Is My Chaetomorpha Dying?

[wolfinthefold]

When I first received my chaetomorpha, it texture was somewhat wiry, It has doubled in about 3 weeks, but now its texture has changed and is a lot softer. It's in a 5.5 gallon tank. Salinity is at 1.014, 5 zebra nerites (but I just removed 3) with about 120 opae ula shrimp and a Kessil a80 Tuna Sun at full intensity for 15 hours a day, if any of this information helps

[JoanToBa]

That's probably because of the light. Chaetos can die from too much light.

Check this out:

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/s ... ?t=1274588

[wolfeinthefold]

Thanks very much. At this time, I already have my light at the lowest intensity, but now I'm going to cut down the number of hours it's on from 16 to 12

[JoanToBa]

Most of the people have thir light at a 12 on/off cycle to control algae and for plants to grow well (mostly chaetos and marimos).
Well, good luck then!

[Mustafa]

The Chaetomorpha sold here isn't the same as the one used in reef tanks, so I'd be careful about equating them. Having said that...this macroalgae can grow differently under different light and in different tanks, so anything from wiry to very soft is possible...even in the same clump.

[nova]

The Chaetomorpha sold here isn't the same as the one used in reef tanks, so I'd be careful about equating them. Having said that...this macroalgae can grow differently under different light and in different tanks, so anything from wiry to very soft is possible...even in the same clump.

How do you grow your macroalge mustafa? What light do you use and do you use and fertilizers?

[Mustafa]

I just have T8 LED lights on my tanks right now...20w over five 20 gallon tanks. Before that it was just fluorescent bulbs. They don't really need much light at all. No fertilizers. I just feed the shrimp every few weeks. That's all.

[Ula Hula]

I've had my tank going for a little more than a year. At first the chaeto was growing like gangbusters, but recently the main clump looks like it is dying. (There is a small clump that established itself in another part of the tank that is doing okay.) I usually have the light on 12 hours or so.

My question: Should I remove the clump of dying chaeto?

[Varanus]

As Mustafa has noted in other threads, its probably not really dying but just declining and it will start growing again at some point. Still, if it is in a period of decline it could fall apart and make a mess, so removing those parts shouldn't hurt anything.