Wierd Algaes.... ever seen these?

BrandonS · 07/29/2007, 02:17 PM

I've been having algae blooms and they seem to be getting better. At least the algae that's growing isn't as ugly and comes back more manageable. I've had the fish out of the tank now for 2-3 weeks.

In any case my pod population has gone insane and I've seen the growth of some wierd looking algaes. I think they'd be the macro type.

In any case the two that I'm unsure of are the green and white curls. I have no idea what it is. Also I get these little white flower looking deals too. Anyone know what they are?

Thanks for the identification. I posted this more to share them because I've never seen a picture of them before so I didn't know if they'd be new to anyone.

greenbean36191 · 07/29/2007, 02:24 PM

The curly ones are Neomeris and the flower looking ones are Acetabularia, both types of macroalgae. Neither is anything to worry about unless of course they bother you. I don't know of anything that eats either one though.

BrandonS · 07/29/2007, 02:27 PM

thanks... anything that eats them? I don't think my sailfin will touch em when I put it back in.

dc_909 · 07/29/2007, 02:30 PM

The flower ones look cool for an algae.

SaltyDr · 07/29/2007, 02:34 PM

The long tubular algae might by dasyclatus - fuzzy finger algae. Again, nothing to be worried about. I had a few and just snapped them off - they didn't grow back.

Sk8r · 07/29/2007, 02:41 PM

That's a potential problem. Note the: "I don't know anything that eats it." You've got some live rock with several varieties of hitchhiking weed that could take your tank over. If it were mine, knowing that caulerpa survived when nothing else did, on my rocks---I'd set up a 20g refugium now, with a huge ball of cheato, and outcompete the stuff. My cheato ball is now the size of a basketball and it has indeed outcompeted all the algae but bubble, which is pretty much an extremophile itself.

BrandonS · 07/29/2007, 03:33 PM

i'm seeing more bubble aglae as I look. I've been removing the hairy fingers. The green hair algae came out and the brown is too short and rooted for me to rip out.

Frick-n-Frags · 07/29/2007, 03:47 PM

none of that is any big deal except for bubble algae. it all can be harvested, or not.

zero tolerance for bubble algae is a really good policy.

kevin2000 · 07/29/2007, 03:57 PM

If you tank doesn't have any corals/fish you might consider keeping the lights off and covering the tank to "black it out" ... should help with the algae.

Pea-brain · 07/29/2007, 04:06 PM

Those stick algae look like the ones in the identification section of melves reef. They don't grow very well in most tank and usually die in a few days according to it. I'd try to keep those alive.....

Dan

Frick-n-Frags · 07/29/2007, 04:17 PM

It's funny, after a big disruption or big waterchgange in my system, I'll get a small bloom of those Neomeris and a bunch of other weird ones too.

you might have the beginnings of a Halimeda in pic #2 and #3 on the left there(like 3 green lumps all together)

EdKruzel · 07/29/2007, 04:23 PM

The macro's listed are quite harmless and will not grow to nuisance or plague proportions, if they survive at all; both need high nutrient levels and little to no predators (most everything will nibble on them especially sailfins and rabbitfishes).

The bubble algae is a pest and does well in lower light levels, therefore when you believe you've gotten rid of it, it is probably growing in the back or under a ledge out of sight. It's pretty much harmless providing it's not growing against or on a coral, so pull what you can (try not to pop the bubble if possible) and don't worry about the rest. Some people have luck adding an Emerald Crab which will occasionally eat it.

BrandonS · 07/29/2007, 09:29 PM

Thanks for the information. I've been reading about the Acetabularia. Pretty neat. Apparently they are also called Mermaid's Wineglasses and are very delicate. The thing I found most interesting about them was that each stem and cell is actually a single large cell. It said they usually don't survive shipping, so to be on my LR for 7 months and not grow until now is pretty cool. I'll allow those to stay.

Is the brown stuff turf algae or hair algae? It's pretty rigid as well as was that large green puff.

1F2FRFBF · 07/29/2007, 09:46 PM

Dunno what the brown stuff is called, but I've seen it in my friend's tank. I gave him a couple of my turbo snails to work on that and some other algaes he had, and the turbos got rid of it. I tell you what, those snails were about the best investment I made. I just really wish they would find the bubble stuff appetizing...

EdKruzel · 07/29/2007, 09:48 PM

Those little brown tufts are a microalgae and I have found that Ceriths and Mexican Turbo's are quite efficient at its removal.

BrandonS · 07/29/2007, 10:09 PM

Ok one more thing I found... I don't want ot start a new thread for it.
Is this a Caulacanthus Ustulatus? I found it on a rock that was base rock when my tank started back in Sept '06. It's the black branch thing. First time I've ever seen it before.

1F2FRFBF · 07/29/2007, 10:25 PM

I don't know what that is either, but I'll be curious to know the answer. I have some similar-looking things on one side of my pagoda and on one of my frag plugs, except they're more purple than black.

07/29/2007, 02:17 PM	#1
BrandonS Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Oklahoma City, OK Posts: 255	Wierd Algaes.... ever seen these? I've been having algae blooms and they seem to be getting better. At least the algae that's growing isn't as ugly and comes back more manageable. I've had the fish out of the tank now for 2-3 weeks. In any case my pod population has gone insane and I've seen the growth of some wierd looking algaes. I think they'd be the macro type. In any case the two that I'm unsure of are the green and white curls. I have no idea what it is. Also I get these little white flower looking deals too. Anyone know what they are? Thanks for the identification. I posted this more to share them because I've never seen a picture of them before so I didn't know if they'd be new to anyone.

