Re: Need help for Species Identification        4/26/17
It's from Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte, Philippines
<Could be... does it feel somewhat hard to the touch? Though hollow? BobF>
Re: Need help for Species Identification        4/26/17
Yes it's hard and hollow.
<Ahh; do see/use AlgaeBase per the genus to examine possible species. Bob Fenner>
Re: Need help for Species Identification        4/26/17
I got no microscopic pictures and all I've got is this pressed specimen.
<Can't tell any more from this. B>
Re: Need help for Species Identification        4/26/17
I've looked through it but there was nothing similar to the specimen.
<Ahh; Bob F>

Re: Need help for Species Identification... Phaeophyte ID       4/27/17
Oh I did and I identified it as Leptoplyngbya.
<Ahh, A Cyano...? Not. Bob Fenner>

... Marine algae... reading         5/9/16
Hi crew-
<Jim>
I am kerflummoxed...
I have been reef-keeping for over 10 years and am experiencing an outbreak of something in my established tank. I have NO idea what it is, and haven't been able to find anything similar anywhere online or speaking w local established experts. Is VERY fast growing. I did a full manual removal of this stuff a month ago, and it is back with a vengeance. It is very thick and firm/gelatinous. It looks a bit like Cyano on the surface, but the meat of it is white/translucent, as you can see in the last picture.
<Mmm; I really wish you; heck, everyone, had a small microscope... w/ a USB hook up. Easy to tell algae to the Division (Phylum in zool. tax.) thus... impossible w/ the naked eye>
My water param.s are decent, my flow is very high.
<.... what data is this?>
What in the world is this stuff and how can I get rid of it?
<.... how much reading do you want to do? Start here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/algaeconMar.htm
and the linked files above>
Do I need to do a full tear down and start over? I'm at that point - super frustrated.
On the advice of a local store, I added a diadema urchin yesterday - total mistake.
<... of no use here>
It was dead by morning, which made me quite sad. I am guessing that this stuff is toxic.
This fish in this system are doing fine, btw.
I greatly appreciate any advice you can offer.
many thanks-
Jim Gray
<Educate yourself. Read on! Bob Fenner>

