Why can't I purchase a particular strain? I have ordered it before or saw that it was available the other day. What happened?

To ensure only healthy cultures are sent out, UTEX may temporarily remove the ability to purchase a strain. Once the strain is available again, an email will be sent to customers who have requested a notification.

The availability of UTEX algal strains changes on occasion; cultures may be temporarily deactivated in the online catalog if they are not considered to be healthy or if they are being cleaned for contaminants. Depending on the degree of attention needed, it may take 4-12 weeks before a culture is recovered and added back to the list of active strains.

We encourage you to explore and learn about the many diverse strains in the Collection. If a particular strain is unavailable for purchase, enter your e-mail address in the corresponding field on the unavailable strain's page to be placed on a notification list. UTEX will contact you when it is placed back into active circulation.