Macro Algae ???

[revance]

I have some macro algae growing on my live rock that started out as just a little bit and now has grown quite a bit. I am not sure what kind it is (I will try to get pics soon), they look like little quarter-circle fans up to about .5 to .75 inches long. The fans don't grow on top of each other like halimeda (nor does it have a calcium skeleton). I don't really mind it because it looks nice and grows slow enough that I think I could manually remove it before it could get out of control.

 

Here are my questions:

 

1) if you happen to know what it is I would like to know. Again I will try to get pictures.

 

2) It has begun to turn white... my guess is that it is dying because of lack of nutrients. My only livestock is 3 snails and my ammonia/nitrite/nitrate readings are all 0. It has always turned white at night and colored back up in the day, but now it is always white. Should I worry about this or just ignore it? Obviously if it dies the decaying plant matter will add bio load... should I worry about this? Thanks for any input!

[MrConclusion]

A lot of macro comes in on live rock, especially in my experience the FLorida aquacultured stuff. Unfortunately, a lot of it will die. I don't know if it's tank conditions that kill it, or the time spent between ocean and aquarium.

 

Check your calcium levels, some use this up very rapidly and will die without it. Remove dead tissue before it decays and dumps its nutrients back into the water.

 

Sometimes, macros that appear to have died away completely will return after weeks or months have passed.

[Steve973]

I'm pretty sure that what you're referring to is "sea lettuce". I have it in my tank, and it grows slowly. It's easy to remove, and you won't have to go to drastic measures to keep it under control.

 

Steve