What kind of algae is this?

[FortyFour]

Can anyone tell me anything about the algae i have growing in this pic? I am OK with is as long as it doesn't take over. My girlfriend actually loves it.

My new clown also wanted his 15 seconds apparently. One of two.

I have some shades of purple going, and am hoping my system is ready to support some coralline algae growth. Does anyone have an opinion on the use of PurpleUp? I just seeded my tank with a piece of LR that I scraped earlier tonight. My system is pretty new still BTW, just a few months.

[kristen4109]

i use purple up. i have alot of coralline algae.

[bertoni]

That looks like a calcareous alga. I have forgotten the species, but it's hard to be sure from the photo. I wouldn't worry too much, but there's some chance it'll spread.

Purple Up is mostly fine sand, and won't do anything useful. You'll need a good calcium and alkalinity supplementation scheme. This article should help:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-04/rhf/index.php

A 2-part like B-Ionic is an easy way to get started.

[jbird69]

I have the same stuff. It is not a nucance in my tank and stays in one area. You cant kill it no matter how hard you try. It goes thru 3-4 month growth cyles, dying back and regerminating. Its totally harmless and is a good sign you have good Ca/Alk levels.

[jdallred]

Neomeris annulata. Common names - Caterpillar Weed or Fuzzy Tip Alga

Excerpt from wetwebmedia - “this algae tends to be difficult to eradicate, as you have suggested, and few herbivorous fishes will touch the stuff, as you are now aware! I think that this species is infinitely more "desirable" (ok, make that "tolerable") than the disgusting Bryopsis, or other nasty algae. They are actually kind of interesting, as their thalli contain calcium-sort of like an ugly version of Halimeda, if you will. In my opinion, the best way to get rid of this stuff is to do what you've been doing- yank out what you can, and ride out the "invasion". These algae tend to disappear once the tank gets more established, and less abundant supplies of nutrients are available to them. Of course, other algae will arise to take their place once things get going, so an ongoing nutrient control/export program (i.e.; water changes, use of chemical filtration, protein skimming, and general good husbandry techniques) will really help you reduce or eradicate future nuisance algae growths. Be patient, hang in there, and you'll see these fuzzy little algae start to disappear. Good luck! Regards, Scott F”

[FortyFour]

Thanks for the feedback. Learning more everyday and lovin' it.

[Frick-n-Frags]

Neomeris is often a boom-n-bust macro: some shoot up, then fizzle out a month later.

however, i have seen pics of tanks where it got away and was a pest.

i find that i see some popping up after a major tank overhaul or large waterchange, but then they fade out.

[spleify]

Neomeris annulata is correct.

PurpleUp is a waste of money. Save your money and buy a new coral frag instead, youll get far more pleasure out of that then you will out of PurpleUp.

HTH

Good luck