Nuisance Algae Guide

[FiRsT-aNd-LaSt]

Hey John wondering if I could get a little help with these 3 ID's, wonder if there's any desirable's and if not what actions to take.

 

1.

 

2.

 

3. I think these are the same????

[johnmaloney]

i dont have any books in front of me, but i am going to say the last one looks like gelidium, or a close resemblance. Something like gelidium americanum. the second might be some sort of ulva species? Lots of different ulvas. I have seen that before, I am not sure if it was in a person or in a book, I wouldn't worry about it to much, although manual removal will be kind of a pain if you need to do it. The red leaf looking one I think will be desirable. Too small to tell what it is, give it some time and see. Looks like the macro is growing straight up from an discernible holdfast, that is usually the sign of an easy to maintain macro.

 

ditch this:

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t121/Fi...t/IMG_3523S.jpg

and this:

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t121/Fi...t/IMG_3524S.jpg

 

keep us updated with:

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t121/Fi...t/IMG_3526S.jpg

 

Edited December 7, 2009 by johnmaloney

[FiRsT-aNd-LaSt]

Thanks John I appreciate it, do you think I should remove the first one from my tank and scrap it, it's on a rock by itself, I have scrubbed it before and let it sit in a bucket for over a month with no light and it looked like it was gone but after about two weeks of being back in my tank it began to grow again, one of my astrea snaisl ate a good portion of it, but now seems no longer interested and for the other two I'll keep an eye on them. Thanks again.

[Deleted User 6]

that is a species lyngbya, a type of cyano. (not cotton candy algae if that is what you are thinking) Warmer water helps fuel it, but it isn't necessary I have had a lot of "fun " having to deal with this myself a few months back. The Sprung book identifies it as the sporophyte stage of Asparagopsis taxiformis, but I doubt it. It spreads and becomes fully mature without turning into the beautiful A. taxiformis macro. It was (spelling alert!) Lyngbya muscujalra (way off on the spelling probably), in my 72g tank, looked exactly the same. The nerites were beating it back, but I got tired of waiting and put in a bunch of hermits, (I mean a bunch), and it took are of it. Acitinic only lighting seemed to effect it, as well as lowering the temp, but it still lived. Although growth slowed. It grows so fast, I mean really, really fast, that without slowing the growth I don't know if I would have ever caught up with it. Ragged sea hares were doing a lot of damage to it, but I have two Koralias, in that 72 so the sea hares kept wandering into them and I had to remove them entirely. In the end I think a strong stocking of nerites would have eventually got it, but the 1000+ hermits took care of it in really short order. I am not sure if it was hermit v. hermit fighting, or hermit v. nerite fighting, but there may have been an adverse effect on CUCs that were eating it. I am not sure about that, but it seems I either lost some nerites and hermits into the rock work maze, or that stuff hurt it. Not sure, but I didn't pull out as much as I put in. Just speculating there, I didn't have it long enough to really learn more about it other than how to kill it off.

 

 

john, this stuff is crazy. also, seems like it's popping up a bunch more in people's tanks. the hermits and nerites have definitely munched on it, but they aren't taking it out completely. i don't know if i need more hermits or what. the tank underwent a 5 day black out and the stuff made it through just fine. it's the devil.

[johnmaloney]

It is amazing how fast it can grow. our ugly tank contest winner is plagued by it too, he has a mantis to boot so that should be fun. No fret though, when it is wiped out it stays gone. Maybe check spectrum on the bulbs. Do you have dwarf ceriths? Do they eat it? WOuld be nice to find something cheap that you could throw at in bulk. You got a strong crew, but it is hard to catch. Are they at least turning the tide?

[Deleted User 6]

They're turning the tide in the top tank, because it's small. But they are turning it VERY slowly. The bottom tank is now starting to grow it pretty heavily. I've got 30 gallons of water total IIRC. I haven't seen the ceriths touch it. Astreas, nerites, and blue hermits eat it - I'm pretty sure I saw the fuzzy chiton take some out as well and of course my emerald picks at it. I'm having the same experience as you though - I'm counting less hermits than I put in now, so I'm wondering if it's hurting them?

 

Manual removal is tough - the stuff doesn't come off the rock easily at all. I have to replace all the bulbs in my bottom tank, so that may be the issue for the growth there. Growth has slowed in the top tank since adding the LED bulb.

[johnmaloney]

Thanks John I appreciate it, do you think I should remove the first one from my tank and scrap it, it's on a rock by itself, I have scrubbed it before and let it sit in a bucket for over a month with no light and it looked like it was gone but after about two weeks of being back in my tank it began to grow again, one of my astrea snaisl ate a good portion of it, but now seems no longer interested and for the other two I'll keep an eye on them. Thanks again.

