|
FAQs about Green Macro-Algae Identification
4
Related Articles:
Embracing Biodiversity,
Green Algae By Mark E. Evans, Green
Algae, Avoiding
Algae Problems in Marine
System,
Algae Control, Marine Maintenance,
Nutrient Control and Export,
Marine Scavengers, Snails, Hermit
Crabs, Mithrax/Emerald
Green Crabs, Sea Urchins, Blennies, Algae
Filters, Ctenochaetus/Bristle Mouth
Tangs, Zebrasoma/Sailfin Tangs,
Skimmers, Skimmer Selection, Marine Algae, Coralline Algae, Green Algae, Brown
Algae, Blue-Green
"Algae"/(Cyanobacteria), Diatoms, Brown
Algae,
Related FAQs: Green
Macro-Algae ID 1, Green
Macro-Algae ID 2, Green Macro-Algae
ID 3, Green Macro-Algae ID 5,
Green Macro Algae ID
6, Green Macro Algae ID 7,
Green Macro Algae ID 8, &
Caulerpas, Green Macro-Algae 1, Green Macro-Algae 2, Green Macro-Algae 3, Green Macro-Algae 4, Chlorophyte Behavior, Chlorophyte Compatibility/Control,
Chlorophyte Selection, Chlorophyte Systems, Chlorophyte Nutrition, Chlorophyte Disease, Chlorophyte Reproduction/Propagation,
Marine Algae ID 1, Marine Algae ID 2, Marine Algae Control FAQs II, Marine Algaecide Use, Nutrient Limitation, Marine Algae Eaters, Culturing Macro-Algae; Controlling: BGA/Cyano, Red/Encrusting Algae, Green Algae, Brown/Diatom Algae,
|
|
 |
New Print and
eBook on Amazon
Marine Aquarium Algae Control
by Robert (Bob) Fenner
|
|
A little identification help please --
10/13/08 Hello crew, <Greg> I've had this
algae/plant growing in my 150 reef tank for quite a while. Very
pleasant looking but starting to spread more than I'd like.
<Mmm, yes> Neither my tang, blennies, hermits or snails
seem to munch on it. <Not very palatable... to much of
anybody> Could you help identify it <Mmm, likely a species
of Derbesia> for me and suggest a way to lessen the spreading.
<See WWM, the Net re this name... and likely Bryopsis... both
"treated" about the same... best by competition, denial
of nutrients... a few approaches to these...> (I have multiple
corals so limiting the lighting would probably have to be
minimal). I'm running the PhosBan reactor so there's not
a phosphate problem. <Okay...> Also, I've worked with
you (Bob) before so my water quality is "up to snuff."
Over the past few months I've replaced all lights, drained
water from frozen food and done weekly water changes to keep
nitrates very limited. Thank you, Greg Esposito <If
there's room, you might try other predator groups... maybe a
Siganid... S. stellatus if you can find one... BobF>
|
 |
|
Unidentified algae 8/14//08 Hi!
<Cath> Here is a question from a fellow reefer of my area.
He have an unidentified algae in is tank who look very invasive.
(see attached pic) We want to know what kind of algae it is and
who to get rid of it. <... read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/redalgae.htm and the linked files above...
part. ID, comp./control...> He only have a 35gal, is there any
fish or invert that can be helpful in a such small volume?
Regards. Cath <Reading. Bob Fenner>
Unidentified algae... another try Hi! <Cath> Here
is a question from a fellow reefer of my area. He have an
unidentified algae in is tank who look very invasive. (see
attached pic) We want to know what kind of algae it is and who to
get rid of it. He only have a 35gal, is there any fish or invert
that can be helpful in a such small volume? Regards. Cath <Got
mixed up with other pix/algae... Read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/greenalg.htm and the linked files above...
