brittle cheato

[mlbarry]

I have a big ball of cheato in my fuge. It is nice and green and grows great. My problem with it is little bitty pieces break off of it and then get stuck in the basket of my return pump. Why does it do this and how can I stop it? It is under 6500K bulb that was replaced 3 months ago. The light is on for about 20 hours a day.

Sal. 1.025
ph - 8.1
temp 80
CA 460
MG 1360
alk - 8dKh
No3 - 20

[boxfishpooalot]

Hi there. Im not entirely certain to the cause of it, but I have guessed at two things, one is low potassium, two is your alkalinity is not appropriate.

Whats your alkalinity test kit? And what are you dosing in the water?

The best way to combat uncertainty in this hobby is just simply to do large frequent water changes. Do 3x 30% waterchanges and I bet the problem will subside. However, lighting at 20 hours a day may also be a problem. Try 12 hours on, 12 off. Macroalgae need darkness to complete the photosysthesis cycle. Some say it is even as necessary as light itself.

[ravedood]

Iron is good for macro algae

[mlbarry]

I changed my light to be on 12 off 12. I did it on a reverse cycle from the DT. I am using an API test kit. The kit is new. I just replaced all my test kits about 2 months ago. I have a calcium reactor, but sometimes have to dose CA. When I do I use Calcium Chloride. I also dose MG by using MG Chloride flakes. Both are from bulkreefsupply.com.

Someone else mentioned to me that iron was good from macro algae so I dose Kent iron, but only about once a week after each water change.

[Don-Coraleone]

the light also doesnt need to be over the cheato for 20 hours.

[pledosophy]

8 dKH is not that bad of a number.

While some algaes go sexual by turning white and going into spore stage, cheato does so by breaking into small pieces. I would pruin the algae back, make sure there is enough flow, and do a phosphate test.

Iron can be a limiting factor, but any dosing of iron will probably put you at a higher level then natural sea water levels.

Phosphate is also a limiting factor ;)

I run my refugium lighting 18 hours a day. Works well.

[hoosierpat]

It is probably dying. Prune out a lot of it and give it room to grow. If it is the stuff on the bottom that is falling apart it is because it isn't getting light because the stuff on the top is crowding it out.

[mlbarry]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13697905#post13697905 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by pledosophy
8 dKH is not that bad of a number.

While some algaes go sexual by turning white and going into spore stage, cheato does so by breaking into small pieces. I would pruin the algae back, make sure there is enough flow, and do a phosphate test.

Iron can be a limiting factor, but any dosing of iron will probably put you at a higher level then natural sea water levels.

Phosphate is also a limiting factor ;)

I run my refugium lighting 18 hours a day. Works well.

I trimmed a lot of it out last night. I was having to manually rotate it about ever other day, and I trimmed it back enough so it tumbled on its own again.

I tested the phosphate and it is 0. I run a phosban reactor. Should I not run it all the time?

Should I try to get the dKh up a little more? I thought that between 8 and 12 was good.