I'm not allowed to go into much detail, but we will be releasing something pretty earth shattering in ~3 months.
Do You Quarantine Algae?
- Thread starter Forsaken77
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I'm not allowed to go into much detail, but we will be releasing something pretty earth shattering in ~3 months.
I understand the plague of bryopsis. I had it in my first reef tank really bad until I treated with elevated magnesium (~1500ppm) and a foxface. You might want to try elevated magnesium.
To answer your question: I (or any of my employees) have never seen bryopsis on any of our macroalgaes.
Skep18
Valuable Member
@AlgaeBarn any chance you guys have a QT guide for macroalgae? Not to suggest yours comes with pests but perhaps to help guide some customers of best practices after receiving your products?
Skep18, We dont currently have anything like this. It's never really been an issue regarding pests and our macroalgaes. Our CQO (Chief Quality Officer) and I have our indepth meetings on Thursdays. I'll bring this up and see what we can move around and see how quickly we can get something like this released.
Skep18
Valuable Member
OP
OP
Forsaken77
Valuable Member
One thing I think would be a huge help to folks would be to have that info you gave us and put it on your website somewhere (maybe under FAQ's or About Us), about how your algae is kept, inspected, how it's never in contact with fish or inverts of any kind, ect... Without the proprietary info, of course
.I was actually looking on your site for what makes your Clean Algae, "clean." There was no info anywhere. Had I been privy to that info from the beginning it would have avoided the "horror stories" (for lack of a better word). With so many places making claims that aren't true, or pseudo-science nowadays, I think it would go a long way in making people feel more confident that they're getting a better product.
AlgaeBarn,
The chaeto was not tumbling, and I don't recall feeding that tank so I don't know how fast the aiptasia would have grown. IF aiptasia was in the chaeto, I don't think I would have seen them since I didn't really inspect it since I was mostly concerned with ick and other fish diseases at that time. Also, the chaeto ball was fairly large and dense so it could have easily got past me at that time. The bottom line is I just wasn't focused on or looking for aiptasia.
Regarding the 2-3 months, I don't recall added anything new during that time frame. I believe if 1-2 were hiding in the chaeto it would have taken a while for them to spread to the point that I noticed them, especially in the refugium. As I said earlier, I'm still relatively new to the hobby and have a ton to learn... I have that lesson completed now!
Thanks for your offer on the pepps and filefish. If I go that route, I'm fine paying for them since I don't know where the aiptasia came from. Your willingness to make the offer speaks volumes about AlgaeBarn, I only wish more companies would run there business like you do.
Skep18
Valuable Member
@AlgaeBarn sooo is this revolutionary enough that I should wait 3 months to start my refugium???
Oddly I find myself randomly recalling this with curiosity. Any chance this was discussed this past Thursday?
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Forsaken77
Valuable Member
@AlgaeBarn sooo is this revolutionary enough that I should wait 3 months to start my refugium???
Oddly I find myself randomly recalling this with curiosity. Any chance this was discussed this past Thursday?
I think it's a little more complicated than just having the proper quarantine steps available for algae on their site, as far as the brand is concerned, for various reasons.
If you provide QT instructions, someone claims to follow it, and the algae dies then they may expect a replacement claiming "your QT guidelines killed my algae." It's just one more excuse to give people. On here it's helpful advice, but on their website is a different story.
Then there's the more important reason. If you provide QT instructions than it indirectly suggests that the clean algae should be QT'd and isn't really as clean as the claim, though the big disclaimer achieves that same result.
Maybe stating all of the procedures that they go through (without giving away inhouse techniques) to explain how and why the algae is clean would give people a better understanding? Something like, "what makes our clean algae, clean." Then possibly follow up with something saying that if the person still feels the need to QT anything they put in their tank, here are some possible steps you can take? So it's not giving the impression you need to QT, but explaining the rigorous process involved on their end and the extra cost involved to the customer.
It's a tricky situation with how that's worded. I get the disclaimer is "legal stuff," but that disclaimer also implies that the algae isn't really clean. I would definitely make that disclaimer fine print, lol.
I totally understand your thought on giving people quarantine info as being a helpful thing. It may just subconsciously suggest to people that it's necessary and than what's the difference between this clean algae and eBay algae if they both need to be quarantined.
Skep18
Valuable Member
I think it's a little more complicated than just having the proper quarantine steps available for algae on their site, as far as the brand is concerned, for various reasons.
If you provide QT instructions, someone claims to follow it, and the algae dies then they may expect a replacement claiming "your QT guidelines killed my algae." It's just one more excuse to give people. On here it's helpful advice, but on their website is a different story.
Then there's the more important reason. If you provide QT instructions than it indirectly suggests that the clean algae should be QT'd and isn't really as clean as the claim, though the big disclaimer achieves that same result.
Maybe stating all of the procedures that they go through (without giving away inhouse techniques) to explain how and why the algae is clean would give people a better understanding? Something like, "what makes our clean algae, clean." Then possibly follow up with something saying that if the person still feels the need to QT anything they put in their tank, here are some possible steps you can take? So it's not giving the impression you need to QT, but explaining the rigorous process involved on their end and the extra cost involved to the customer.
It's a tricky situation with how that's worded. I get the disclaimer is "legal stuff," but that disclaimer also implies that the algae isn't really clean. I would definitely make that disclaimer fine print, lol.
I totally understand your thought on giving people quarantine info as being a helpful thing. It may just subconsciously suggest to people that it's necessary and than what's the difference between this clean algae and eBay algae if they both need to be quarantined.
Understood.
However, they as the retailer states the consumer should QT (as you said). As quoted:
"As a result, we always recommend that you properly quarantine anything new that you are adding to your tank."
I think that alone probably opens them up to providing a response to, "How do I do that (i.e. how do I use your product)?" Heck, they even qualify the QT with "properly". Even if I think I know how to QT, I might not understand their version of "properly". Tbh, I think deleting that last sentence would better convey their intent while disclaiming them from any implied liability of pests.
I'm afraid as an uneducated consumer simply placing the macroalgea in a QT tank and starting at it thinking, "Yep, that's algae..." for XX days probably won't guarantee much. I maybe wrong though.
All in all, I think their suggesting you QT opens it up enough that they may provide at least suggested guidelines. This is seemingly not something that can be obtained as common knowledge on the forums like other discussions. If it were, I think it'd be fair to omit that info.
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