This is likely Bryopsis or Derbesia... BobF>
|
|
|
| ID for a Green, Stationary, Segmented tube worm
growing in my tank Green, Stationary, Segmented tube worm growing
in my tank, Algae Actually 6/30/08 Hello, <Hi> Hope you
all are well, and thanks so much for providing the wealth of
information and insight that has made this hobby even more
rewarding! This email is a bit lengthy, but I think that it is
always helpful to give a complete history, especially in the case
of a tank crash. <Fire away> I have a 55G long, Indo-Pacific
reef tank that has spent the last six months recovering from a 4
day power loss in PA in the middle of December. Prior to the crash,
this tank was populated with 6 different color/types of Zoanthids,
yellow polyps, green star polyps, white clove polyps, red mushroom
corals, and assorted crabs/snails, two huge batches of Halimeda and
3 fish (coral beauty, false percula and blue damsel). After the
crash, this tank was populated with really smelly mud. I was
breaking down the tank and noticed that, in fact, there were a
handful of crabs and snails that actually survived 4 days at 40
degrees. <They are survivors.> I didn't have the heart to
chuck them down the driveway with the stinky water, so I pulled out
all that I could find, scrubbed down the rock in a batch of RO/DI
salted water and re-established the tank. (The insult to injury in
all of this was the fact that I had a 20,000 watt home generator
installed that I thought would allow me to avert such a crisis,
but, unfortunately, it wasn't installed correctly and we could
never get it to come on and give power.) <Ouch> Flash forward
six months later and I once again have 3 fish (all new): a coral
beauty, a false percula, and a yellow Coris wrasse. Believe it or
not, I've gotten about 50-60 yellow polyps that have come back,
a bunch of purple coralline algae encrusting the rock again and I
random worms/feather dusters that have crept out of the rock that
I'd never seen prior to the crash. <They have no competition
for the moment.> This brings me to my question. I've
attached some JPG files of some stationary tube worms that seem to
be growing out my rock. I've searched your site and across the
web, but have found not a single picture or description that
matches these critters. They have a white, calcareous base that
starts narrow and gets wider to a rounded tip. They extend about
1.5 - 2 inches up from the rock. They almost look like elongated
thumbs. As you progress up the tube, there are rings of fine, green
"feathers" that get larger as the tube widens, then taper
towards the tip. They appear to be segmented. <Not worms
actually, algae, Neomeris annulata.> NOTE: The only thing new in
this tank is a rock with some blue-green Zoanthids on it, but it
was placed in the tank after these guys showed up. The rest is all
indo-pacific rock from about 8 years ago. Any help that you can
give me in identifying these worms would be greatly appreciated!
Deb <Neomeris annulata is harmless, calcium loving algae. Fairly
common in tanks, although it seems to fade over time. Enjoy it
while its there.> <Chris> |
|
|
|
Algae ID... and more misc. 6/5/08 Dear Crew,
<Eric> I'm hoping you can help me with an algae
identification ( photos attached). I went through all 17 pages of
Algae ID on your website but couldn't make a match. They
appeared pretty much over night a couple of days ago and so far
are only on the glass, not the rocks or sand. The largest ones
are about 1 cm. in diameter but most are 1-5 mm. <Mmm, looks
like Bryopsis to me> I included an email sent a few months ago
describing the tank. Since then it has been set up with 50 lbs of
Marco dry rock, seeded with another 30-40 live rock ( mostly into
the sump ), 4-6" sand bed ( varies according to the flow ),
cycled, and stocked with an assortment of snails, hermit crabs, a
cleaner shrimp feather dusters, and orange-lipped ( or mantled -
I forget ) conch, as well as some small frags - GSP, toadstool,
finger leather (probably wrong name ), candy cane, mushroom,
campenela and Kenya tree corals. There is also a couple of large
clumps of Chaeto in the sump. I also have two PJ Cardinals in
quarantine right now. I know you always like water parameters but
I don't have any current ones ( plan on doing tests tomorrow
). I am running a reactor with carbon and once I get a manifold
put together I will might add a PhosBan reactor which is laying
around anyways. My most recent test results were: Temp - 80 C SG
- 1.024 pH - 8.0 NO3 - 25 ppm ( best estimate as the shades of
pink are the chart are very hard to distinguish when you are
comparing two adjacent ones ) Amm - 0 ppm NO2 - 0 ppm Ca - 300 or
200 <Too low...> Alk - 12.2/4.34 or 8.6/3.09 Mg - 1200 or
840 <Relatively too high> The SG is currently 1.025 and
temp fluctuates between 82-86 (when the MH's are on). There
is fan directed across the sump which helps a but hood fan has to
be replaced as it doesn't work. I imagine that will help
lower the temp a little more. I also have an ATO waiting to be
hooked up. I realized that my last three parameters are low and
have thought to use pickling lime to bring the Ca up and baking
powder for the Alk or one of the DIY additives I've read
about that address all three. What do you think? <Mmm...