Chaos in my tank. Mysterious Anthias losses       4/22/16
Hi. I have a 90 gallon reef tank with a 30 gallon sump and roughly 110lbs of live rock plus more in the sump. Livestock includes two young black clarkii clownfish approximately 1 inch each, A small 2.5 inch Bluejaw trigger, a lawnmower blenny, a diamond goby, misc. snails, three emerald crabs, and a sea hare.
<What species is this Aplysiid? Most are NOT compatible for hobbyist, reef use. See WWM>
A mixture of corals like birds nest, frogspawns, Zoanthids, and a few Acans.
<And READING re Zoanthids>
I was at the LFS and told the woman that works there that I don't have any swimmers in my tank. The Clarkiis never go far from the rock they are hosting. The Bluejaw trigger just chases his reflection in the glass on the left side of the tank all day. The diamond goby moves sand like he's building a skyscraper all day long. The lawnmower blenny picks at my glass or just sits on a rock and looks at me. None of my fish swim in the water. When people see my tank they think it's just corals and rarely see any fish unless they stare at it for a while. So I asked her for suggestions on a swimmer, someone who will be active in the tank. I told her I'm not a fan of tangs. She suggested a foxface Rabbitfish and a few Anthias. I usually take her word for things. (She's one of the most respected LFS owners in the area). So I picked up 4 square Anthias (1male and 3 females) and a foxface. I realized the next day while doing research that they require a larger tank in general, or at least the square Anthias do. I drip acclimated the fish (separately)
<I would definitely have run all through a SOP dip/bath; as gone over on WWM... to exclude external parasites>
and quarantined them for about a week. After the week was up a I drip acclimated them to the display tank. I put them in with the lights out. The foxface appeared to take the transition quite well. The four square Anthias were another story. Three of them did great and one just laid down in the bottom of the tank. I figured she just needed some time. This is how the tank stayed for the next two weeks. Everybody doing great except for the female Anthias was always laying in the bottom of the tank. She had no sign of illness and I had read that it can take them a while to feel comfortable so I gave her time since she looked healthy. I had an automatic feeder with NLS pellets feeding three times a day and I gave frozen Mysis shrimp every night. Everybody was getting food. The female laying in the bottom would never even try to get up and get food. I came home one day and the Anthias were nowhere to be found, any of them. The foxface was black and in the corner. I put some food in the tank to see if anyone would come out and everyone came out to eat except the Anthias. The foxface even turned back to yellow and came out to eat. I started looking through the tank and found the male square Anthias dead under a rock, then found two other Anthias laying in the bottom alive but seemed scared. The fourth one I have yet to find. I'm thinking the cleanup crew already disposed of it. Not knowing what's going on, I didn't know what to do next. The next day another Anthias died, and then... the last Anthias died. I spoke with the lady at the LFS and she said I have a bully.
<Doubtful>
I know Clarkii clownfish can be super aggressive but these guys are really young and small. The blue jaw has never messed with anyone and is scared of just about everything. She said it sounds unethical but by <buy> some cheap peaceful fish and see who is doing the bullying. I thought it was a bad idea but didn't know what else to do. So I bought five Blue Chromis.
<Not a hardy species>
I put them in two days ago. Two died the first night the other three died the second night. Then the foxface swam around the corner covered in what looks like ich. The foxface is now in the hospital tank in hypo salinity with ParaGuard and the heater set to 80°F. Everyone else is doing fine. All my water parameters are good Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate <10, PH 8.2. I'm thinking someone is being aggressive but I was keeping a close eye on the tank and never saw anyone not getting along. Clearly I have an issue. Any suggestions as to who my bully is or what step I should take next. Other than the Foxface, no one has shown any signs of illness and this foxface is the first time I've ever had ich in my tank and it's been running for 2 years with no issues. I quarantine everything before putting it in my tank and I reef dip my corals. This is the first time I've ever really had an issue and it's frustrating. Please help.
Thank you,
Daniel
<My guesses, probabilities lie w/ the Anthias being weak to start with, further weakened by the quarantine process (this species is NOT "open water", but more inclined to hide); AND poisoning via the Aplysiid and/or Zoas. Please do the suggested searching, reading ON WWM; and write back w/ your further input. Bob Fenner>

Re: Chaos in my tank       4/23/16
The Sea Hare appears to be a Aplysia dactylomela after reviewing WWM article on sea hare identification. I Have someone lined up to take the sea hare off my hands.
<Good; I would>
I've been planning on rehoming it for a while. I don’t have much algae for it to thrive on and he seems to be growing tired of eating New life spectrum algae pellets. I've never seen him release ink in the tank and nobody messes with it. Is this type of sea hare a bad thing to have in my tank?
<Yes>
Is it toxic in a manner other than releasing ink?
<There is some speculation. A fave ref.: http://www.seaslugforum.net/showall/seahares
I'd really feel bad if I rehomed him and he causes issues in someone else's tank.
The Zoanthids have never been an issue before. They were the first frags I ever purchased a long time ago. I'm just curious if they need to be removed. the Foxface Rabbitfish (Siganus vulpinus) That is currently in the quarantine tank. Should I just treat it for ich for a few weeks and try to reintroduce it to the display tank?
<Please read what is archived on WWM re Acanthuroids and Crypt>
How can I be sure it is in fact Ich. It has misc. white spots that look like little pimples scattered throughout both sides of his body and a few on its fins. I know this fish changes colors when stressed but can some of that color change include white pimples, roughly a dozen or more on each side?
I also recently after the death of the Anthias had to remove some rocks from my reef tank. They had an unidentifiable (to me and the LFS owner)algae growing on them. It was solid green and not loose or soft by any means of the words. It appeared to be a green staining that appeared overnight and got darker and darker every day. The woman at the LFS said she had seen that one other time and it was due to the rocks leeching copper.
<?! VERY unusual>
I removed them immediately and replaced it with a piece of dry rock I picked up at a different LFS. I took my water the next day to have a copper test performed and it had a very minimal amount of copper in the water, Just barely any color to the reading at all and nothing I should be super concerned about but I'm running CupriSorb anyway. Could any of these recent events be caused by this mystery algae?
<Possibly. There are definitely many toxins associated w/ a great deal of algal species>
Or the copper?
<.... would have to be a "chain reaction" here... a cascade effect. "Some" copper is essential... as a micronutrient...>
The algae was very, very green, no hair or filament nature to it, it wasn't removable. I scrubbed these rocks with a stiff tooth brush for about thirty minutes to no avail. The sun is the only thing killing it. It didn't look like any type of coralline I've ever seen and it only grew on three rocks I picked up from a local reefer who had had them out of a tank and dry for close to three years. The algae literally showed up overnight covering the entirety of the rocks. It progressed to a darker color at an almost hourly rate. I do not have pictures of it while it was in the tank but I'm including pictures of them outside of the tank. I'm using an led lighting fixture and only running the day lights for about 8.5 hours a day and running the blues for an additional hour. The LED's are only turned up to approximately 45% power.
Lastly what Potential tank mates might you recommend to add a little activity to my system if any?
<Please peruse the several "stocking reef" FAQs files on WWM. We have some 30k users per day...>
Ideally I would like a peaceful tank where everyone gets along.
Thank you again
Daniel
<W. BobF>
RE: Chaos in my tank      4/23/16
<6 megs of pix; why? SEE, as in READ on WWM re algal ID. B>
RE: Chaos in my tank      4/23/16
It should have only been two small pictures of two rocks. sorry
<...>