 

if the rock is really ugly maybe, or would cost more to clean it then replace it.

 

dhaut - yeah manual removal is the pits it breaks off too easy and the strands are fine. PLus after a night of hard work it grows back to the same level. I don't think ceriths ate it for me either, (i had very few in the tank though) it was the nerites and blue legs.

 

Chitons seem a likely candidate to eat it, but they are slow regardless. Let me know about this though, they move at night more, so tracking them can be hard.

 

Good to hear they are turning the tide. As it goes down they should be able to get it down faster as time goes on. I was at this point too, then I added the hermit army. Such are the luxuries of a snailsman. Does the bottom tank have anything that is photosynthetic? If so, what?

Edited December 7, 2009 by johnmaloney

[Deleted User 6]

Some softie corals (zoas, mini nems, GSP, goni, encrusting gorg) and some of your aglae's (Shaving brushes, flame, halymenia, fans, halimeda). But not a whole lot other than that. I hesitate to do a blackout - I did that on the top tank and it didn't work.

 

Honestly, after the holidays we may just have to get a hermit/nerite army in there. I can always trade them in at the LFS if there's too many after they eat the stuff.

[johnmaloney]

oh yeah I know that refugium..it is too nice to turn the lights off on. can you tone down the lighting, assist the top tank with manual removal and do it on the bottom, (especially on the other macros), until the top is under control and then move the cuc?

 

do you have it on any pumps that may be spreading it? with mine it was in a 72 that didn't have an overflow/sump/etc... but it was spreading from a koralia. after cleaning that it slowed.

[Deleted User 6]

oh yeah I know that refugium..it is too nice to turn the lights off on. can you tone down the lighting, assist the top tank with manual removal and do it on the bottom, (especially on the other macros), until the top is under control and then move the cuc?

 

do you have it on any pumps that may be spreading it? with mine it was in a 72 that didn't have an overflow/sump/etc... but it was spreading from a koralia. after cleaning that it slowed.

 

I've been cleaning the pumps the best I can - the snails actually do a better job than me in that regard. I think the 10k bulb in the lower tank is old and has shifted too far into the red spectrum. I'm planning to replace it in the next couple weeks.

[johnmaloney]

my bulb needed changing around that time . i did actinic lighting only and it seemed to slow it. could have been just because of the loss of light, but the other half of the fixture was far gone, and gave off a mountain dew yellow.

[Deleted User 6]

my bulb needed changing around that time . i did actinic lighting only and it seemed to slow it. could have been just because of the loss of light, but the other half of the fixture was far gone, and gave off a mountain dew yellow.

 

lol. I'm not at Mountain Dew yet, but I definitely think it's time for new bulbs. WIsh I had some spare cash - tough to do around the holidays. Oh well. I'll let you know how it goes.

[ReefRookie]

My tank has been overrun with the turf like algae you referred to as Derbesia for a couple of years now. I have managed to keep it under control with an emerald crab, nothing else worked.

 

Question: Is it that bad? I've noticed pods scurrying around in the dense mats, apparently safe from predators. I haven't manually removed all the algae because I wanted to keep a place for the pods as long as the cons of the algae didnt outweigh the pros of the pods.

[johnmaloney]

it is as bad as it looks, so it ultimately comes down to what you think.

[chrisjj625]

awesome thread

[johnmaloney]

thanks!

[johnmaloney]

More brittle than fleshy. If I was to scrape it off, it comes off really easily. I took out all of the rocks and scrubbed them with a toothbrush and put them back in, It seems like it came back with a vengence.

Please let me know if there is anything else you need to know. Thanks!

 

are you scraping it off, or brushing it and it the macro is ripping apart? That may have spread it, make sure to get the holdfast clean and rinse afterward. like weeding the lawn, anything left continues...urchins, emeralds, a large turbo would be worth a shot...all have cons..bulldozing, scratching acrylic, knock over coral etc...

[lowfi]

Alright guys and gals,

 

I've been battling gelidium for a while now and am sick of it. Tomorrow I'm going to scrub brush and dremel brush my rock for the second time in 3 months. This stuff doesn't grow too fast but it is creeping and persistent. I tried an emerald crab which was luckily eating the stuff...however it was also eating my zoanthids . I am going to brush the LR, toss the worst stuff and then add 2 mexican turbos to my tank. After brushing im going to rinse into a bucket, can I rinse with freshwater??? Ahh this stuff is terrible, once my coralline gets going, i have to brush it all off again. Anybody have any tips on dealing with this stuff???