I'd go with a calcium reactor...> Lastly, I'd like
advice regarding my stocking list. It is similar to my original
one but others have made suggestions. I want a trio of PJ's
but the third in the LFS tank didn't look good and refused
food so I'll have to get a third another time. <I'd
just stick with the two...> The other must haves are a pair of
CB true percula or ocellaris if I can't get the former. (Are
captive bred and tank raised the same thing? ). <Yes,
synonymous meaning> I'd also like a pair of shrimp gobies
and/or Jawfish. Can I get both in my tank ? <... how big is
this system? Is there room?> If not, which do you suggest?
<Reading> I'd like a flame angel or coral beauty but if
its too big a risk, I'd consider alternating with a flasher
wrasses. Can you recommend a showy species that wont break the
bank ? Should I get a trio or a single male? I like the clown
gobies but was warned that they can harm corals by their constant
resting on them. What do you think ? Lastly I'd like a pair
of purple Firefish. So what do you think ? Any changes,
additions, etc? Thanks for taking the time to read and answer
this email. Sincerely, Eric <More specific questions please...
and reading... Bob Fenner>
Re: Algae ID... and more misc. 06/06/2008 Dear
Bob, Thanks for replying so quickly. Is the Bryopsis a normal
part of the algae cycle or is symptomatic of poor husbandry?
<Is an opportunistic misc. recruit... at times difficult to
control... best aggressively removed manually...> As there are
no fish in the DT yet, feeding consists of one feeding every 2 or
3 days from one of the following: flake, shrimp pellets, freeze
dried Tubifex ( have them for my FW fish ) and thawed frozen
cubes. As for your suggestion about a calcium reactor, I'd
like to stay away from buying any more ( expensive ) equipment
and since I don't plan on stocking SPS I was hoping that one
of the solutions I mentioned would work. The DT is 65 gallons ( I
thought it was in the first email ) with the rock being set up as
an island in the middle. One side has a straight drop and the
other has a slope allowing for different micro-environments when
it comes to light and flow intensity. Do you think I can go with
a pair each of Yellowhead Jawfish and shrimp goby? <In this
sized tank I'd choose between these> If not, would a
single specimen of each work or should I go with a pair of one
species? <Better to have either a couple of Opistognathus or
just one Shrimp goby... and an Alpheid shrimp in this limited
volume> If I forgo the dwarf angel in favor of a flasher
wrasse species, do they do well singly or would a pair or trio (
one male, two females ) be preferable, and possible in my tank ?
<I would skip on these... the system is just too small>
Have you come across clown gobies irritating corals to the point
of killing them? <Not often, but can happen in small volumes,
w/ little SPS of interest to the Gobiodon... their sitting on,
eating the polyps.> Thanks,
Eric
<Welcome. BobF>
|
|
|
Green Thing - Coral? Algae? Alien Life Form?
Algae: Dictyosphaeria sp.- 4/2/08 <Hi Ben> This thing...
<Called love?>
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fyngyrz/2381193895/ <Pretty!>
...at about 2" across, represents a mystery in our salt water
aquarium. It looks, by color anyway, to be some kind of algae.
<Right you are.> But none of the many algae-eating invert
varieties in the tank will touch it. None of the crabs, none of the
snail types (five)... and none of the fish will touch it, either.
They act with this the way they do with the pulsing xenia, which is
to say, they ignore it. <That's pretty common when it comes
to the less 'leafy' varieties of alga.> Plus, it has
grown very slowly; <Good. Your system must not be too nutrient
loaded.> this 2-inch individual is the result of almost a year
of growth. No spreading out, just slowly enlarging. No other
individuals like this anywhere else in the tank. We assume the
progenitor came in on the live rock, of which there is about 75 lbs
in the tank. It's not bothering anything, and frankly, I think
it's kind of attractive <Me too!> ... so this is far from
an emergency, but I would like to know what it is. So. Anyone know?