Cyanobacteria or diatoms?      12/31/15
Hi, my system has been running for just over 6 months. Over the last three months I've had a very slow growing brown (?) on the sand only.
Twice I've siphoned it twice off the sand completely, and very slowly, over a period of possibly 2 - 3 weeks it will start becoming noticeable and unsightly again.
<Same ole.... >
Some characteristics:
It darkens through the day, but in the morning it is not visible.
It is only evident on the sand.
My Red Lipped Conches Eat it with relish.
<A good clue>
It isn't exactly what I would describe as a dust, nor is it a film.
It is a coloring of sand, that given time will develop short strands that will move in the flow. Picture included.
<Too large and no reading.... strike two>
It also has a tendency to climb up the glass from the sand, and when scraping it away my clowns and tangs hang around for every apparent tasty morsel.
Info on my system:
Alk 8.3, Ca 430, Mg 1310
NO3 0.1 on high sensitivity DD
PO4 0.02 on high sensitivity DD
I've had a constant battle to try and get nitrates higher, to at least 0.25, with no success thus far.
<Just feed a bit more is all I'd do>
In addition, I also experience red Cyano in my fuge under 6500k lamp. This I have deduced is due to my nutrient poor system.
<Possibly>
If the brown growth is also Cyano, then I know it's cause - limited nutrients.
If diatom, I need to take a different course of action.
<See WWM Re, books I've penned.... need a microscope and sample to tell for sure. Very simple>
I hope you can help.
<Only you can. Bob Fenner>

re: Cyanobacteria or diatoms?        1 1 16
I cannot tell you how relieved I am to discover that it is impossible to identify by sight.
<Heeeee!>
I'll dig out my sons microscope and see how good it is.
<Only need a few hundred power.... the lack of a nucleus..... BGA.... BobF>
re: Cyanobacteria or diatoms?        1 1 16
Thanks again Bob,
My son's microscope has done the job, and surprised me too.
It's not Cyano or diatom, it's Dinoflagellate.
<Ah ha!>
I could clearly see the difference based on Julian Sprung's pictures in his Algae book.
Most notably, the free swimming Dino within a tiny strand I retrieved.
<Yes; and a middling; girdling flagella as well if your optics and vision are good. A starch test (with simple iodine is further definitive>
I've never assumed it could be Dino as most Reefers have a terrible problem with them, and mine is just a light sprinkling. Must be due to the lack in nutrients.
<Possibly... though competition with other life forms, predation by small biota; could well be important>
To get rid of I'll do the following:
Continue to maintain low nutrients.
Turn my refugium light on 24/7.
Buffer my Alkalinity to about 10dkh which will raise my PH from 7.8/8 to hopefully 8.3.
Monitor.
If you could offer further advice on eradication, I'd be very thankful.
<Vacuuming the substrate, increasing RedOx by various means.... all gone over on WWM. Use the search tool for Dinoflagellate Control>
Best regards,
Craig
<And you, BobF>

