Chaetomorpha

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Chaetomorpha
File:Chaeto 2.JPG
Scientific classification
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Chaetomorpha
Species

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In taxonomy, Chaetomorpha, also called Chaeto for short, is a genus of green algae, specifically of the Cladophoraceae.[1]

Aquarium hobby usage

Chaetomorpha is especially common in saltwater aquariums because it can be used for removal of nutrients, especially nitrates. Aquarists will commonly house this alga, perhaps with others, in a refugium. Once it has grown to a significant mass, a chunk of the algae is removed to be thrown out or donated to another aquarist, taking the nutrients it has absorbed out of the system. Chaetomorpha is preferred over other macroalgae such as Caulerpa because it is less likely than Caulerpa to undergo sexual reproduction in the aquarium. It is also easy to remove because it will not attach to rocks or substrates. In a study run by Casey Campbell, it was shown that coal bed methane is filtered by chaetomoropha. In addition to nutrient export, chaetomorpha is known to host beneficial amphipods which can subsequently be used as a food source for corals and animals that may reside within the aquarium.

Chaetomorpha can, alternatively, be replaced by an algae scrubber.

References

  1. See the NCBI webpage on Chaetomorpha. Data extracted from the Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

Scientific databases

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