Hardest thing to keep alive in Hobby

[Moneymaks24]

In my experience Out of all things in the reef hobby, Chaeto is the hardest thing to keep alive. Much harder than sps lps or any fish or invert i ever had.

Bought it 3 times already always dies. I give up and yes i have the proper 6500k bulbs on it. Tried 24/7 or 12/7 nothing works this stuff is impossible !!!

 

[egriesner]

My chaeto thrives. I use a cheap energy saver bulb that i got from Home depot. You sure nothing in your sump is killing it? Is your light too low? Maybe you are burning it.

 

[Moneymaks24]

I dont have a sump i use an ac70 moded to a fuge. I keep chaeto and red something algae in it. It never grows and i know for a fact i always have at least 20ppm nitrates and some phosphates. I use a 6500k bulb just like a typical ac70 mod.

Main reason i even keep it on my tank is that it grows some bad algae like hair inside the ac70 so basically its a cheap algae scraper more than a nutrient exporter.

 

[basiab]

I have it in my 24 gallon. I stuff it in cracks and corners it just grows. Every once in a while it seems to die away but then I move some rock and find these clumps of it hidden from sight.

 

[cody0709]

Use a cheap light and flow should be minimal- I use a very small pump for fuge section 80 g/hr

 

[NYCEnglish]

Why you have a small pump in the fuge? Does it need more flow?

 

[duke62]

Yeah chaeto like flow and the tumbling to be happy. Or you can just turn the chaeto once a day so the bottom gets light

 

[Klewis]

I have chaeto in my sump and its been about a year since my light fixture died. It hasn't grown much but it's still there. Just flow and ambient light. Maybe you did chaeto wrong in a past life and this is payback. :biggrin::biglaugh:

 

[skene]

I dont have a sump i use an ac70 moded to a fuge.

That's because you will need more than a modded AC to sustain chaeto. I tried with my AC110 mod. They do need space to grow and slower flow to thrive.

 

[Moneymaks24]

Thanx guys i guess ill have to get a refugium one of these days when i get a drilled tank.