FAQs on Marine Algae Identification
12
Related Articles: 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: FAQ ID Visual
Guide, Marine
Algae ID 1, Marine Algae ID 2,
Marine Algae ID 3, Marine Algae ID 4, Marine Algae ID 5, Marine Algae ID 6, Marine Algae ID 7, Marine Algae ID 8, Marine Algae ID 9, Marine Algae ID 10, Marine Algae ID 11, Marine Algae ID 13, Marine Algae ID 14, Marine Algae ID 15, Marine Algae ID 16, Marine Algae ID 17, Marine Algae ID 18, Marine Algae ID 19, Marine Algae ID 20, Marine Algae ID 21, Marine Algae ID 22, Marine Algae ID 23, Marine Algae ID 24, Marine Algae ID, 25, SW Algae ID 26, SW Algae ID 27, SW Algae ID 29, SW Algae ID 30, SW Algae ID 31, SW Algae ID 32, SW Algae ID 33, SW Algae ID 34, SW Algae ID 35, SW
Algae ID 36, SW Algae ID 37, SW
Algae ID 38, SW Algae ID 39, & Marine Algae Control FAQs 2, Marine Algaecide Use, Nutrient Limitation, Marine Algae Eaters, Culturing Macro-Algae; Controlling: BGA/Cyano, Red/Encrusting Algae, Green Algae, Brown/Diatom
Algae,
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Marine Aquarium Algae Control
by Robert (Bob) Fenner
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Where the Red Fern Grows -
03/24/07 Hey Guys, Absolutely love the site. Have been lurking
here for about 6 months now and every question I have had has been
answered by doing research on the site. Every one except this
one... <Is indeed a great resource and thanks for taking the
time for looking before asking now, lets see if we can help..>
In the last 6-8 weeks we had this beautiful red fern
"thing" grow off of a piece of Live Rock that we obtained
from our LFS. In the past 2 weeks the thing has gone gang busta on
us. We are not sure if it is ok to have in our aquarium. Could you
try to "id" it for us (sending an attached photo) and let
us know if it should be removed. I hope it won't need to be
removed as I think that is very beautiful. <Not to worry, it
looks to me, and without further close-ups, like Gracilaria, a type
of red algae that is quite common in aquaria and food markets.
It's harmless to your system and I agree, adds a really vivid
colour. Although you mention excessive growth, which may be due to
high nutrient levels, and I would definitely check your nitrates
here> Thanks for all your help. <Pleasure, Olly> Dawn
<Also thank you for taking the time to spell and punctuate
everything correctly> |
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Fuzz ID 11/25/06
Hello Crew, Trying to get an ID of some stuff that grows in my fuge
(see attached pics). I thought at first it was Cyano, but a few
things about it make me think that it is not: 1) it seems to grow
almost exclusively on my macro algae, not on rocks or substrate 2)
it's white and purple 3) it has been growing for months in my
fuge but I have never seen it in my main tank (when I last had
Cyano it was in both tanks. I'm guessing that if this stuff is
growing in my main tank my herbivores must be eating it faster than
it can grow) <This, or physical conditions there preclude it>
4) when I look closely at it, I can see that it is made up of
thousands of little "branches." I looked at Marine Algae
FAQs and BGA FAQs and did not see any pictures that look similar to
what I have going on. This isn't a fungus is it? Whatever it
is, it's ugly! Thanks as always, Mike <This is likely a mix
of a few types/species/Divisions of algae as you speculate... built
around your macro... or bits thereof... with a whole civilization
of other organisms... Would make for a fascinating study, given a
microscope, time/focus and a clear, curious mind as yours. Bob
Fenner> |
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She's Seeing RED (Algae, That is!) - 10/18/06 Hello,
<Hi there! Scott F. here today!> I'm not sure where about to
begin! I have 120 gallon marine aquarium, full with live rock and
various soft corals. My fish are 1 Yellow Tang, 2 Clowns, 1
Pink-Spotted blenny (I love him). 2 Chalk Gobies, 1 Mandarin, 1 Flame
Angel, 2 Chromis, 2 Blue Damsels, 1 Cleaner Shrimp, 20 plus blue
hermits, 20 plus Turbos and a couple of Nassarius snails (haven't
seen them for a while)! <Nice mix of animals!> I've been
struggling with algae blooms. The Nitrate level is less than
20mg and Nitrite is less than 0.1mg. The Phosphates
aren't 0, but they are less than 0.25mg. I'm
beginning to think the lights are incorrect. <Well, lights alone are
not causing your nuisance large problem. Lighting plus nutrients equals
algae growth.> The reason I am mailing you (finally getting to the
point) is the remaining green hair algae has begun to grow
red. Its not slimy, its not hairy like the green algae, it
looks like a blanket of algae or furry. I've been
removing it, but last time to we pulled it up some small remains must
have spread. Within 1 week, we have a small
blanket of the stuff over a rock. It grows very fast.