Mysterious algae or bacterial film. Please help!         12/4/15
<.... six Megs of pix. What and why do we limit file size?>
Hello! I am currently battling a strange film in my tank.
<Mmm; nah. Do you have a microscope? Can (will) you learn to/use WWM? >
At first, I thought it was cyanobacteria, but the normal methods
<Which are?>
of eliminating that haven't proven to be useful. Reduction of lights, increased flow, more/larger water changes, new/increased GAC and GFO,
<Try PolyFilter or its equivalent>
reducing feeding, and even products like Chemiclean
<A poor idea>
haven't made as much as a dent in it. Then I began to think it might be dinoflagellates. I had an episode with them
before, and I was able to get rid of them by using a multi-pronged approach of blackouts, hydrogen peroxide, a uv sterilizer, and DinoX.
<.... There's an endogenous source of nutrients here... either the rock or substrate is feeding... Try boiling a sample... testing the water>
This stuff, however, also doesn't respond to any of those things, either. It also doesn't have the appearance that the previous dinoflagellates had. It doesn't create streamers of bubbles, and the texture isn't "snotty" like the Dinos were. I am really at a loss here, and I would like to make a positive ID,
<The 'scope; reading on WWM, maybe my book on Algae (see Amazon, Bookfinder....)>
figure out why they've gotten so established in the first place, and come up with a treatment plan. I appreciate any light that you can shed on this matter!
<Have seen a 'zillion times as the saying goes.... the N, P, K source here? hard material/s you've placed.... or much less likely the water, salt mix>
Thanks,
Steve
<Read on! Bob Fenner>

