Chaeto's growth

[mladencovic]

Wherever on the web or in these forums we talk about chaeto macro algae, everybody agrees that it grows slow. Recently, out of curiosity and nothing better to do, I trie to unvind and pull one strand of chaeto from the clump that sits in my fuge. To my amasement, the strand was more then 10' long BEFORE it BROKE. That started me thinking and I realized two things:

1) This plant does not branch in any meaningful way for reproduction. Also, since the strands are exceptionlaly tough and strong, they do ot break easily.

2) In that whole ball of chaeto, filling 25-30% of my 10 gal fuge, there might be only and handfull of strands.

Consequently there are only a small number of points where even the largest clump of chaeto can grow and even if it grows at a rate of 1" per day (which I believe I have observed, though I have to check that), volumnous growth will be very small.

So, I believe that we can achieve the fast voluminous growth of chaeto, by simply providing more growing points - or in other words by simply shredding the strands in much smaller pieces and providing many more of end points.

 

[htkdkid]

maybe if you cut every month or two you would get it to grow faster. it would also depend on the lighting. how long its on the longer its on the more the chaetos will grow.

 

[mladencovic]

... how long its on the longer its on the more the chaetos will grow.

That is the point I am making it won't grow much faster even if you implemen't longer light intervals or nutrient richer environment. When compared with lets say grape caulerpa. If the growth potential of individual cells of caulerpa increases by 100% you might acheve even 100% voluminous growth of caulerpa. If you increase 100% the growth potential of individual cells of chaeto, you might increase the voluminous growth of overall plant by only 1%

I am preparing a few experiments to measure the growth of chaeto.

 

[htkdkid]

OK keep us posted on the results.