Algae ID please?

AstroMelly · Jan 31, 2023

Some wide field shots under normal tank lighting and microscope shots at varying magnifications + a video through the eyepiece. Some diatoms in some frames for comparison.

Appearance is non-strand like. Just a coating on top of the substrate/rock. Started on one rock and crept on to the sand - now spreading around the tank quite rapidly. Could it be some type of green cyano as it does not appear 'plant-like' at all?

I prepared the sample by scooping a small amount of substrate with the substance on it and some tank water and shook it vigorously for a minute or so. Took a single drop of water onto a slide and placed a cover slip over.

Sorry just to add - it does develop quite a lot of bubbles - more throughout the day so I am assuming it is photosynthetically active.

Jekyl · Jan 31, 2023

Parameters? With bubbles it would make me think dinos or cyano

vetteguy53081 · Jan 31, 2023

AstroMelly said:
Some wide field shots under normal tank lighting and microscope shots at varying magnifications + a video through the eyepiece. Some diatoms in some frames for comparison.

Appearance is non-strand like. Just a coating on top of the substrate/rock. Started on one rock and crept on to the sand - now spreading around the tank quite rapidly. Could it be some type of green cyano as it does not appear 'plant-like' at all?

I prepared the sample by scooping a small amount of substrate with the substance on it and some tank water and shook it vigorously for a minute or so. Took a single drop of water onto a slide and placed a cover slip over.

Sorry just to add - it does develop quite a lot of bubbles - more throughout the day so I am assuming it is photosynthetically active.

Looks to me like Symbiodinium cells which would be Chrysophytes. Do you have pics of actual tank under white lighting ?

Big G · Jan 31, 2023

Might be Dinos. Check out this link with pics to compare: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/green-slime-on-sandbed-microscope-photos-included.815333/

AstroMelly · Jan 31, 2023

Apologies for not posting my params. I tested this link just now by sending to my son. I wasn’t sure if it was visible to non registered ppl.

Main Tank's Parameters

www.aquaticlog.com

I will grab some white light pics.

AstroMelly · Jan 31, 2023

Big G said:
Might be Dinos. Check out this link with pics to compare: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/green-slime-on-sandbed-microscope-photos-included.815333/

I think this thread looks exactly like what I have - but it’s not dinos. Euglena granulata perhaps? Had dinos previously large cell amphs which thankfully have almost cleared up now.

Edit: Not dinos… Unless these guys are also classed as dinos???

AstroMelly · Jan 31, 2023

Here’s some white light pics taken just now. You can see the bubbles in some of them.

AstroMelly · Feb 2, 2023

Any further thoughts on the white light shots?

Dan_P · Feb 2, 2023

AstroMelly said:
Some wide field shots under normal tank lighting and microscope shots at varying magnifications + a video through the eyepiece. Some diatoms in some frames for comparison.

Appearance is non-strand like. Just a coating on top of the substrate/rock. Started on one rock and crept on to the sand - now spreading around the tank quite rapidly. Could it be some type of green cyano as it does not appear 'plant-like' at all?

I prepared the sample by scooping a small amount of substrate with the substance on it and some tank water and shook it vigorously for a minute or so. Took a single drop of water onto a slide and placed a cover slip over.

Sorry just to add - it does develop quite a lot of bubbles - more throughout the day so I am assuming it is photosynthetically active.

Looks like a single cell algae.

AstroMelly · Feb 3, 2023

Thanks Dan. I agree from the scope shots it does look like a single cell algae. I don’t think it is the Euglena since none of them seem to shape shift at all.

Are you aware of any tips for removal/treatment at all?
As a first step I have reduced the white/green/red light settings on my XR15’s. I had added some red/green/white a few weeks back and I’ve set this back now.
Also we are overdue a WC been 4 weeks now so we will vacuum the sand bed and wash/rinse any sand we pull out this weekend.
What might eat it? We have 1 emerald crab but he is just clearing a semi circle around his hidey hole atm!

FreshSaltH2o · Feb 3, 2023

Almost looks like broken chains of green cyanobacteria

Dan_P · Feb 3, 2023

AstroMelly said:
Thanks Dan. I agree from the scope shots it does look like a single cell algae. I don’t think it is the Euglena since none of them seem to shape shift at all.

Are you aware of any tips for removal/treatment at all?
As a first step I have reduced the white/green/red light settings on my XR15’s. I had added some red/green/white a few weeks back and I’ve set this back now.
Also we are overdue a WC been 4 weeks now so we will vacuum the sand bed and wash/rinse any sand we pull out this weekend.
What might eat it? We have 1 emerald crab but he is just clearing a semi circle around his hidey hole atm!

Sorry, I have no bright ideas for algae eradication. In my case, if the Mexican turbos don’t eat it, I tend to ignore it.

AstroMelly · Feb 6, 2023

So a quick update for those who provided feedback. We did a 25% wc (170 litre) yesterday and vacuumed/syphoned the sand as part of that. The sand that made it out of the tank was washed with tap, rinsed with RO and returned (only a few kg). Couple of hours prior to this I went round with a soft toothbrush and loosened anything on the rocks including the green 'algae'. To my surprise it released extremely easily and was not stuck to the rock-work at all in most places. We only have CaribSea Life Rock shapes in our tank for rock-scape. The loose material either made it's way through the roller mat or was hopefully picked up later in the syphoning.

Here are some shots taken just after completing the wc last night - let's hope it stays away. We missed a small part between the clown cave and the anemone arch - it will be interesting to monitor this small section.

As part of the WC we also deep cleaned the gyre pump - MaxSpect xf350 - which is mounted at the top of the weir overflow at the thin end of the tank near the wall (it's a peninsula) the flow from the gyre afterwards was probably 2-3x what it was before and was easily reaching the far end of the tank (6ft). I think maybe this helped whatever it was to settle and multiply as quite a dead-zone appears to have developed at that far end previously. Funny what you don't notice when the change happens slowly.

Let's see how things progress!

ConsummatePro · Mar 14, 2023

Any updates? I’m wondering if I have something similar - my scope pics show these green spheres as well. Wondering if it stayed away or what you did to fix.

Algae on sand vs dinos? Microscope images included

I've been getting this green growth on my sandbed - I can get rid of it temporarily by combing the deeper sand over it, but it grows back the next day and I'm sure it's photosynthetic. Right now it's mostly along the front of the tank where there is less light than the center of the tank -...

www.reef2reef.com

AstroMelly · Mar 14, 2023

Hi! Here’s our update. The green growth was getting worse. We vacuumed on Feb 5th and the sand was pretty clear as you can see. After a few days only it was creeping back and got nearly as bad as before. Our next wc we repeated the vacuuming (thorough) on Feb 22nd. This time the growth did not come back nearly as much and when it did it was not as rapid and was actually brown (I think the green may have been cyano and the brown remnant diatoms but I did not confirm this with scope). Now a few weeks later the brown patches are fading.
I think we may have had a combo of either green single cell algae or green cyano accompanied with a diatom bloom.

Either way the tank showed no ill affects apart from looking ugly for a few weeks.

Good Luck!