 6:58 pm My chaeto grows so fast and the benefits for my tank are countless! Reply
chris says October 6, 2020 at 8:26 am I love the idea of a refugium with cheto – easy to grow and harvest. Reply
Teri Embum says October 6, 2020 at 12:48 pm Chaeto needs iron, so if yours isn’t doing well and you still have plenty of nutrients, try adding iron. Good article. Reply
michaelohl says October 6, 2020 at 2:39 pm Thinking cheato and Caulerpa(?) together would remove a wider variety of nasties. When I win this, I’ll find out. Reply
john.c.banks says October 6, 2020 at 3:54 pm One of my tanks can never keep it alive — It just flows right on through. Reply
Ken Bilow says October 7, 2020 at 4:53 am Proper lighting is essential to keep macro algaes alive. 50 watt hydroponic lights Reply
Ken Bilow says October 7, 2020 at 5:01 am Proper lighting is essential to keeping macro algaes alive. 50 watt hydroponic lights Reply
Elizabeth Dusser says October 8, 2020 at 7:40 pm It’s great in my sump with the rest of my macro Reply
jbean_911 says October 15, 2020 at 7:27 am Always buy from a reputable place and if that’s not an option, ask for ‘clean chaeto’ and hope for the best. Never take from someone’s sump. Their problems become your problems! Reply
jbean_911 says October 15, 2020 at 7:27 am Always buy from a reputable place and if that’s not an option, ask for ‘clean chaeto’ and hope for the best. Never take from someone’s sump. Their problems become your problems! Reply
s_coffman says October 10, 2020 at 2:16 pm In a case of lack of growth is 1/3 water change adequate? Reply
Chad Whitmire says October 12, 2020 at 4:34 am Great product and a must have in the refugium. So much better than using GFO and Biopellets. Reply
Mike says October 12, 2020 at 7:36 pm A use in all my reefs! Get it the clean route from Algae Barn Reply
Andrew says October 12, 2020 at 10:49 pm Probably the most inexpensive and effective way other than water changes to maintain proper nutrient levels. Reply
nicole morrison says October 13, 2020 at 4:40 am Great product but when its available make sure you get it fast because it does not last long Reply
jenniferlye74 says October 15, 2020 at 8:42 am I need a better light. My chaeto is slow growing. Reply
TJ Saffioti says October 19, 2020 at 11:56 am I even keep a little piece in my 10 gallon salt just to filter water Reply
shanemsalhus-7885 says October 19, 2020 at 2:12 pm stuff grows really fast!! i consider it one of the cleaner algaes and more manageable to deal with Reply
Leighla Wolfe says October 19, 2020 at 3:07 pm Chaeto is key to balancing nutrient instability! It’s awesome because it outcompetes nuisance algae like hair algae! I love this clean chaeto because I don’t have to quarantine it and have piece of mind that it won’t wreak havoc on my system with pests! Reply
ANTHONY OTOOLE says October 19, 2020 at 3:09 pm Amazing macro algae, received a clean batch awhile ago and its been growing crazy ever sense. Keeping my tank nice and clean. Reply
rpkneumann says October 19, 2020 at 3:55 pm Waiting for my first shipment to use in my BioCube32 Intank Fuge basket. Also ordered the llights. Reply
Colette M Taylor says October 19, 2020 at 6:04 pm I only use macro in my refugium from algaebarn Reply
David Sheffield says October 19, 2020 at 11:00 pm The only issue I have had with chaeto is keeping GHA out of it. Reply
Don says October 20, 2020 at 8:18 am Chaeto is the perfect algae for Refugium’s from 101 beginners through advanced hobbyists use Chaeto in the Refugium for its durability, fast growth and balancing your tanks Phosphate, Nitrates and PH. It eliminated algae growth in my display tank and I have purple/pink coralline algae thriving. Grow algae in your refugium-you won’t be disappointed! Reply
meganpratt27 says October 26, 2020 at 3:32 pm Chaeto is the best macro for helping nutrient control! Reply
devaji108 says October 27, 2020 at 10:17 am remember boys and girls it’s not cheetos…dont go dumping a freash bag from the store in your tank 😀 Reply
rpkneumann says October 28, 2020 at 8:44 am Make it available, Please. I am a believer in macro algae cleaning. I used to run a 4.500 gallon pond using only a biological filter with macro algae and porous rocks. It works! Now i want to apply the same technique on my reef tank. Reply
Mark says October 30, 2020 at 8:46 am I used cheato in my religion before but always look to better by reading up and learning things Reply
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