Hmmm.. I think I was sold the wrong stuff

[LouieM]

I don't have a camera yet ( Looser ) so I will try and descibe it.

I went to a fish store 2 states away because after calling about 30 stores none carried any Chaeto. I went up there and they had a tank full of these clumps of rootless algea. They told me it was Chaeto and I thought it was ( never seeing it in person). But now that I brought it home it doesn't look the same as the pictures I see on this web site. The chaeto is more bright green, with smaller and tighter weaves of algea. The stuff I bought is a lighter green, in a ball ( Clump) that floats around but the stalks are alot thicker than the pictures of the Chaeto I have seen. It also came with about 10 red worms on it and some really small odd looking snail. I placed them over my miracle mud in my sump with the algea. Now I am wondering if I should pull this stuff out and trash it or keep it. Any thoughts or places I can look up algea with pictures to try and ID this stuff would rule.

Thanks

 

[beerman0831]

The chaeto is bright green and looks like a brillo pad.Not sure of a website that has all the defferent types but if you do a google search you will find alot of info.

 

[liv4speed1]

This is gonna sound stupid.....but look at some pictures of Riccia to make sure thats not what you were sold. It's freshwater, but its the first thing that came to my mind

http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/2339/gallery2.html

BTW, that stuff floats, the gentleman just weighted it down in the pictures

 

[billsreef]

Chaeto can vary in color depending on lighting and nutrient conditions. I've got some from the same starter culture in two different tanks....one batch is very bright green and the other is ligther colored lime green.

 

[DensityMan]

I have 2 (possibly 3) different varieties of Chaet.

One variety is very thin, bright green and incredibly fast growing. The second type is much thicker and stiffer, darker green and has brownish rings every so often; this variety is a slower growing type, even at the same level in the tank. The third possible type I have was sold under the common name "Moss Ball," but was not a ball in shape; it was more turf-like and flat - growing in short, straight tufts.

There are probably many more species and an almost infinite number of varietions determined by environmental conditions as well.

HTH