Chaetomorpha failing in display tank

[Frogmanx82]

I just got back from a 3 day trip and see my chaeto is losing color and strength. Why would it do that and do I need to get it all out of the tank? Is there something I can do to help it.

I have 216 watts of HO T5 lighting on 10 hours. I have some diatom problems but most of what is covering the live rock I put in several weeks ago is a green algae. My mushrooms and xenia are happy, nitrates are around 10 ppm.

Any suggestions?

[Frogmanx82]

No clues?

[Frogmanx82]

After doing some googling the only thing I can see is water flow could be an issue. Does anyone have success with Chaeto in low flow areas?

Its in the display tank so I was thinking not to put high flow on it so it wouldn't blow all over the tank, but healthy chaeto won't break easily so I would give that a shot. I think I would have to buy a new ball of it since high flow on what's left wouldn't hold together.

[bubbly]

I have some chaeto that I've got sitting in a copepod culture jar with no flow at all (an old orange juice container) for a few months and it's looking great.

I have had it do fine in other low to no-flow conditions -- even buried under sand it seemed to survive just fine.

I am familiar with what you describe, though, but I think it is something else.

[corbett_n]

what kelvin are your t5 bulbs. I think cheato likes 6500K better thatn 10000k or higher.

[Frogmanx82]

I have two 10K and two actinic bulbs. Do I really need 6500 to grow chaeto?

[jenglish]

There is more PAR in lower K bulbs and the chaeto will do better. I have grown Chaeto in a HOB w/ very low flow, practically a trickle.

[RobbyVonAwesome]

My cheato does that in my sump when I let go too long and it blocks the flow from itself. The way my sump is set up, the water flows through the middle compartment where my cheato is, but it's pretty low flow in there since it's such a big compartment. If I let it fill the whole compartment then it really cuts down on the flow and the cheato in the most stagnant areas loses its color and becomes very thin frail looking.

That was a very wordy way of saying it sounds like a water flow problem to me.