HELP my Cheato is Disintegrating.

I added chaeto to my fuge a few weeks ago and I thought everything was fine, but now it's turning grey and falling apart. What am I doing wrong?? DOES IT HAVE TO TUMBLE?

5500k 27w CFL 16/8hrs reverse photo cycle over a DSB/Fuge.
Light is about 10 inches from chaeto.
Plenty of flow.
1.025, 76F, NH3 0, N02 O, N03 5. Not sure about Phosphate.
25% Monthly water change.

Attached a pic of the setup.

 

Not sure what is wrong, but my chaeto doesnt tumble. Although, once a week, I do "shake it out" and flip it around a little. It is nice and green. So I don't think you have to have it tumbling.

 

+1 with blumoon reefers. I do the same thing as he

 

does chaeto have to have a substrate?

 

My cheato all died - i went the the LFS and found I had and did everything right except I didn't have enough nutrients in the tank. Basically I don't have a big enough bio load to support cheato, so now i dont use it. maybe when I add more fish ill bring it back.

 

Ok thanks, do y'all think the 5500k 27w CFL is ok?

 

how big is your refugium, it should be good enough.

 

Make sure to remove the dead pieces or they will result in more nutrients in the tank. It may be you don't have enough bioload to support that much chaeto.

 

GuitarMan,
I'm having a small issue with cyano and green hair so I figured the phosphates were up, hence the addition of chaeto.
Sweet, I've been wanting a algae munching tang so maybe it will help control algae, and hopefully there's room in the bioload.

 

Do you run any phosphate removal stuff? my chaeto was disintegrating when i ran rowaphos, but fluorished after removing it. 5ppm nitrates is not very little nutrient for them. mine is at 0.3 and it's still going green.