USFnano Posted November 27, 2003 Share Posted November 27, 2003 Hey, I have a 20 gallon tank at home that has been set up for probably 4-5 years... I really don't remember exactly and has sat with just liverock/sand for a little over a year since I've moved out for college, and I'd like to turn it into a nice reef tank. The tank has since been covered in some type of short(about 1/2" tall), dark green algae. At first I thought it was bryopsis, but I have searched all over and I haven't seen anything that looks like this. It's not hair algae either(had some of that too, but some astrea snails took care of that). Every picture of Bryopsis that I have seen shows a feather-like structure. This algae is just branching. I will try to get a close-up picture up by this weekend(my mom forgot the cord to plug the camera into the cpu at work X) ). Thanks for any information, Jon Link to comment
USFnano Posted November 29, 2003 Author Share Posted November 29, 2003 ugh, my mom forgot to bring the cable home, so she'll be e-mailing me the pictures monday. Are there any sites that have a lot of pictures of the different types of algae? I've done searches here and reefcentral, and yahoo and google. Any ideas until I can get the pictures are greatly appreciated. Thanks, Jon Link to comment
birdman204 Posted November 30, 2003 Share Posted November 30, 2003 is it thick blade like w/ serrated edges? Leaves grow in round shapes attached on top of one another, try to describe its appearance other than color and size. Link to comment
USFnano Posted December 1, 2003 Author Share Posted December 1, 2003 The blades are thin and smooth, but pretty strong. It doesn't look like the blades branch more than once. Here's a pic I managed to find of the full tank. I know, it's really hard to see, but it's all I have right now. I should I have some close up pics within the next day or so. Thanks, Jon btw, all that hair algae on the glass is gone now. Link to comment
birdman204 Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 is it round branched, thin ( like you said) flat braches. how long are they, how long has it been there? It's not nearly as bad as my work tank. Do you have a LFS close to you that you are bros w/ the owner, If his hermit tanks are void of life, or overcrowded w/ hermits, chances are they are hungry. maybe you could "rent" some hermits for 2 days. Throw them in there I did12 at work in my 10 gallon and the algae was 75% gone over the weekend. Dont leave them in there though. Too many hermits. or a single sally lightfoot may much it all. Link to comment
USFnano Posted December 2, 2003 Author Share Posted December 2, 2003 The blades are round, maybe a millimeter thick. It hasn't grown any taller than about 1/2". The algae first showed up probably a year and a half ago, around when I moved out for college. I put 10 blue-legged hermits in there about a month ago when I bought the astreas(the tank was pretty much neglected while I was gone, so the glass was covered in hair algae as well), but it doesn't look like they've touched it. There are plenty of empty shells in the tank, so I'm not worried about aggression with them. Jon Link to comment
birdman204 Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 It's not so much aggression as bioload i think. I got some around he 6 month mark, it slowly went away, but never did get bigger than that 1/2 to an inch at the most. Sorry I don't have an ID, but I can say, that it should go away. If it is still hanging around, i would start scrubbing those rocks. It sounds like it may have a foot hold. Link to comment
USFnano Posted December 3, 2003 Author Share Posted December 3, 2003 well, I've just recently started doing water changes on it when I go home(the nitrates were through the roof X) ) I'm hoping it will just go away with the nitrates. I might start a ~10 gal fuge for it sometime if I get the money. Jon lol, I just saw two amphipods wrestling with eachother on the sand of my 5.5 here at school. Cool little buggars, just showed up about a week and a half ago Link to comment
birdman204 Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/showthread...&threadid=21586 theres yuor fuge wrestling? where I come from, we call that copulating Link to comment
USFnano Posted December 3, 2003 Author Share Posted December 3, 2003 lol, If I do it, it'll more than likely get a 10 gallon drilled and put it on the dressor next to the tank. I'm going to be using a micro-jet fed, gutted skitler 400 for a fuge for my 5.5 gallon. Those cpr models are just too expensive. Man I need to get a job so I can afford this stuff ??? Link to comment
USFnano Posted December 5, 2003 Author Share Posted December 5, 2003 w00t, got the pics finally. I apologize for the blurryness in the pics, but you can still see some detail in therm. Jon Link to comment
birdman204 Posted December 5, 2003 Share Posted December 5, 2003 looks similar to mine, but i keep it in small patches.....uuh on purpose The amphiods live in / eat mine and keep it short, maybe 1 cm long. Kinda nice, like grass. maybe a lettuce nudibranch will help the prob www.seaslugforum.com or a sally lightfoot Link to comment
USFnano Posted December 8, 2003 Author Share Posted December 8, 2003 *scratches his head* hmm... I havn't been able to get on the boards the last two days... So, it's not Bryopsis, and there is hope? I guess I'll have to try a couple different critters and see who likes it Jon Link to comment
birdman204 Posted December 8, 2003 Share Posted December 8, 2003 There is always hope w/ a cleanup crew. In your case, go for carribean equal handed blue leg hermits, some mexican red legs, or scarlet hermits. also, a few checkered nerite, some cerith, and a few nassarius should clear it up in a few weeks. I will post some pics of mine for ya, although I dunno If I have the unholy before picrute. But it is much better. P.S. saw the lettuce nudi's on ebay today for 6 $. Link to comment
Acoustic Posted December 9, 2003 Share Posted December 9, 2003 I believe that to be maidens hair algae. Around here it is sold 30 bucks a rock. ;/ Link to comment
USFnano Posted December 9, 2003 Author Share Posted December 9, 2003 I thought about it being maidens hair at first, but this is not as long(most maidens I say was like ~2" long) and branching. Jon btw, I love your minibow birdman I want to get a couple Monti's in my 5.5 once I get my 70 MH set up I see the algae you have in a couple of the pics. That's the exact same thing I have in my 20gal. Link to comment
USFnano Posted December 20, 2003 Author Share Posted December 20, 2003 I bought a 7.5 gallon rubbermaid tub from walmart the other day, not I just need a PH and the plumbing Jon Link to comment
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