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You are here: Home / Macroalgae / Chaeto for Major Tank Cleaning
Chaeto in the wild

Chaeto for Major Tank Cleaning

by Kenneth Wingerter

Whether from a lack of experience, or an abundance of neglect, some aquarists allow their reef tanks to reach a state of utter nastiness. Perhaps you’ve been there yourself… Where you once an amazingly well kept marine aquarium.had a gorgeous, natural looking, sparkly clean system, there are now patches of filamentous and film algae, piles of detritus, clouds of suspended particulates and excesses of dissolved nitrate and phosphate. Physically and chemically, the environment is a total mess. Some hobbyists finally give up, pull the plug on the tank and walk away forever. Some take the relatively easy way out, flushing the systems clean, maybe even bleaching the rock, and starting again on a completely clean slate. The bravest of hobbyists might try to rehabilitate the system as it is. This latter response, while bold, is certainly not one that produces fast results. To the contrary, it could take several months to eradicate the bad algae, regrow the coralline algae, clean the substrate, etc. So, are you really committed to fixing this whole thing? Ready for the many water changes, many tests and hours of algae scraping? Ready to change your chemical filter media and rinse your mechanical media like never before? If so, then one potential piece of your remediation strategy might seem relatively easy: Add a huge wad of chaeto.

Planted refugia do all sorts of things to improve an aquarium environment, from stabilizing pH to creating biogenic habitat for pods. Chaeto (Chaetomorpha spp.) is a favored macroalgae for planted refugia, not just because it does most of these jobs quite well but also because it is very easily cultivated; that is, so long as extremely strong full-spectrum lighting is used.

Like most other green algae, chaeto requires intense illumination to grow properly. To illustrate this, we wouldn’t suggest using a light any less powerful than you would trust to grow healthy SPS corals. In order to grow a fat bed of chaeto, you might want to consider lighting the sides of the ‘fuge as well as the surface. Special reactors that illuminate the algal mass from multiple angles will be your best option if you’re trying to grow the most chaeto in the smallest space possible.

Chaeto as a living chemical filter

Perhaps the biggest reason aquarists add macroalgae to their systems (especially in planted refugia) is to control dissolved nutrients. And macros do indeed do this well–continuously and naturally. All macros. But chaeto in particular is prized for its ability to rapidly sequester nitrate and phosphate. This is because of its potentially explosive rate of growth.

Again, to achieve these high growth rates, you must provide extremely bright lighting. Also, you must frequently harvest small portions of your crop in order to keep the mass growing; as soon your chaeto fills the grow space and shades itself, it will stop growing. It might even start to die back, releasing nutrients back into the aquarium water as it decomposes! Whenever possible, harvest the oldest sections of the bed before the newest.

Be aware that chaeto’s capacity to remove some nutrients is limited if other nutrients become depleted. For example, it may cease to sequester nitrate if it uses up all available phosphate. It might stop taking up both nitrate and phosphate if it runs out of some vital trace nutrient such as iron. And so on… Thus, as soon as the chaeto has appeared to reach its limit in removing one or more nutrients, generous water changes are recommended; water exchange will not only remove the remaining excess nutrients, but also replenish essential trace elements!

Chaeto as a living mechanical filter

AlgaeBarn Clean ChaetoThough it is seldom mentioned (curiously), chaeto works as an amazing mechanical filter. Its rigid, wiry structure forms a meshy pad of sorts. These tangled bundles are very effective at trapping any suspended particulate matter that gets drawn into the ‘fuge.

Reactors work best for this because they force the water to flow through, rather than over, the mat. Still, so long as the water courses through the mat in just the right way, you’ll find (even in a “regular” refugium) that crazy amounts of solid wastes get stuck in the thick algal matrix.

This is significant for two reasons. First, it means that the main tank will look cleaner, since most of the gunk will concentrate in the ‘fuge. Also, it means that the amphipods and harpacticoid copepods will very easily find and consume it. So, not only will your pods have an ideal place to live (they love the sheltered inner space of a chaeto mat) but they will also have their food delivered right to them. Perfect!

To avoid shaking out too much of the entrapped detritus when harvesting, cut sections out with a sharp scissor instead of trying to rip it away in chunks.

