Help Growing chaeto

I've had the same batch of chaeto for 5 months. It's in my fuge lit by a portable work light with a cfl 6500k bulb from lowes. For the first 2 months my nitrates were 20-30 and since then at 0. Phosphates are between 0 and .25.
I have film algae, hair algae, and Caulerpa Racemosa growing just fine in my DT
I just got a Jbj 25watt Macro glo refugium light for free!
Amazon.com: JBJ 25 Watt Macro-Glo Adjustable Refugium Light: Pet Supplies
I don't know how old the bulb is. Is it possible that the cfl bulb from lowes wasn't working because the portable work light I was using wasn't reflecting enough to the algae? Should I replace the bulb in the free light I got with a cfl lowes bulb or a new bulb made for the light?

 

Cha to alone won't remove the algae you don't want.what kind of five do you have? Hob or sump? Most do heavy skimming and phosphate reactors. Some even use algae turf scrubbers which I've seen work really well. Most any bulb will grow chaeto but if you want rapid growth rate get some ho LEDs. I've had 8 3watt cree 3 blue 5 white and wow! All depends on what your setup is.

 

I"ve used those silver/aluminum/funnel looking lights that some with a clamp, and 100W equivalent bulbs - 2 reflectors and bulbs actually- 200W.

My chaeto grows like gangbusters, and I give away gallon ziplocks stuffed full of it all the time!

I do have a huge area for chaeto in my DIY sump also.

IMHO- it onlyt requires simple, inexspensive hardware to grow good chaeto.
I also have the lights on a timer, 12 on/12 off- opposite my DT light cycle- I can say- doing these simple things works very well.

 

I started with the bulbs from home depot. When my growth sucked I decided to go out and buy the JBJ 25w macro-grow. My growth was better but very slow. If you look into threads online with this light you will find its not the best solution for growth. After 6 months of this I decided to try something else. I found this on ebay for 18$ with shipping E27 Spotlight Light 85-265V 12W 12 LED PAR38 make sure its pure white(6500k). Now I grow chaeto like crazy. All of my friends also bought the light with great, growth results.

 

Your light should work fine that is exactly what I use to grow mine and always have to get rid of a lot of it. The reason that it might not be growing is because there are not enough nutrients for it to feed off of.

 

+1

You can also try the $12 LED's from Lowes that screw in. I think they are a 3800K. They work awesome and you dont have to replace them.

 

It's possible that the Chaetomorpha is getting out-competed for nutrients, as mentioned. Another possiblity may be that it might want to be tumbled, or at the very least, turned over once a week (just reach in and flip the stuff over so all of it gets some light).

Finally, it may have something to do with the species...I've had some that grows great, and some that grows more slowly (it was a darker green with heavier filaments) under the exact same conditions.

 

Maybe I have too little flow through my chaeto. I have a 635 Gph return pump and about a 4' head. I do have a 800 Gph external pump I could use if it might make a difference