Re: Mysterious algae or bacterial film. Please help!      12/5/15
Thanks for the response. I was mainly looking for an ID, and I mentioned the treatments, etc, to explain why I'm unsure what it is.
<And I responded that the only means to tell for sure was what? And what the likely sources of nutrient? TRY using WWM. B>
Steve
Re: Mysterious algae or bacterial film. Please help! /Earl?       12/5/15
Why do you think that I didn't try that first? I did, and I wasn't any more sure. After trying, I thought I'd ask the experts. But it seems like you were just annoyed. I'm sorry if I bothered you.
<A detailed listing of your water parameters, whatever you can test for, would be of a lot of use. There are a *lot* of faq's and pages of info about these nuisance/pest algae and bacteria etc. on the site here but we can't do a lot without more detailed, specific information. Your source water maybe, readings as per above, inhabitants, what kind of feeding you
do and of what. Also please note the file size limit we have to work with. Detail and close-up resolution is great but practical/functionality considerations are a reality. I recommend simply using image editing software (surely you use some for your camera...if not you can use GIMP which is good freeware). Maybe home in on demonstrative areas of the photos, crop them smaller to focus there, and be sure to "save for web" as a 72dpi file.>
Re: Mysterious algae or bacterial film. Please help!    /back to RMF       12/5/15
Why do you think that I didn't try that first?
<Because if you had you wouldn't have written>
I did, and I wasn't any more sure. After trying, I thought I'd ask the experts. But it seems like you were just annoyed. I'm sorry if I bothered you.
<Not a bother.... are you a non-native speaker/reader? Do you know what I've referred to as a "microscope"?
That this is the only way (apparent color won't do it alone).... DO please
re-read some of the articles and corresponding FAQs files on Algae Control on WWM; and write w/ specific questions. Bob Fenner>
Re: Mysterious algae or bacterial film. Please help!....         12/6/15
Is there a minimal magnification that you would recommend for help in identifying type/species?
<Yes.... 200-400X will do it....READ here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/microscopfaqs.htm
It wouldn't be money well spent for me to buy a research-grade microscope if I only need it occasionally.
<Nah; a very simple QL series... do just read. About 30k people use WWM per day.... not able to re-key all>
Unfortunately, I don't currently have access to a microscope, which was why I asked for helping with an ID.
<Ask about at your local fish stores. Likely someone has one that they'll let you bring a sample in and use>
I'm sorry if I wasn't specific enough with that question. I received your other email about providing specific parameters, and I am currently doing tests to get these numbers. I should be sending that shortly.
<Ah good.... and that wasn't from/me... or signed... another WWM Crewmember, perhaps Earl. BobF>
Re: Mysterious algae or bacterial film. Please help!
Ah, I see. Thanks for the specifics.
<Welcome>
Water parameters:
- SG 1.026
- hw-Marinemix reefer salt
- RO/DI (via SpectraPure unit) water
- TDS meter shows 0ppm
- Always replace DI resin when TDS shows 1ppm.
- pH 8.1, according to calibrated Milwaukee pH600
According to API test kits:
- Ammonia: 0
- Nitrite: 0
- Nitrate: 0
<Mmm; how is NO3 rendered zip?>
According to Salifert:
- Calcium: 390 - 400
- Magnesium: ~1170
- Alkalinity: 8.6dKH
After testing, I added a dose of Kent Tech M to get my Mag level closer to NSW.
According to Hanna Checker colorimeter:
- Phosphates: 0ppm (Do I need the higher sensitivity (ppb) checker?)
<No; assuredly not>
With a bloom, I'm not surprised that NO3 and PO4 are not detectable.
<Yes; possibly the mix of Protists, Monerans here is "sucking up" most all simple chem. nutrient>
Tank inhabitants:
- 2 percula clownfish
- 1 Cerith snail
- 1 red-leg hermit
- 1 colony of Zoanthids
The rest of the snails and hermits died during my dino outbreak 6 months ago. Waiting for stability (and necessity) before any sort of scavenger re-stocking.
<Good>
Feeding regimen:
Formula 1 pellets, small amount (~10 small pellets) each day or every other day. I feed only a few pellets at a time to ensure that they are all eaten.
I'll send you links to better pictures to ensure that the attachments
aren't blocked for size, and so that you can see the entirety of the pics:
http://postimg.org/image/xnfbu9tsx/
http://postimg.org/image/mwrp8lg69/
http://postimg.org/image/gkcjyrd41/
Thanks again,
Steve
<Mmm; well; there are a few "routes" you could/might go... for me.... I'd remove the useful biota, nuke/bleach the system and components (in place, including the rock, gravel).... ADD a large refugium, w/ a DSB there, on RDP lighting regimen.... and add a few lb.s of new live rock to restart; put the biota back in.... Bob Fenner>

Marine algae ID?      4/26/15
​Hi, I was hoping you could help me with an algae ID (see attached photos).
This popped up all over my new (only about 2 month old) saltwater tank. Is it Bryopsis? Or something else?
<The latter... but not able to tell w/o microscopic examination... either a brownish "green hair algae" (there are hundreds of species) or if it feels very slimy, a Moneran (BGA)>
I started from dry rock and added 1 piece of live rock from a fellow reefer, and all was fine, no algae. Then I added 2 coral frags and suddenly there's algae everywhere. Not sure if that's just coincidence or if a spore came in on one of them.
<Mmm; possibly a factor... though such spores can and do come in via the air, tap... Propitious circumstances (ones that favor them)... too much nutrient, not enough competition, predation, favorable lighting for less noxious forms... the usual>
I​ just wanted to see if I could get an ID before I try to treat by raising magnesium, which could help if it was Bryopsis, but would kill the snails.
Thank you!!
Sarah
<Do the usual read through WWM re algae control; or hey! I have a newer e-book and direct to print (Create Space) on the topic. Bob Fenner>