two types of chaeto?

[fishguy84]

Is there more than one type of chaeto? One looks like typical chaeto, the type that I have used in my tank for ever. Its grean, skinny, and curly with no leaves and is a bold green color. This other stuff I find growing is thicker, straighter, and grows at 3x the pace of the other. It also has no leaves but is a duller green. I bought the macro from an lfs and it looked like it was just the skinny kind that I've had in previous tanks, but then this stuff grew out of itlike a weed. Any ideas? I'd have said caulerpa but there's no leaves or evidence of buds.

[RESONANCE]

There are several kinds of cheato actually. It's hard to id if what you're talking about is one of the variants. Can you take a picture and post it? That'll allow us to identify it better for you.

[fishguy84]

As soon as I get home tonight I will. My hypothesis is that they use the nutrients in the water at different levels so both are beneficial. The one curly bold colored chaeto clumps into a tight ball and the lighter straight version looks like it is reaching out to secure itself to something.

 

It would be interesting to see which is more nutrient absorbing, just for kicks.

 

Google searching led me to the following database:

 

Chaeto

[Builder Anthony]

I have one that seems to grow super slow but the stuff is almost so hard you could break it and hear it snap or crackle.Its not soft.The guy who sold it to me said he thought it was real hard also.For instance a 1 inch peice will grow like 1 cm a day and that growth will be clear it take like 2 more days for it to turn green and thats under 15 watts of led par 38 10 inches off top.

[johnmaloney]

probably chaetomorpha crassa and chaetomorpha linum. those are the 2 species in the hobby. there are something like 30+ species of chaetomorpha, many of which are pests that are annoying, but that is another story.