Conclusion

Of course, refugium macroalgae alone can’t do all of your tank maintenance for you. But used in tandem with a robust clean-up crew that includes copepods, a consistent water change regimen and frequent servicing of filtration devices, chaeto can bring about significantly better water quality and a cleaner physical environment with less “bad” algae.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Steve ball says

    September 22, 2020 at 3:25 am

    Getting clean live plants is difficult. Always buy them here

    Reply
    • beau shelton says

      October 6, 2020 at 1:26 pm

      I hear this is the place to buy for that very reason! Can’t wait until its back in stock!

      Reply
    • gerardobarbaro says

      October 12, 2020 at 8:10 pm

      I agree

      Reply
      • gerardobarbaro says

        October 12, 2020 at 8:17 pm

        This makes wonders for your tank, always make sure you have the lights in rotation from oneanother.

        Reply
    • devon maynard says

      October 16, 2020 at 1:48 am

      Great Article

      Reply
  2. Jeff Bowlin says

    September 22, 2020 at 12:51 pm

    do you need a light for this stuff to grow

    Reply
    • Regina Heitschmidt says

      October 19, 2020 at 1:50 pm

      Yes you do. I use a grown light. It runs at night when my display lights are off.

      Reply
    • rayhaley says

      October 19, 2020 at 2:44 pm

      Absolutely. The more the better. I run mine 18 hours.

      Reply
  3. Matthew McDonald says

    September 23, 2020 at 1:57 pm

    Love the website! The blogs are very informative.

    Reply
    • randles.17 says

      October 14, 2020 at 6:12 pm

      I agree, Great information

      Reply
  4. dburnsworth says

    September 28, 2020 at 1:30 pm

    When will chaeto be back in stock?

    Reply
  5. sedieckmann says

    September 28, 2020 at 6:46 pm

    Chaeto as a living mechanical filter made a difference in our tank! Thanks!

    Reply
  6. pumas0511 says

    October 1, 2020 at 9:20 am

    Great article. Chaeto is my favorite macro algae.

    Reply
    • TiNa Hess says

      October 3, 2020 at 5:46 am

      Newbie here. Next on my wishlist will definitely be a refugium in my biocube 32!

      Reply
  7. mlashawnbenton says

    October 1, 2020 at 10:49 am

    just stared using it, alrready seeing results right now.

    Reply
  8. Chris says

    October 1, 2020 at 11:19 am

    Great for nutrient export

    Reply
  9. cnawn says

    October 1, 2020 at 2:31 pm

    Is Chaeto the best way to start a refugium?

    Reply
  10. kweisen-1082 says

    October 1, 2020 at 4:18 pm

    Will be needing g Chaeto before long.

    Reply
  11. Molvera18 says

    October 1, 2020 at 4:25 pm

    Chaeto is the best pod hotel there is!!

    Reply
  12. adam.woods144 says

    October 1, 2020 at 5:01 pm

    Havent tried it yet one day will

    Reply
  13. Jacob T Wright says

    October 1, 2020 at 5:43 pm

    I don’t understand why a refugium isn’t just a given with every sump and tank

    Reply
    • Juan Carlos Perez says

      October 2, 2020 at 12:54 pm

      Growing some out nicely.

      Reply
  14. Tracy B Schultz says

    October 1, 2020 at 7:55 pm

    Awesomeness

    Reply
  15. Joe Camejo says

    October 2, 2020 at 7:02 am

    Keep it tumbling…..

    Reply
  16. jose.caraveo1 says

    October 2, 2020 at 7:48 am

    Great article I use chaeto

    Reply
  17. gandla nagaraviteja says

    October 2, 2020 at 9:12 am

    I always Cheto Micro Algae. Good to know more about it.

    Reply
  18. radoingermany says

    October 2, 2020 at 5:02 pm

    Just started one today

    Reply
  19. Jordn Gerardot says

    October 2, 2020 at 5:29 pm

    Great reed

    Reply
  20. Dallas Tippie says

    October 2, 2020 at 11:37 pm

    Looking forward to having a Refugium for Chaetomorpha in the future.

    Reply
    • jeffery486 says

      October 3, 2020 at 4:58 am

      Great article Cheato was the first thing I started in my refugium then expanded.

