Cheto???? or Cheato??

[underseaworld]

Not sure of the correct spelling.... But I got a softball size of this algea the other day. I have a 90 gl sump. I was wondering if the ball is to be spread out or is it be in a clump? How much should be in my sump before I start to thin it out? Do tangs like to eat it?

[Ron Shimek]

The correct spelling is Chaetomorpha.

[zhenya]

Not sure of the correct spelling.... But I got a softball size of this algea the other day. I have a 90 gl sump. I was wondering if the ball is to be spread out or is it be in a clump? How much should be in my sump before I start to thin it out? Do tangs like to eat it?

This particular algae thrives in high flow and good lighting. Leave it in a ball and if you have a good flow through your fuge it will be rolling around and growing.
As it grows in size you can separate a part of the ball and either throw it away or trade it to your local fish store for some goods. I do it lots of times. ;)

PS. If your ball of Chaetomorpha is roughly a softball size wait 'till it gets about twice the original size and then thin it out.

[underseaworld]

This particular algae thrives in high flow and good lighting. Leave it in a ball and if you have a good flow through your fuge it will be rolling around and growing.
As it grows in size you can separate a part of the ball and either throw it away or trade it to your local fish store for some goods. I do it lots of times. ;)

PS. If your ball of Chaetomorpha is roughly a softball size wait 'till it gets about twice the original size and then thin it out.

Thanks for the advice. I have hundreads and hundreads of the micro brittle star fish that are now living in the ball. The ball has only been in my tank for a week. My Pods are also starting to move into the ball. I was amazed at how fast the star fish moved into the ball.

Will Tangs eat this stuff?

[kevinpo]

Most Tangs will eat it but slowly.

Regards,
Kevin

[zhenya]

Neither my tangs nor rabitfish showed any interest in it, unfortunately. I wish they did, though, because I could recycle the nutrients over and over...