How to Care for Chaetomorpha Algae

written by Dave Burr

Aquaculture: We grow Chaetomorpha Macro Algae here at Vivid Aquariums by utilizing refugiums in our most important systems. Not only does it provide a natural way to keep Nitrates and Phosphates in check, it also provides a refuge for pods to safely reproduce.

Placement: Chaetomorpha Macro Algae does best housed in a refugium with moderate flow and good lighting. If you cannot provide enough flow to cause the Chaeto to tumble then you can manually turn it over every couple of days to prevent dead spots and die off.

Feeding: Chaetomorpha Macro Algae uses the combination of Nitrates, Phosphates and strong lighting to grow.

Lighting & Flow Requirements: We have found that Chaetomorpha Macro Algae does best under horticulture specific lights favoring red and blue channels. We grow our Chaetomorpha Macro Algae under Kessil H380 grow lights.

Care Level: Easy
Lighting Requirements: Moderate to high (PAR 150-300+)
Water Flow: Moderate
Aggressiveness: Peaceful
Range: Grown in California
Family: Chaetomorpha Spp.
Water Conditions: 75-80° F; sg 1.024-1.026 (1.025 is ideal); pH 8.1-8.4 Ca 420-440 ppm, Alk 8-9.5 dKH, Mg 1260-1350, Nitrates >5 ppm, Phosphates, > .01 ppm

Water Chemistry: Continual production of nitrates and phosphates are required to keep Chaeto healthy and growing. Chaetomorpha Macro Algae will not do well in a system that already has 0 Nitrates and 0 Phosphates, but will thrive in systems with elevated levels.

Dosing: Vivid Aquariums uses and recommends dosing pumps to automate the dosing of additives and keep your levels more constant. A dosing pump can alleviate the chore of manually dosing your aquarium with Ca, Alk, & Mg 2,3, or 4 times per week and will benefit your aquarium by keeping your levels constant through frequent small additions of Ca, Alk, & Mg. Our tanks all progressed when we switched from 3 manual dosings per week to 70 automatic dosings per week and we got a lot more work done.

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Chaetomorpha Spp.

Chaetomorpha Macro Algae

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