<Yep, it's a green algae composed of closely arranged
cells/bubbles called Dictyosphaeria, likely either D. cavernosa or
D. versluysii. It's also commonly called 'bubble weed'.
At two inches across, it may be too early to tell which species it
is. Apparently, D. cavernosa starts off rounded and cushiony like
yours, but as the mass grows larger the cells rupture, collapse and
form thinner cup-like, convoluted structures. D. versluysii, on the
other hand, stays intact and cushiony. Both can be that bright
grass green color. Of the two species, you'd rather have D.
versluysii in your system because it's less invasive. Probably
has something to do with D. cavernosa's collapsing of cells. In
bubble algae, the cells contain reproductive matter than once
released can allow the algae to spread. It's up to you to
decide whether to keep it. Personally, I think it's pretty and
would be inclined to leave it since it's slow growing and not
causing problems. If, however, you notice the cells starting to
collapse, I'd get it out of there. Either way, if you do decide
to remove it, just try to pry off the mass without rupturing the
cells. If you can't remove the rock it's on from the tank
to do this, I'd have a siphon nearby to vacuum as your
removing. For now, I'd just keep an eye on it and enjoy! Please
see the following links for photos and more information:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/greenalg.htm
http://www.hawaii.edu/reefalgae/invasive_algae/chloro/dictyosphaeria_versluysii.htm
http://www.hawaii.edu/reefalgae/invasive_algae/chloro/dictyosphaeria_cavernosa.htm
http://www.algaebase.org/search/species/detail/?species_id=3723
http://www.algaebase.org/search/species/detail/?species_id=3722
> Thanks to the WWM crew! --Ben
<You're welcome! Take care, -Lynn> |
|
|
| Grasses... poor stocking, Chlorophyte issues,
sm. SW sys. period 03/11/2008 Hi Crew, I have been
reading your site now for maybe 2 months and found it invaluable
for a newbie starting a new hobby. I have purchased an Orca TL450
58 litre (12 gal) reef tank and put approx 8-10 kg of live cured
rock in. I also purchased a 400 LPH powerhead and a refractometer..
Ok, here goes (deep breath) The items I have purchased for my
"reef" consists of 2 original Percula's (clowns!) 1
blue Seastar, <...> 1 rose anemone (I think), <... needs
more room than this...> 1 cleaner shrimp, 3 red legged hermit
crabs and? a few bunches of red and green bubble Caulerpa and some
green "fern" Caulerpa. The tank has been set up for
approx 10-12 weeks and has plenty of life which has come in on the
rock such as 1 small crab, about a dozen shoots of neomeris, 4
bristleworm (1 large), a couple of small striped brittle stars (I
think? cream colour with dark bands), various tube worms that shoot
webs to feed and Featherdusters and many small clusters or polyps
(yellow under the moon lights) and "grass". This is where
my problem lies, the back wall and uppermost regions of the tank
have a? good covering of this grass like growth and due to the
poorly designed skimmer built in to these tanks, when turned?up it
creates many microbubbles which settle on the grass and turn into
BGA over a few days. I have siphoned off the BGA but it still tries
to regrow so I will invest in an extra powerhead to try some more
flow in the top of the tank. I have included a few (low kb!) piccys
as I wish to verify whether the grass is worth keeping or should be
toothbrushed away as a pets. Also if you can identify any of the
life I would be grateful. The top grass and the grass1 and
grass2?are also different, the bottom one seems more wiry. <...
likely Derbesia and Bryopsis species... your photos are too blurry
to make out much more...> I don't have a full test kit yet
and this is my next acquisition, I have a red sea ph / Alk / buff
kit although I don't use the buff, <I would not do so in
this small volume> I use tropic Marin triple buffer, ocean fish
salt (prodac), salinity 1023, <... too low> temp 26/78, ph is
circa 8.2 to 8.3, Alk normal 1.7 to 2.8 (more like 2) LFS test
confirm Nitrates, nitrite all negligible readings. Every thing is
growing and thriving including pink algae. BTW you are welcome to
use my pics in any way required. Whew! sorry for the amount of info
in there. <Use the Net, the indices, search tool on WWM (where
you found out how to write us), with the genera names listed
above... and further on, re the set-up and maintenance of small
marine systems... You need a bit of education re. Bob
Fenner> |
|
|
|
|
New Print and
eBook on Amazon
Marine Aquarium Algae Control
by Robert (Bob) Fenner
|
|
|
