Good or bad algea in refugium

I've had my refugium/sump set up since 01-01-07 and started with some mangroves and cheto. Now the cheto has taken off and filled the tank. Ther is a green hair alge growing on the top of the cheto like a green blanket. My questions are, is this OK?, should it be removed?, and what is it?

 

Until you actually "export" the algae, you really haven't done a nutrient export. Rip a lot of it off and throw it in the trash, or give some to a friend, or sell it to a LFS. The key is, export it.

BTW....chaeto works best if it is floating and spinning. If you allow it to get that large, it's actually working as mechanical filtration and trapping detritus which will rot. I.e., it will RAISE your Nitrates and not the other way around.

 

^Wow, I didnt know that...thanks for the info Inwall

 

Thanks for the info inwall. I removede about 2/3 of it and now I can see the bottom again. At the rate it grows I assume it should be trimmed every month or two right?

 

If it grows by 20%, remove 20% of it. The time frame is going to vary from tank to tank so I cannot answer regarding how long it will take in your tank.

 

mamachipy, I've had my Chaeto for about 3 months and it grows about 40%/month (almost doubles in a month). You said yours exploded. How fast does yours grow? Also, what are you using to light it?

 

It is always best to prune your macro to avoid overpopulation! And with this comes possible problems!