vitreous99 Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 First time saltwater reef, first time refugium. How careful do I need to be about the source of chaetomorpha? I was guided away from buying from fish stores (in general). Sound advice or overly cautious? I understand some of the risks associated with fish, and corals and live rock etc. Do macroalgea have their own risks? Quote Link to comment
ChristopherDido Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 Following, I'm curious as well. Quote Link to comment
rO.oster Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 What concerns have you heard of for LFS chaeto? Quote Link to comment
Subsea Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 Macro algae will transfer bad hitchhikers just like coral. For certain dips are not fool proof. I use 35% concentrate hydrogen peroxide. It will kill all algae and is collateral damage to micro inverts: bristle worms, amphipods, copepods, micro starfish and the list goes on. However, it will not kill Aptasia unless you break the outer membrane. No matter what, spores of differrent pest can have protective mechanisms to prevent harm to cyst, ich comes to mind. For dipping coral, using 3.5% hydrogen peroxide, mix 10% hydrogen peroxide in a container with rock submerged for 10 minutes. For delicate corals, cut time in half. 1 Quote Link to comment
BulkRate Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 Only thing I'd watch for is potentially introducing pest anemones such as aiptasia or majanos as that's about the only thing I've noticed in stores' macroalgae around here from time to time. But concerned? Nah. Just use your good judgment and take a few minutes to look at the clump & the holding tank it's in - whatever's growing in there will likely be whatever's hitchhiking into yours. Besides, many times you get GOOD hitchhikers out of it - the micro brittle stars in my tank that finally outcompeted the bristle worms came in on the wad I bought at a local store. Ditto several infusions of copepods/isopods that my fish have happily snacked on over the years. 2 Quote Link to comment
billdeluz Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 Just buy from algaebarn 99.99999999% clean chaeto https://www.algaebarn.com/product/cleanchaeto/ 1 Quote Link to comment
BulkRate Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 Or as Bill points out, buy from a vendor who practically scrubs the stuff before it ships,. Like Algaebarn for instance. A little pricey compared to the local reefer "Here' I'll just give you a clump from my refugium/reactor/that hunk in the back of the display" route, but yeah, it's gonna be pretty darn clean. 1 Quote Link to comment
billdeluz Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 51 minutes ago, BulkRate said: Or as Bill points out, buy from a vendor who practically scrubs the stuff before it ships,. Like Algaebarn for instance. A little pricey compared to the local reefer "Here' I'll just give you a clump from my refugium/reactor/that hunk in the back of the display" route, but yeah, it's gonna be pretty darn clean. Just saying they are looking for pest free solution thats the one lol only issue i have with chaeto is not the life on it thats welcome its all the aiptasia thats usually comes with it for the extra money you get clean chaeto free of pest similar to why done people chose to start with dry rock Quote Link to comment
vitreous99 Posted February 4, 2018 Author Share Posted February 4, 2018 43 minutes ago, billdeluz said: Just buy from algaebarn 99.99999999% clean chaeto https://www.algaebarn.com/product/cleanchaeto/ That's where I was headed... Was wondering of its worth it or not. Gets expensive with chaeto plus copepods and phytoplankton. Quote Link to comment
billdeluz Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 6 minutes ago, vitreous99 said: That's where I was headed... Was wondering of its worth it or not. Gets expensive with chaeto plus copepods and phytoplankton. Pricey but grows fast and also eliminates any chance of pest from someone's chaeto just my .02 Quote Link to comment
vitreous99 Posted February 4, 2018 Author Share Posted February 4, 2018 6 minutes ago, billdeluz said: Pricey but grows fast and also eliminates any chance of pest from someone's chaeto just my .02 OK so worth it in your opinion. Which, I suppose, is probably what I have should have asked in the first place. Quote Link to comment
Subsea Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 We all have opinions and that is what we bring to the table. I read algaebarn disclaimer, which is what I referred to. The macro algae that I received from Algaebarn went sexual in the shipping bag. I am picking up bits and pieces. I like Algaebarn for their copepods, top of the line selection of differrent cultivores. I would not spend the extra money for their pest free macro algae, which they don’t guarantee. Algaebarn also recommends qt for their macro. Quote Link to comment
vitreous99 Posted February 4, 2018 Author Share Posted February 4, 2018 58 minutes ago, Subsea said: ... The macro algae that I received from Algaebarn went sexual in the shipping bag. I am picking up bits and pieces. I like Algaebarn for their copepods, top of the line selection of differrent cultivores. "went sexual" - bad water conditions during shipping I guess? So what did you do? Quarantine and wait or throw it away? Quote Link to comment
billdeluz Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 That's why i said 99.9999 pest free nothing in life is guarantee except death Quote Link to comment