      Reply
  21. Anchor Sarslow says

    October 3, 2020 at 2:06 am

    Cheato is nice but I would rather grow a sea algae tank than just cheto

    Reply
  22. emailme says

    October 3, 2020 at 8:13 am

    Def a fan of chaeto!

    Reply
  23. Ricardo says

    October 3, 2020 at 9:53 pm

    Its great I have some in my sump.???

    Reply
  24. zadok says

    October 3, 2020 at 10:29 pm

    Love grow cheato, it grows so fast!

    Reply
  25. zadok says

    October 3, 2020 at 10:31 pm

    I Love grow cheato, it grows so fast!!

    Reply
  26. chidibang316 says

    October 4, 2020 at 1:44 am

    Got a wad of this stuff in my 15 gallon nanos refugium

    Reply
  27. jayfl77 says

    October 4, 2020 at 4:43 am

    Great ? information

    Reply
  28. dcreeron says

    October 4, 2020 at 11:15 am

    Chaeto just dies in my sump. I use pom pom which grows like crazy

    Reply
  29. dcreeron says

    October 4, 2020 at 11:16 am

    And yes, I have a light over it, and try to get it tumble.

    Reply
  30. tyler.powell says

    October 4, 2020 at 1:40 pm

    very important tool for my reef

    Reply
  31. Brett says

    October 4, 2020 at 2:07 pm

    Looking forward to ordering some for my new build!

    Reply
  32. Jesse says

    October 4, 2020 at 6:58 pm

    My chaeto grows so fast and the benefits for my tank are countless!

    Reply
  33. Chell Slayton says

    October 5, 2020 at 10:36 am

    Awesome macro algae!

    Reply
  34. Timminy Moore says

    October 5, 2020 at 3:23 pm

    Can’t wait to see if this works on mine!

    Reply
  35. Mr Papu says

    October 5, 2020 at 4:47 pm

    Can’t wait to add these to my refugium

    Reply
  36. Tony Mangano says

    October 5, 2020 at 6:00 pm

    Very clean a must for a fuge

    Reply
  37. Bob Eschet says

    October 5, 2020 at 6:04 pm

    Great for nutrient export

    Reply
  38. John Graves says

    October 5, 2020 at 7:57 pm

    My Kessil grows great chaeto! Good info!

    Reply
  39. motor795 says

    October 5, 2020 at 10:26 pm

    Have mine in a HOB refugium

    Reply
  40. motor795 says

    October 5, 2020 at 10:28 pm

    Have it in my HOB refugium

    Reply
  41. Derek Nguyen says

    October 6, 2020 at 12:11 am

    Mandatory in a sump! IMO

    Reply
  42. Krw says

    October 6, 2020 at 6:50 am

    Works great

    Reply
  43. chris says

    October 6, 2020 at 8:26 am

    I love the idea of a refugium with cheto – easy to grow and harvest.

    Reply
  44. Teri Embum says

    October 6, 2020 at 12:48 pm

    Chaeto needs iron, so if yours isn’t doing well and you still have plenty of nutrients, try adding iron. Good article.

    Reply
  45. Elizabeth Nitz says

    October 6, 2020 at 1:56 pm

    Great info, love using cheto!

    Reply
  46. michaelohl says

    October 6, 2020 at 2:39 pm

    Thinking cheato and Caulerpa(?) together would remove a wider variety of nasties. When I win this, I’ll find out.

    Reply
  47. john.c.banks says

    October 6, 2020 at 3:54 pm

    One of my tanks can never keep it alive — It just flows right on through.

    Reply
  48. Ken Bilow says

    October 7, 2020 at 4:53 am

    Proper lighting is essential to keep macro algaes alive. 50 watt hydroponic lights

    Reply
  49. Ken Bilow says

    October 7, 2020 at 5:01 am

    Proper lighting is essential to keeping macro algaes alive. 50 watt hydroponic lights

    Reply
  50. Larry says

    October 7, 2020 at 4:46 pm

    Grows like a weed

    Reply
  51. Shawn Vest says

    October 7, 2020 at 5:32 pm

    In every tank I’ve ever had

    Reply
  52. aaron says

    October 8, 2020 at 6:15 am

    I love chateo in my sump on my tank

    Reply
  53. Gabe says

    October 8, 2020 at 8:07 am

    I can’t grow this stuff in my tank, it always dies…

    Reply
  54. Elizabeth Dusser says

    October 8, 2020 at 7:40 pm

    It’s great in my sump with the rest of my macro

    Reply
  55. Christopher skates says

    October 8, 2020 at 10:48 pm

    This is a must have for your refugium!!