07/29/2007, 02:41 PM	#6
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	That's a potential problem. Note the: "I don't know anything that eats it." You've got some live rock with several varieties of hitchhiking weed that could take your tank over. If it were mine, knowing that caulerpa survived when nothing else did, on my rocks---I'd set up a 20g refugium now, with a huge ball of cheato, and outcompete the stuff. My cheato ball is now the size of a basketball and it has indeed outcompeted all the algae but bubble, which is pretty much an extremophile itself. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

07/29/2007, 03:47 PM	#8
Frick-n-Frags Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: north central OH Posts: 10,740	none of that is any big deal except for bubble algae. it all can be harvested, or not. zero tolerance for bubble algae is a really good policy. __________________ Only Dead fish swim with the current. Current Tank Info: 2 50 gal tanks, sump, still BB

07/29/2007, 04:17 PM	#11
Frick-n-Frags Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: north central OH Posts: 10,740	It's funny, after a big disruption or big waterchgange in my system, I'll get a small bloom of those Neomeris and a bunch of other weird ones too. you might have the beginnings of a Halimeda in pic #2 and #3 on the left there(like 3 green lumps all together) __________________ Only Dead fish swim with the current. Current Tank Info: 2 50 gal tanks, sump, still BB

07/29/2007, 04:23 PM	#12
EdKruzel Premium Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 7,384	The macro's listed are quite harmless and will not grow to nuisance or plague proportions, if they survive at all; both need high nutrient levels and little to no predators (most everything will nibble on them especially sailfins and rabbitfishes). The bubble algae is a pest and does well in lower light levels, therefore when you believe you've gotten rid of it, it is probably growing in the back or under a ledge out of sight. It's pretty much harmless providing it's not growing against or on a coral, so pull what you can (try not to pop the bubble if possible) and don't worry about the rest. Some people have luck adding an Emerald Crab which will occasionally eat it. __________________ When you find yourself in "Deep Water" it's best to keep your mouth shut! Current Tank Info: 65RR Cube Mixed Reef

07/29/2007, 02:24 PM	#2
greenbean36191 Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Ft. Lauderdale Posts: 10,598	The curly ones are Neomeris and the flower looking ones are Acetabularia, both types of macroalgae. Neither is anything to worry about unless of course they bother you. I don't know of anything that eats either one though. __________________ Some say the sun rises in the East. Some say it rises in the West. The truth must be somewhere in the middle. Current Tank Info: tore them down to move and haven't had the time or money to set them back up

07/29/2007, 02:27 PM	#3
BrandonS Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Oklahoma City, OK Posts: 255	thanks... anything that eats them? I don't think my sailfin will touch em when I put it back in.

07/29/2007, 02:30 PM	#4
dc_909 Moved On Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Murrieta, CA Posts: 3,260	The flower ones look cool for an algae.

07/29/2007, 02:34 PM	#5
SaltyDr Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Southwest Florida Posts: 1,191	The long tubular algae might by dasyclatus - fuzzy finger algae. Again, nothing to be worried about. I had a few and just snapped them off - they didn't grow back.

07/29/2007, 03:33 PM	#7
BrandonS Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Oklahoma City, OK Posts: 255	i'm seeing more bubble aglae as I look. I've been removing the hairy fingers. The green hair algae came out and the brown is too short and rooted for me to rip out.

07/29/2007, 03:57 PM	#9
kevin2000 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 3,805	If you tank doesn't have any corals/fish you might consider keeping the lights off and covering the tank to "black it out" ... should help with the algae.

07/29/2007, 04:06 PM	#10
Pea-brain Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Vassalboro, ME Posts: 1,661	Those stick algae look like the ones in the identification section of melves reef. They don't grow very well in most tank and usually die in a few days according to it. I'd try to keep those alive..... Dan

07/29/2007, 09:29 PM	#13
BrandonS Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Oklahoma City, OK Posts: 255	Thanks for the information. I've been reading about the Acetabularia. Pretty neat. Apparently they are also called Mermaid's Wineglasses and are very delicate. The thing I found most interesting about them was that each stem and cell is actually a single large cell. It said they usually don't survive shipping, so to be on my LR for 7 months and not grow until now is pretty cool. I'll allow those to stay. Is the brown stuff turf algae or hair algae? It's pretty rigid as well as was that large green puff.

07/29/2007, 09:46 PM	#14
1F2FRFBF Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Jersey Shore Posts: 456	Dunno what the brown stuff is called, but I've seen it in my friend's tank. I gave him a couple of my turbo snails to work on that and some other algaes he had, and the turbos got rid of it. I tell you what, those snails were about the best investment I made. I just really wish they would find the bubble stuff appetizing...

07/29/2007, 09:48 PM	#15
EdKruzel Premium Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 7,384	Those little brown tufts are a microalgae and I have found that Ceriths and Mexican Turbo's are quite efficient at its removal. __________________ When you find yourself in "Deep Water" it's best to keep your mouth shut! Current Tank Info: 65RR Cube Mixed Reef

07/29/2007, 10:09 PM	#16
BrandonS Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Oklahoma City, OK Posts: 255	Ok one more thing I found... I don't want ot start a new thread for it. Is this a Caulacanthus Ustulatus? I found it on a rock that was base rock when my tank started back in Sept '06. It's the black branch thing. First time I've ever seen it before. Last edited by BrandonS; 07/29/2007 at 10:23 PM.

07/29/2007, 10:25 PM	#17
1F2FRFBF Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Jersey Shore Posts: 456	I don't know what that is either, but I'll be curious to know the answer. I have some similar-looking things on one side of my pagoda and on one of my frag plugs, except they're more purple than black.