billdeluz Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 also i recommend you qt everything including snails but thats me just preventing past mistakes Quote Link to comment
Andreww Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 Qt macro and Snails? You guys sure have time to mess around lol No inverts , macro etc should be QT. Only fish and some SPS coral to prevent ich and other parasites from getting the other fish sick and for coral, red bug and nudibranch control. You don’t want those all over your precious SPS. Other than that, don’t bother...ofcourse, this is only my opinion... Quote Link to comment
squamptonbc Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 Only 2 sources in Canada for Macro Algae and the selection is limited, either a LFS or another reefer, but it's getting harder to find local reefers so the easiest and quickest option is a LFS but it's not cheap and quality is meh, but what can you do? I just look for any obvious pests. Quote Link to comment
Kellie in CA Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 The only horrible flat worm infestation I have had was from LFS cheato. So, yes, you do need to be careful. Quote Link to comment
billdeluz Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 4 hours ago, Andreww said: Qt macro and Snails? You guys sure have time to mess around lol No inverts , macro etc should be QT. Only fish and some SPS coral to prevent ich and other parasites from getting the other fish sick and for coral, red bug and nudibranch control. You don’t want those all over your precious SPS. Other than that, don’t bother...ofcourse, this is only my opinion... Snails can cary ich into your tank just like any frag or macro just one drop of water can transfer a parisite i dont have time to mess around but untill u have to disassemble a huge system to save your live stock it wont make sence to you but ich can transfer just from using the same pippete or net etc.... 2 hours ago, Kellie in CA said: The only horrible flat worm infestation I have had was from LFS cheato. So, yes, you do need to be careful. So tru Quote Link to comment
billdeluz Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 "while ich does not "live" on hermits, snails, or coral...it can be introduced to a closed system(aquarium) through the introduction of any contaminated foreign water. This is why it is best to QT "everything", including corals, CUC, fish and any new additions. while the chances may be small at best, if you have invested a serious amount of time and money into your tank, there is no reason to take the risk. A QT is fairly easy to set up and get running when you need it." Quote Link to comment
Andreww Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 Not sure where you’re getting your info from but it’s wrong.The general consensus is ich cannot grow on inverts or be supported by such inverts . Period.Its a fish only parasite. What inverts are affected by, is ich treatment. So...say you have fish and inverts in QT, and fish develops ich, do you treat the sick fish with medicine that will kill inverts or what’s the plan? Setup multiple QT tanks? You can see where this doesn’t make any sense... You’re the only one I’ve ever heard to go to such extent with QT, but hey, whatever floats your boat?? Quote Link to comment
rO.oster Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 really good discussion here. ive always settled for the visual inspection on chaeto, wanting to save the pods and such. i can only imagine what nightmares a back corner chaeto ball from the LFS can contain. A lot of online retailers really do care about the shop they run, some dont, but the prices really start to climb with these niche places. but i guess if your spending thousands of dollars on sps, you better be worrying about such things! Quote Link to comment
Subsea Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 10 hours ago, vitreous99 said: "went sexual" - bad water conditions during shipping I guess? So what did you do? Quarantine and wait or throw it away? My aplication was not for a reef tank. I am conducting a pilot study of cultivating Gracilaria Tikvahiae for human consumption as a super food. Glass tank is located outdoors using 80W of air pump to tumble culture 150G tank. I already bleached the tank. I sterilized the raw water coming from the Trinity Aquifier and added salt. Since this is a mono culture tank, after cleaning up seaweed, I introduced it to the cold water in this tank. If if you want to keep pest out of your system, you should qt. I do not worry about pest. I have a 25 year old 75G Jaubert Plenum with 30G EcoSystem mud cryptic refugium. If you look hard, you will see a flatworm or an aptasia. I don’t fret it. I have been reefing for 45 years. I have not tested regularly or qt in 30 years. First picture is 25 year old tank. Second picture is 120G new build ar 6 weeks old. 2 Quote Link to comment
vitreous99 Posted February 5, 2018 Author Share Posted February 5, 2018 @Subsea cool all around! Funny you mention consuming macroalgea... I've been wondering, once I start my little refugium, if I could feed the surplus chaeto to my daughter's guinea pigs. If you don't mind sharing... Where is your preferred source for macros? Quote Link to comment
Subsea Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 https://www.live-plants.com/ Russ Kronwetter has written the most informative information on macromalgae at this website. Just click on “free guide” link. During the winter, everyone’s selection is low. Quote Link to comment
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