Macro algae and chemi pure blue

5to9design · 06/15/2021, 03:37 PM

Does anyone have experience with running both together? I have a 6 months old Nuvo 20 and would like to run cheato for nitrate control (was almost 50ppm before my last large weekly water change.) My only worry is that I have been running chemipure blue (5.5 oz bag) for 4 months and my phosphates have been unreadable. Experience in freshwater planted tanks has taught me that no phosphate=dead plants. Is this the same case for cheato or are ultra low phosphates good enough to grow?

Also i know the first instinct is to say feed less but I would rather try the heavy in heavy out approach than the starve my pets.

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Sk8r · 06/15/2021, 03:59 PM

marine algae is very efficient at sucking up phosphate. Usually your problem is getting rid of it. What is remarkable is that a place absolutely green with runaway algae can test zero for phosphate---because all that algae has sucked up all the phosphate and keeping it bound so it can't be read by the test. If your cheato is healthy and green it has the phosphate it needs, and its job is to suck it up and prevent algae from getting any.

5to9design · 06/15/2021, 06:21 PM

Awesome! Thank you! I have chaeto coming this week. Hoping it can suck nitrates down under 10.

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06/15/2021, 03:37 PM	#1
5to9design Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2020 Posts: 18	Macro algae and chemi pure blue Does anyone have experience with running both together? I have a 6 months old Nuvo 20 and would like to run cheato for nitrate control (was almost 50ppm before my last large weekly water change.) My only worry is that I have been running chemipure blue (5.5 oz bag) for 4 months and my phosphates have been unreadable. Experience in freshwater planted tanks has taught me that no phosphate=dead plants. Is this the same case for cheato or are ultra low phosphates good enough to grow? Also i know the first instinct is to say feed less but I would rather try the heavy in heavy out approach than the starve my pets. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

06/15/2021, 03:59 PM	#2
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	marine algae is very efficient at sucking up phosphate. Usually your problem is getting rid of it. What is remarkable is that a place absolutely green with runaway algae can test zero for phosphate---because all that algae has sucked up all the phosphate and keeping it bound so it can't be read by the test. If your cheato is healthy and green it has the phosphate it needs, and its job is to suck it up and prevent algae from getting any. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%. Last edited by Sk8r; 06/15/2021 at 08:12 PM.

06/15/2021, 06:21 PM	#3
5to9design Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2020 Posts: 18	Awesome! Thank you! I have chaeto coming this week. Hoping it can suck nitrates down under 10. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk