Question on chaetomorpha

[Yash]

I had a small question on chaetomorpha ... I'm trying to get some of it growning in my fuge ... I have a bed of LR rubble in there right now with a bunch of chaetomorpha that I just added the other day floating in and around it. Unfortunately, I cannot add sand to my fuge cos of the way its constructed - it would get sucked into the pump)

The question I had was ... does the chaeto need sand to anchor itself in or will it attach itself to the LR? I've heard some people say that it is a free-floating macro ... so does that mean that it doesn't need to be anchored at all? Just having enough water to submerge it is fine in this case?

Thanks in advance!
Yash

 

[fsn77]

No anchoring required. In fact, it's commonly recommended to have it tumbling as it free floats. This can be achieved with a properly aimed powerhead. Having it tumble keeps detritus from settling on it and tends to result in more even growth.

 

[Yash]

Cool!! Thats what I was sort of hoping for due to the lack of sand in my sump. Now, regarding the powerhead, how critical is that ... frankly, I've not heard of adding a powerhead to a sump, so is that really critical?

Thanks!
Yash

 

[fsn77]

It's not a big deal either way. Our refugium and sump are made out of 2 old aquariums that are plumbed together, so we needed a powerhead in the refugium to provide enough water movement within it for our specific situation.

 

[Germanman]

yea the algae can and should tumble mine does in my fuge.