<Sounds like the dreaded Cyanobacteria, or some other nuisance
algae.> I don't really want to add anything to kill it, incase
it kills my snails and crew, but I did look and LFS don't seem to
sell anything to remove it unless you keep freshwater. <You
don't want to use any "quick fix" products. With a few
husbandry adjustments, you can beat it naturally!> I'm going to
remove it again later, but everything I read, either is about red
coralline, Cyanobacteria /slime algae, its not coralline and its not
slimy. <Hmm...> The fish and corals all seem to be great, I have
red coralline algae the live rock. I don't want to turn
the lights out, as I don't want to kill my
coral. I'm stuck. <Not really.> I have checked
your forums too, but can't seem to find anything. Please
can you help. Thanks Lindsey <Well, Lindsey, without a photo, an ID
of the algae would be really tough. There are literally thousands of
suspects! With most nuisance algae, the problem is generally caused by
excesses of nutrients somewhere in the system. Your phosphate level is
of concern. Phosphates accumulate from food. The associated packing
juices from frozen foods, and uneaten foods can contribute. My first
recommendation is to feed very carefully, not allowing any excess foods
to accumulate. In addition, you should embrace a schedule of regular
small water changes with high quality source water (RO/DI), employ
chemical filtration media, such as activated carbon or Poly Filter, and
use a good protein skimmer, adjusted to produce skimmate daily.
Maintain a stable, high pH and alkalinity, and keep good water movement
in the system. Persistent good husbandry will see this nuisance algae
bloom out. It doesn't happen overnight, but steady work on your
part will do the trick. I hope that these ideas will give you some food
for thought to look into the root causes of the algae problem. Best of
luck to you! Regards, Scott F.>
Identification Question 10/15/06 Hello! <Hello.>
I have a hopefully quick question for you concerning identification of
some seemingly odd growths in my nano-reef. The tank itself
is a pleasant little 7gal with a various assortment of soft
corals. Here's where the issue comes to
light. I've had the tank up for a year and a half and
have been very happy with it. However, in the past view
weeks I've noticed some odd purple/reddish-brown bulbous growths
that seem to grow exclusively near my green metallic
mushrooms. I would almost go so far as to say that they
appear to be filled with air....rather odd. They do not, at
this point, appear to be harming anything. I tried searching
through your site to shed some light on this before sending out this
email, but honestly, I wasn't quite sure where to
start. I've attached a very rough picture (best I could
do with the materials at hand) of the growths. Thanks for your help!
Jacob <I'll be honest, it's really hard to tell from this
picture... I'm going to guess, based on your description, that this
is Cyanobacteria - Blue/Green Algae. More to read on this here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/bluegralgae.htm
Cheers, J -- >
Is Diatoms, Not Detritus - 09/02/06 Hello there,
<<Hi!>> I have a question that I asked my local "fish
guy" and he answered the best he could but for some reason I have
a feeling that his advice isn't working. <<Ok>> I have
a 50 gal SW tank and everything has been awesome for about 6
months. Now, I am seeing huge amounts of algae
growth. I know that the coralline algae is a good thing so I
don't mess with that, and even some of the green algae can be
desirable, correct? <<Indeed...>> But, my problem is not
with those two things, I have an outbreak of this brown
(copper-colored) algae all over my sand and some of my glass!
<<Sounds like diatoms...do have a good read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/diatomfaqs.htm >> My fish guy
asked if anything had died in there and I told him no. <<Are you
filtering the your make-up/top-off water?>> His thought about it
was that it was detritus? <<Nope>> He gave me some pouch to
put in filter but that doesn't seem to be working
either. I just don't get it, I have good water quality
and nothing has ever died...I need help figuring out what it is so I
can do something about it. HELP! <<If you aren't
filtering your water, consider getting an RO/DI unit...if you are
filtering your water, check/replace the membranes/DI
cartridge. You can also try adding some bio-turbators
(Cerith snails work well) for your substrate and add some Poly-Filter
to your tank filter flow path>> Krysti <<Regards,
EricR>>
Some Feedback and a Question
8/8/06 Hi Guys (and girls), <Chris> Firstly just some
good news feedback. About 6 months ago my new reef tank was
started. The WWM crew has really helped me a lot in identifying
issues with my previously failed marine tank (especially Dr
Fenner), and also with advice on the setup of the new one. I am
proud to say that things seem to be well on track - the tank went
through some horrible phases with diatoms, followed by various
types of green algae, but finally this has all disappeared and I
am proud to say that I now see various types of red and pink
coralline algae starting to cover the live rock, with no nasty
algae in sight. The main tank is about 150gallons in size, I have
T5 lighting only with soft corals, only a few fish (yellow tang,
coral beauty, niger trigger, sixline wrasse), some inverts and
all seems to be healthy and doing well. Thanks again for all the
help so far. at the moment I am really positive about the tank
and it is largely due to your support. <Good> The one
