Mangroves starving out chaeto...

[mkengr45]

I know practically everyone will insist that chaeto will outperform mangroves when it comes to nutrient export...however, I'm starting to doubt that and here is why.

I've had a bunch of chaeto in my fuge for a while and everything was going fine. I added several mangroves and over a period of a several weeks the chaeto ball has pretty much disappeared and the mangroves are putting on leaves and long roots. What started as a basketball size piece of chaeto is now almost nothing at all...maybe a ping-pong ball size.

Sure chaeto grows fast but the composition is mostly water as opposed to mangroves which are a solid composition. So if you look at it in terms of material mass (say dehydrated matter) I'm not so sure that chaeto really is pulling out more bad stuff.

What I know for sure is that I added a bunch of mangroves and the chaeto vanished. Refugium lighting is two Kessil A150s, one is the Amazon sun 6700k spectrum and the other is the kessil sky blue 10,000k spectrum.

I know of others that have observed this same thing and I'm just looking for others thoughts.

I could be totally wrong in this theory...

Randy

[Troy Valentine]

I guess I am as wrong as you Randy, because I've experienced the same thing. I run a healthy Xenia fuge, and the only time I see growth in the Chaeto is when I've create a large surplus in nutrients by either over feeding or large decay in the tank. I am currently skimmerless and my chaeto grew a little when I first turned the skimmer off. Now that the Xenia has grown to fill the surplus of nutrients created, the chaeto growth has stalled. Also when I remove it I see no difference in amount of algae in the DT. Now when I do Xenia pruning I see an almost immediate algae bloom on my glass for about a week. Until the growth of the Xenia fills the void.

[Troy Valentine]

Not to boohoo Chaeto. It does have an application, like safe guarding pods and other organisms.

[Zack]

I guess I am as wrong as you Randy, because I've experienced the same thing. I run a healthy Xenia fuge, and the only time I see growth in the Chaeto is when I've create a large surplus in nutrients by either over feeding or large decay in the tank. I am currently skimmerless and my chaeto grew a little when I first turned the skimmer off. Now that the Xenia has grown to fill the surplus of nutrients created, the chaeto growth has stalled. Also when I remove it I see no difference in amount of algae in the DT. Now when I do Xenia pruning I see an almost immediate algae bloom on my glass for about a week. Until the growth of the Xenia fills the void.

Troy, your xenia fuge is easily one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen, and also super beneficial. How often do you prune it? I'd imagine it grows like crazy.

[Troy Valentine]

Troy, your xenia fuge is easily one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen, and also super beneficial. How often do you prune it? I'd imagine it grows like crazy.

Thank you Zack!

I try to remove 7 to 10 stalks a week, sometimes less but I try to prune a little every week. Now that I am skimmerless again their growth rate has taken off.

[Dean]

Interesting thread!

Randy how many mangroves are you growing per gallons of water? If they are starving out the chaeto then they must be super efficient. I may try to incorporate them in one of my DTs

Troy how many gallons is your Xenia fuge? Do you run bio pellets or gfo?

[Zack]

Thank you Zack!

I try to remove 7 to 10 stalks a week, sometimes less but I try to prune a little every week. Now that I am skimmerless again their growth rate has taken off.

how did you start your fuge? Did you have to start with a skimmer and then slowly take that down as the Xenia grew? I'll be picking up a large tank and have a ton of decisions to make regarding filtration

[mkengr45]

Display tank is 144g half circle and fuge is 40g. I currently have 15 mangroves and run the fuge on a reverse light cycle from the display tank. It may help too that I run fairly decent lighting in the fuge (2 kessils). Also, I do not root the mangroves in the sand...I have them suspended so that the roots are in the water


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[Dean]

Display tank is 144g half circle and fuge is 40g. I currently have 15 mangroves and run the fuge on a reverse light cycle from the display tank. It may help too that I run fairly decent lighting in the fuge (2 kessils). Also, I do not root the mangroves in the sand...I have them suspended so that the roots are in the water


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

What other sources of nutrient export do you have incorporated? Biopellets or anything along those lines?

[mkengr45]

What other sources of nutrient export do you have incorporated? Biopellets or anything along those lines?

I run carbon and gfo just like I always have...but no bio pellets. I run my skimmer pretty wet and run filter socks. I only feed frozen foods. The display tank doesn't have any algae problems whatsoever.

Nothing particularly tricky going on...no magic potions to speak of.

Randy

[Troy Valentine]

Interesting thread!

Troy how many gallons is your Xenia fuge? Do you run bio pellets or gfo?

The fuge is 30 gallons. I do not run bio pellets, however I need to use gfo periodically to bring my PO4 down to <.04. The Gigas clam seems to keep the nitrates at an undetectable level, but phosphates do creep up over a few months. Once they get to >.06 I add gfo.


how did you start your fuge? Did you have to start with a skimmer and then slowly take that down as the Xenia grew? I'll be picking up a large tank and have a ton of decisions to make regarding filtration

I started a Xenia fuge back in '01-'02 when I had a 135. At that time I was using 400 watt 6500k Iwasaki bulbs to grow two types of Xenia; Elongata and Red Sea, and it sure grew. It grew to a point where I could use store credit in '04 to purchase my next system; an Oceanic 240/w stand.

You will need to start off with a skimmer then slowly ween the system off the skimmer while the growth of the Xenia picks up the slack for the absent skimmer. If you plan using a Xenia fuge, make sure you keep a good separation between the fuge and the DT. If not your tank will turn into one giant Xenia fuge.

He is a pic of my Xenia infested 135
http://www.maast.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=17082&d=1351050091

Here is the current Xenia fuge
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKfhOu2GBaA

[Troy Valentine]

In my next system I would love to have both a Xenia fuge and Mangrove fuge at the same level as the display. So they can be enjoyed without looking under the stand.

[LuckySingh]

In my next system I would love to have both a Xenia fuge and Mangrove fuge at the same level as the display. So they can be enjoyed without looking under the stand.

U know Troy quite an interesting fuge u got there . I still remember seeing ur tank probably 6 years ago and that clam was giant back than also . Don't know if remember I bought the Lm3 from u .
Any ways in my current system my sump is built with a fuge section , however I am never really convinced to run fuge for nutrient export up till now.
My system has no nitrates no phosphates and no algae ,don't run carbon or any other chemicals )what so ever but after reading many articles online and seeing ur fuge setups i am some what convinced running a mangrove plus Xenia fuge if I can find a correct led low temperature light for it . Would like to chat with u regarding setting it up maybe in next few days if u r available ??