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Algae ID


marko

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Have an algae that's been growing for a while. Slow, but persistent growth and though I can remove it manually, it comes back. Not sure what it is or what enjoys eating it.

20151123_171904_zpsmwq6fzdb.jpg

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Not a sponge. Blowing it with a turkey baste makes chunks fly off,and I can siphon chunks out like that.

I guess a fungus could grow like that, but it's on 3 different rocks with no apparent dead things on them for it to eat...

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fair enough.

i do, but i dont have any stains. ill see if i can find a blank slide to stick some on and take a look and a picture. if nothing else the size will show if its eukaryotic or bacterial.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Could be fungus sponge or bacteria still, got a microscope?

Took my time, but got a shot of it in a microscope. Looks bright green, and too large to be bacteria, if there was a microscopic structure, it was destroyed in transport, I just cells in slime under the slide.

This is it under 400x:

20151206_132539_zps5jvmbuby.jpg

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Took my time, but got a shot of it in a microscope. Looks bright green, and too large to be bacteria, if there was a microscopic structure, it was destroyed in transport, I just cells in slime under the slide.

This is it under 400x:

20151206_132539_zps5jvmbuby.jpg

weird, the round things look like dinoflagellates, and the shardy fibrous things look like sponge spicules or fibers, or both.

Then that green algal blob is sitting there and I don't think that it has anything to do with your growth though.

 

I'm going to guess, I could be wrong, that that is a sponge growing, and those are dinoflagellates, the dinoflagellates are symbiotic, in a way possibly like corals and symbiodinium.

 

What do you think.

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weird, the round things look like dinoflagellates, and the shardy fibrous things look like sponge spicules or fibers, or both.

Then that green algal blob is sitting there and I don't think that it has anything to do with your growth though.

 

I'm going to guess, I could be wrong, that that is a sponge growing, and those are dinoflagellates, the dinoflagellates are symbiotic, in a way possibly like corals and symbiodinium.

 

What do you think.

ive just never seen a sponge with so little form to it... and popping up on other rocks too - the only thing is it doesnt grow up higher than a certain point, so too much light is probably it - or maybe the flow is higher up there.

i can blast chunks off with my turkey baster, id think sponges are firmer. and i cant see any osculums. i have a yellow sponge that likes the darkest spots of the tanks, but i can always see tiny osculums.

i do think its wierd how there are seemingly 2 different thinks in there, though the threads dont have any obvious cellular forms, so maybe its being secreted by the dinos or whatever to adhere to? not sure really. all i know is its photosynthetic based of the chloroplasts.

 

i have a crappy picture at 100x

20151206_132416_zpsbuflo3p5.jpg

 

and one at 40x

20151206_132254_zps6n8csnfv.jpg

 

idk if that helps

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I'm noticing that the shards are oriented more or less in the same direction, it's a little strange. And it is a little less sponge like. I'm wondering if it is silica composing the shards, that could add a few variables to this organisms survivability long term in your aquarium.

 

Does this stuff feel mucous like or clumpy?

 

Also do you have any snails?

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Well I noticed my RODI water was up to 20tds - wasn't expecting that since I changed out everything 3 months ago. But maybe it's cuz I was low on di resin and reused 1/4 of my old one, towards the front of the unit. I'm replacing all the DI today. While my N and P were both steady, I don't test for Si. So maybe if it does use a lot of Si, this will starve it. I do normally use a combo of aluminum oxide and ferric oxide media, and the aluminum oxide says it can help pull silicate out too.

It feels more mucous than firm, but not as runny as typical dinos (been there done that lol).

A Margarita who refuses to get off the glass, an astrea, 2 ceriths, a number of dwarf ceriths,and some stocky ceriths, along with nessies in my sand. None of them nor the hermits seem to eat it. I do need to replenish my snail population, used to have a bunch of a stress and a few more margaritas.

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I'm noticing that the shards are oriented more or less in the same direction, it's a little strange. And it is a little less sponge like. I'm wondering if it is silica composing the shards, that could add a few variables to this organisms survivability long term in your aquarium.

 

Does this stuff feel mucous like or clumpy?

 

Also do you have any snails?

Just got my order in. Among them a ringed cowrie, who cleared off a patch where I put it down. So hopefully it'll makes its way around and solve the problem.
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I'm sticking with my symbiotic organism theory, and I'm glad the cowrie decided to eat it for you. Don't worry too much about silica, because the sponge part could also using calcium compounds, or something else, so you might be wasting your efforts. And remember that most thick microbe mats and algal blooms relate to water quality.

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I'm sticking with my symbiotic organism theory, and I'm glad the cowrie decided to eat it for you. Don't worry too much about silica, because the sponge part could also using calcium compounds, or something else, so you might be wasting your efforts. And remember that most thick microbe mats and algal blooms relate to water quality.

Sounds about right, and I did find my RODI was in need of maintanence, so hopefully things will return to normal now.
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