Refugium Issues

[asunshine]

My refugium has been growing Cheatomorpha for 5 years in overabundance. It is lit by a Kessil H180 which is 3 years old. Recently, the Cheato is dying and being overtaken by green hair algae in the refugium only. My numbers are very good now with Nitrates at 5 and Phosphates at 0.05 and the photoperiod in the refugee is at 12 hours and has not changed. I have noticed low Iron and Iodine levels on previous ICP tests and supplement intermittently for that. What would be a systematic scheme to troubleshoot this issue?

 

[chaples55]

I had a similar issue with chaeto. I think chaeto doesn't do well with low nutrients. I actually gave up on it and switched to a red flat branch gracilaria. It is much more tolerant of low nutrients and is less prone to getting clogged up with algae and debris. Doesn't grow quite as fast but still does a great job!

 

[chuck]

I keep my nitrates and phosphates way higher and chaeto grows great i think your nutrients are too low. And what color spectrum do you use for fuge

 

[asunshine]

I don’t really know. It is a Kessil H180 and I dial it in to be pink/red. Thinking about cleaning the entire regugium and starting over

 

[Steve Burton]

Why even bother with chaeto with those numbers? I see it only as a nutrient reduction strategy.