 

Thanks a lot,

Sean

 

Here's what mine looks like....

 

 

Cheers

[lowfi]

bump!

[johnmaloney]

there is some info in this thread...don't let the fragments stay on the rock when removing, urchins and emeralds probably your best bet to eat it, rinse rock with SW afterward to wash away remnants, pluck as much out - don't brush, make sure to get it all etc...)

[lowfi]

well i just spent a few hours dremeling the rock, boy does that save time versus plucking and brushing. After dremeling, i dipped in a bucket, then in another progressively cleaner bucket then back into the tank. Im going to glue the rocks and frags down, then get a turbo. Hopefully they will keep it in check!! I happened to stop by a dental office today and they gave me some picks for free, so if it tries to make a comeback i can get it with that and a siphon nearby.

 

thanks!

 

lowfi

Edited December 18, 2009 by lowfi

[johnmaloney]

that will be the way to get it...time and determination unfortunately. rough stuff....good luck to you. be aggressive and you will get it out.

[5-O Reefer]

This is my first post so just wanted to say thanks for all the great info on this entire site.

 

I currently have a 14BC which has been setup for approx 1 month. I have 8lbs of live rock, 20lbs of live sand, and used the pre bottled salt water to set everything up. At first I kept the system stock and then after reading this site the mods began. To coincide with this thread I have started to get a bad algae problem on the sand and live rock. I have done my research on here but just want to make sure I dont have something else going on.

 

I run my lights from 9-9 with the actinic from 8-10. I have a hydor flow on my stock output and a koralia nano on the opposite side. I switched to SteveT's media rack, which I have filled with filter floss, purigen, and chemi-pure, although I just purchased some chaeto and a fuge light to put in the middle chamber. My salinity is approx 1.024-1.025. As far as I know all my water parameters are within specs but as of now I have a cheap test kit and need to get a more accurate one. Stock for now is a coral banded shrimp, 2 percula clowns, a royal gamma, 1 soft coral I think Nephthea and approx 8 red hermits. I was feeding daily but have stopped that after reading here and am doing every 2-3 days.

 

Below are some pics of the algae. From posts I have read I think its cyano? Or just part of the cycle and will go away? Any help would be greatly appreciated! And maybe the pictures would be good for the library.

 

Edited January 25, 2010 by 5-O Reefer

[Jordan_o]

As far as I know all my water parameters are within specs but as of now I have a cheap test kit and need to get a more accurate one.

 

Within specs? ok? You need to list your params, inaccurate params are better than none at all IMO

 

and how do you know your test kit is inaccurate? what brand is it?

Edited January 25, 2010 by Jordan_o

[johnmaloney]

cyano...+1 to ^^

 

happy first post!

 

it is normal to have some cyano, but that is an outbreak that needs to be dealt with. Here is the only formula you need to know to be rid of cyano:

 

1. Reduce nutrients -

 

Reducing the importation of nutrients:

 

a. First look at amount you feed, and if there are available phosphates in it above and beyond what will be a byproduct of the feeding. (Are you using phyto etc...what do you feed? how much? how often?)

 

b. Use higher quality water, either ro/di, or check your ro/di etc...

Increasing the exportation of nutrients:

 

a. Additional water changes with the water described above.

 

b. Harvest algae or cyano from the tank and allow more to grow. Usually people use chaeto in a refugium, there are other options. ATS systems etc....big part of the hobby. Phosban + additional rock/DSB etc....

 

2. Removal of cyanobacteria and maintenance

 

a. With critters - nerites, chitons and to a lesser extent blue legs for the rocks and glass (blue legs don't do the glass though) ceriths for the sand.

 

b. Manually - You can siphon it out and should during the water changes described above. You can also brush it off the rocks, use your net to round it up when it starts floating.

 

3. Tricks for cyano:

 

a. Higher alkalinity, (like 11dkh if you used most beginner kits - dissolved carbonate hardness test....otherwise 4 meq/l - just my personal preference. Consistency is more important than a certain value.), discourages the growth of cyano.

 

b. Higher flow discourages the growth of cyano. If you see some spots are more prone to buildup test the flow in those spots and consider adjustment. Cyano can be an opportunity to redesign your current design.

 

Check your light schedule. How old are your bulbs?

What are your parameters in numbers?

How many fish?

 

The good news is cyano is easy to beat, and it doesn't have to ruin your reefing experience.

Edited January 25, 2010 by johnmaloney