Chaetomorpha Shortage?

[MSOEME2009]

I'm about to start my new tank up; might fill today or tomorrow.

I will be running Chaeto in the fuge to home some pods and to export nutrients. It's set up with a big ol' Kessil grow light.

I intended on grabbing some from Algea Barn with some pods. Sold Out.
I then went to look at reefcleaners. Sold Out...
Onwards to LiveAquaria. Sold... Out...

Is CLEAN Chaeto that hard to find?!?

I'm sure I can find infested chaeto on the street corner. I don't want that; hence dry reef rock from reef cleaners and dry tropic eden reef flakes from premium aquatics.

Anyone else with a lead &/or know lead times? I added myself to the "notify" lists.

I might need to hold out now to start the tank until I know I can source. I planned on running the fuge about a week in once my Dr. Tims takes hold and my ammonia dosing shows good progress.

Where oh where has the Chaeto gone? Oh where oh where can it be...

 

[Greybeard]

Hm. I bought some a couple months ago, but you appear to be correct, everyone I know of that sells it is out.

Eh... wait a month or so. Stuff grows fast, under the right conditions, I'm sure it's just a temporary situation.

Did BRS do another video on the advantages of a Chaeto based refugeum? I must have missed it

 

[JDowns]

LOL! I was just wondering this myself. Just ordered a reactor and did the same searches you did.

RUSalty has some in stock. But their shipping is ridonculus.

 

[JDowns]

Unique Corals a sponsor here has cheato in stock.

 

[jda]

What makes you think that any of those are clean? I would assume that it is all infested, just like a fish or coral. If you want to make sure that it is clean, then you will need to do it yourself.

 

[MSOEME2009]

But where to get the "seed"....

 

[jda]

I do not know of anybody who has massive amounts of the stuff that has it clean. If you need it clean, then clean it yourself. Some of these operations have many 150g troughs full of the stuff. Do not assume that they know what is really in there. The street corner will work just fine for a seed - even some of them will tell you that it is clean, but theirs is not any more than the other people.

In a practical sense, I would not sweat this too much. Just do the best that you can. Unless you have a two-deep coral and invert QT system, everything will get into your tank that can... sometimes on the first frag plug or coral. You need consumers of the basics like bubble algae and aiptasia. You can dip for most flatworms, but some survive that as well.

 

[MSOEME2009]

Thanks. Can you do anything else besides a freshwater dip on Chaeto?

 

[jda]

People pick through it with tweezers - I do not. You can use flatworm exit for flatworms. Quick bayer dip would probably be OK - I have never done this, but you could test it on a small portion - the stuff is pretty safe on anything without a nervous system.

 

[Fishfinder]

I have clean cheato if you want some

 

[hatfielj]

I'm about to start my new tank up; might fill today or tomorrow.

I will be running Chaeto in the fuge to home some pods and to export nutrients. It's set up with a big ol' Kessil grow light.

I intended on grabbing some from Algea Barn with some pods. Sold Out.
I then went to look at reefcleaners. Sold Out...
Onwards to LiveAquaria. Sold... Out...

Is CLEAN Chaeto that hard to find?!?

I'm sure I can find infested chaeto on the street corner. I don't want that; hence dry reef rock from reef cleaners and dry tropic eden reef flakes from premium aquatics.

Anyone else with a lead &/or know lead times? I added myself to the "notify" lists.

I might need to hold out now to start the tank until I know I can source. I planned on running the fuge about a week in once my Dr. Tims takes hold and my ammonia dosing shows good progress.


Where oh where has the Chaeto gone? Oh where oh where can it be...

You don't need much to start. You could buy a small handful from anyone and then just carefully examine individual strands for pests. Once you find a few strands that appear to be free of pests, just toss the rest out and use the individual strands. Cheato grows so fast in the right conditions that you'll have handfuls of it in no time.

 

[hyprc]

People still get aiptasia/pests from 'clean' chaeto... just something to keep in mind while you're looking.

 

[MSOEME2009]

Thanks for all the input. Wasn't sure if i'd be able to see certain pests like aiptasia.

 

[jda]

You cannot see them. That is the point. You can QT them for months and wait and see. ...or you can just do the best that you can and deal with them if/when they come. Flatworms are the only common chaeto hitchhiker that I do not like. You get beneficial ones like mini-brittle stars and pods, as well.

 

[KenO]

I ordered some from Amazon (Aquaculture Farms). Placed order on the 13th. Received it today.

 

[Fishfinder]

Still offering to give away some clean cheato....

 

[MSOEME2009]

Might take you up on that. I'll PM once I get the tank going. Just added sand/rock today.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/build-that-cube-40g-first-reef-build.380305/#post-4646450

 

[Marc88]

I ordered some from Amazon (Aquaculture Farms). Placed order on the 13th. Received it today.

I purchased cheato from here also about a week ago...so far no pests. The price was reasonable too. Im no professional, this came as the thin variety which is growing much better than the thick variety I had prior under the same conditions.

https://www.amazon.com/Chaetomorpha...pID=51NSXo59HkL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

 

[robert teseo]

I buy it from ebay

 

[JonnyTorch]

I ordered some from Amazon (Aquaculture Farms). Placed order on the 13th. Received it today.

Thanks bud. I see them on Amazon now. Old thread but still. I'm running into the same issues as above; ordered the light, no chaeto yet. I see great reviews on Amazon by these guys, but only by one or two people total. Thanks for vetting.