    Reply
  56. Casey says

    October 9, 2020 at 12:50 pm

    I love reading your blogs they are so informative

    Reply
  57. jason says

    October 9, 2020 at 7:37 pm

    chateo is a great nutrient export device.

    Reply
  58. Robert Paniagua says

    October 9, 2020 at 9:09 pm

    Got my first cheato from here.

    Reply
    • jbean_911 says

      October 15, 2020 at 7:27 am

      Always buy from a reputable place and if that’s not an option, ask for ‘clean chaeto’ and hope for the best. Never take from someone’s sump. Their problems become your problems!

      Reply
    • jbean_911 says

      October 15, 2020 at 7:27 am

      Always buy from a reputable place and if that’s not an option, ask for ‘clean chaeto’ and hope for the best. Never take from someone’s sump. Their problems become your problems!

      Reply
  59. Andrew Welsh Welsh says

    October 9, 2020 at 9:12 pm

    Chaeto is great and easy to grow

    Reply
  60. justan jenkins says

    October 9, 2020 at 10:04 pm

    nice

    Reply
  61. Ramon Mateo says

    October 10, 2020 at 2:20 am

    ?

    Reply
  62. s_coffman says

    October 10, 2020 at 2:16 pm

    In a case of lack of growth is 1/3 water change adequate?

    Reply
  63. mstrait44 says

    October 10, 2020 at 6:58 pm

    Chaeto for my fuge

    Reply
  64. Chad Whitmire says

    October 12, 2020 at 4:34 am

    Great product and a must have in the refugium. So much better than using GFO and Biopellets.

    Reply
  65. ajlop270 says

    October 12, 2020 at 4:26 pm

    do you need a light for this stuff to grow

    Reply
  66. Mike says

    October 12, 2020 at 7:36 pm

    A use in all my reefs! Get it the clean route from Algae Barn

    Reply
    • Mark Clark says

      October 19, 2020 at 5:25 pm

      Great information. I learned something new!

      Reply
  67. Andrew says

    October 12, 2020 at 10:49 pm

    Probably the most inexpensive and effective way other than water changes to maintain proper nutrient levels.

    Reply
  68. Bob Trimper says

    October 13, 2020 at 3:31 am

    Don’t risk buying it at the LFS!

    Reply
  69. Bob Trimper says

    October 13, 2020 at 3:38 am

    Don’t risk buying it at the LFS!

    Reply
  70. nicole morrison says

    October 13, 2020 at 4:40 am

    Great product but when its available make sure you get it fast because it does not last long

    Reply
  71. trevorpem10 says

    October 13, 2020 at 8:55 am

    Will keep your nutrients in check.

    Reply
  72. chrisj7705-8921 says

    October 13, 2020 at 9:19 am

    Love the chaeto

    Reply
  73. Victoria Joy Brewer says

    October 13, 2020 at 1:48 pm

    Pods love cheato

    Reply
  74. rpg56185 says

    October 13, 2020 at 3:49 pm

    Best macro hands down! Also great for pods.

    Reply
  75. Matthew Helmy says

    October 15, 2020 at 6:20 am

    Good promotion

    Reply
  76. jenniferlye74 says

    October 15, 2020 at 8:42 am

    I need a better light. My chaeto is slow growing.

    Reply
  77. B says

    October 15, 2020 at 10:01 am

    Seems to be more popular to run nowadays

    Reply
  78. cyberkiller6 says

    October 16, 2020 at 7:41 pm

    Good stuff

    Reply
  79. C Reab says

    October 17, 2020 at 2:37 am

    Only macro to use in a refugium as it will not decay

    Reply
  80. TJ Saffioti says

    October 19, 2020 at 11:56 am

    I even keep a little piece in my 10 gallon salt just to filter water

    Reply
  81. andrew babcock says

    October 19, 2020 at 2:06 pm

    It work well in my tank

    Reply
  82. shanemsalhus-7885 says

    October 19, 2020 at 2:12 pm

    stuff grows really fast!! i consider it one of the cleaner algaes and more manageable to deal with

    Reply
  83. Brandon Rush says

    October 19, 2020 at 2:30 pm

    Chaeto is great!