question I have is about supplements. Initially when I had an
algae bloom I did a lot of reading about it and decided to stop
adding any supplements, because frankly I was just pouring stuff
in without knowing the impact, <Very common situation>
except for my calcium reactor which is still running. For the
last couple of months all I have been adding to the system is the
following: 1. Monitor PH and KH closely and buffer top-up water
to keep this constant. 2. Monitor calcium closely and dose a bit
to keep it around 360-400. (Still trying to figure if calcium
reactor is working properly, because calcium still seems to drop
a bit every week). I have added nothing else to the tank at all
for months. I am a little confused about whether I should start
adding any supplements as I continue to add more corals to the
tank. The LFS will tell you to dose Magnesium, Strontium etc. but
I am not comfortable adding anything to the tank unless I have a
test kit to monitor the values precisely. The general feeling I
get when reading the FAQ's is that its probably better to not
add any supplements and focus more on regular water changes to
add new elements, but I would like your opinion on this anyway if
its ok. <Bingo... this is my position... Don't add
anything unless you are testing for it... know it to be
deficient... Many chemicals have antagonistic and/or synergistic
effects with others...> Then just one other question - there
seem to be patches of red coralline algae growing on the
substrate itself. is this normal ? <Happens, yes> (I'm
pretty sure I can identify it as coralline algae). And lastly,
can you perhaps identify the interesting looking 'thing'
that is growing out of my live rock ? <Appears to be a type of
Brown Algae... of the genus Padina. Please see here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/brnalgae.htm> Thanks and
sorry for the long email. Chris Cronje
<No worries. Bob Fenner>
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Algae ID...I think... 8/8/06
Good afternoon crew! <Trying to wake up here...> Again,
thanks for ALL of your help!! I know it has helped me
maintain a healthy and happy marine aquarium. <Ah, good> My
question pertains to the "pic of the day" for 8/6,
"Don't you wish we had real live
rock." There is a algae/coral/fungus in the
middle of that pic....a burnt orange/red in color, in a circular
formation. Can anyone tell me what that is? <Oh...
think this is the 8/6 pic... and looks like the coralline
Peyssonnelia. Please see here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/corallinealg.htm and the
linked files above... Or use the search tool with the genus
name...> I have an abundance of it on one of my
LR. I am assuming it is an algae of some type, just
not sure which. Regards, Jeff
<A beneficial... and good looking organism. Bob Fenner>
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Saltwater ID 8/1/06 Hello, use
your site for reference all the time, thanks!
<Welcome> I am wondering what
this is. I assumed it was algae, but have not been able to ID it
anywhere. Though I saw it on you site, but not sure. It is growing
rapidly and I would like to either trim it or move it.
Thanks <Is a beautiful photo and specimen of a
Rhodophyte... likely a Fauchea species: http://search.msn.com/images/results.aspx?FORM=IRRE&q=fauchea
and on WWM: http://wetwebmedia.com/redalgae.htm
Can be trimmed, cut, pulled... Thank you for sharing. Bob
Fenner> |
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Unidentified Growth (Sargassum polyphyllum?) - 04/29/06
Dear WWM Crew, <<Greetings Kym>> Thank you so much for
providing such a wonderful resource. I have truly
enjoyed the untold hours that I have spent reading and rereading
through the many articles and FAQ's posted on your
website. The wealth of knowledge contained here is just
amazing. <<Indeed, much here (there) for the finding...happy
you find the researching enjoyable>> My question, today,
pertains to an unidentified growth in my 90 gallon reef
tank. I have checked through the website and through
numerous books, as well, and have not been able to determine what
it is. I believe that it is some type of algae or plant.
<<Me too>> It began growing out of my colony of green
button polyps. It is attached to the rock and has grown
very quickly. It is a single piece, brown and flat with
a slight curl at the edges. It has extended outward in
very wide fingerlike protrusions and has small white bumps sparsely
and erratically scattered across the surface and along the
edges. The feel is somewhat rubbery. <<Describes
as/looks like a Sargassum, possibly
Sargassum polyphyllum>> I have noticed, as it has grown
larger, that my polyps have been declining. <<The algae is
likely just shadowing/brushing across...>> I'm wondering
if, perhaps, it is exuding something toxic. <<A
possibility...algae compete for space just as corals, fish, all
marine life>> Would you please examine the pictures that I
have attached and see if you can identify the growth and tell me if
it is something that I should completely remove from my tank?
<<It's not going to "nuke" your tank, but if it
looks like it is beginning to decline/decompose you'll want to
remove it...and if you don't like the effect it is having on
your button polyps then by all means, pull it out now <grin>
>> Thank You, Kym
<<Quite welcome. Regards, EricR>> |
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New Print and
eBook on Amazon
Marine Aquarium Algae Control
by Robert (Bob) Fenner
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