    Reply
  84. Brandon Rush says

    October 19, 2020 at 2:31 pm

    I love Chaeto!

    Reply
  85. Leighla Wolfe says

    October 19, 2020 at 3:07 pm

    Chaeto is key to balancing nutrient instability! It’s awesome because it outcompetes nuisance algae like hair algae! I love this clean chaeto because I don’t have to quarantine it and have piece of mind that it won’t wreak havoc on my system with pests!

    Reply
  86. ANTHONY OTOOLE says

    October 19, 2020 at 3:09 pm

    Amazing macro algae, received a clean batch awhile ago and its been growing crazy ever sense. Keeping my tank nice and clean.

    Reply
  87. Kyle says

    October 19, 2020 at 3:17 pm

    Great write up

    Reply
  88. rpkneumann says

    October 19, 2020 at 3:55 pm

    Waiting for my first shipment to use in my BioCube32 Intank Fuge basket. Also ordered the llights.

    Reply
  89. Kristin Randles says

    October 19, 2020 at 6:02 pm

    Couldn’t agree more with the use of chaeto

    Reply
  90. Colette M Taylor says

    October 19, 2020 at 6:04 pm

    I only use macro in my refugium from algaebarn

    Reply
  91. jimmeiners says

    October 19, 2020 at 9:07 pm

    Love the chaeto

    Reply
  92. David Sheffield says

    October 19, 2020 at 11:00 pm

    The only issue I have had with chaeto is keeping GHA out of it.

    Reply
  93. Don says

    October 20, 2020 at 8:18 am

    Chaeto is the perfect algae for Refugium’s from 101 beginners through advanced hobbyists use Chaeto in the Refugium for its durability, fast growth and balancing your tanks Phosphate, Nitrates and PH. It eliminated algae growth in my display tank and I have purple/pink coralline algae thriving. Grow algae in your refugium-you won’t be disappointed!

    Reply
  94. Kurt Kidder says

    October 20, 2020 at 6:21 pm

    AWESOME

    Reply
  95. Justin Walz says

    October 21, 2020 at 11:12 pm

    Always run AB chaeto none other compares

    Reply
  96. lapisyogajulianne says

    October 22, 2020 at 1:17 pm

    Love

    Reply
  97. scotty8284 says

    October 22, 2020 at 8:08 pm

    Natural filtration is the best!

    Reply
  98. Alfie Henshaw says

    October 24, 2020 at 10:42 am

    Very informative

    Reply
  99. James Wohler says

    October 24, 2020 at 6:01 pm

    Cheato and Cheerios both good for you.

    Reply
  100. weshamand says

    October 25, 2020 at 2:31 pm

    How often do you split the Cheto?

    Reply
  101. luke.helleksen says

    October 25, 2020 at 7:44 pm

    Algae barn has awesome cheato!

    Reply
  102. luke.helleksen says

    October 25, 2020 at 7:46 pm

    Awesome clean chaeto is a good filter sock!

    Reply
  103. meganpratt27 says

    October 26, 2020 at 3:32 pm

    Chaeto is the best macro for helping nutrient control!

    Reply
  104. devaji108 says

    October 27, 2020 at 10:17 am

    remember boys and girls it’s not cheetos…dont go dumping a freash bag from the store in your tank 😀

    Reply
  105. rpkneumann says

    October 28, 2020 at 8:44 am

    Make it available, Please.
    I am a believer in macro algae cleaning. I used to run a 4.500 gallon pond using only a biological filter with macro algae and porous rocks. It works!
    Now i want to apply the same technique on my reef tank.

    Reply
  106. Chris Montesione says

    October 28, 2020 at 7:02 pm

    Love cheato

    Reply
  107. Jeremy Pryes says

    October 29, 2020 at 10:34 am

    The Standard in Mirco Algae.

    Reply
  108. Mark says

    October 30, 2020 at 8:46 am

    I used cheato in my religion before but always look to better by reading up and learning things

    Reply
  109. Josh Stevens says

    October 31, 2020 at 10:36 pm

    Great to have in refugium for nutrient export.

    Reply

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