Algae ID?

cmcimino

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 21, 2016
Messages
313
Reaction score
158
Location
Wilmington, NC
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Tank is only 3 months old. Fully cycled, only livestock is pods. Looking for an ID on this algae. There is no filaments to the algae. Does not come off when scrubbed. Phosphates were at .35, but I added Chaeto a couple of weeks ago and it has dropped to .12 as of last friday. Nitrates are still fairly high (40ppm).
IMG_6705.JPG
IMG_6706.JPG

IMG_6707.JPG
IMG_6708.JPG
 
Did you use any live rock? I was thinking (i.e. Hoping) it is coralline algae because I have a similar thing happening on my dry rock (10 month old tank with some LPS)
 
It could be a green coralline. Focus on bringing your nitrates down. I'd say you can start adding fish slowly now.
 
Did you use any live rock? I was thinking (i.e. Hoping) it is coralline algae because I have a similar thing happening on my dry rock (10 month old tank with some LPS)
Started with all dry rock, so I'm hoping it's the beginning of coralline algae, just didn't know if it started green.

It could be a green coralline. Focus on bringing your nitrates down. I'd say you can start adding fish slowly now.
I'll keep up with my weekly water changes. Picked up my first fish the other week. He's in quarantine currently.
 
Started with all dry rock, so I'm hoping it's the beginning of coralline algae, just didn't know if it started green.
Yes. That does look like coralline.

Just a suggestion as I too started with dry rock, buy various copepods and amphipods. Your tank needs the diversity.
 
Yes. That does look like coralline.

Just a suggestion as I too started with dry rock, buy various copepods and amphipods. Your tank needs the diversity.

Thanks! I bought a mixture of the two the other week. Have hundreds of the little guys on the glass now. Rock is crawling with them at night. The tank is a 28 gallon nanocube, so the filter area is also packed.
 
this is my take:

do nothing this is natural. adjust no param reactively except for less lighting if you want, theres low demand for lighting as of now

I call it green dot microalgae, could be coralline agreed to but nonetheless this is uncolonized white base rock... in the reef there is a depositional order of operations when you input open vital space into the tank and then seed it with colonizers (not seeded yet here)

the early colonizers for your substrate are bacteria first, then algae and cyano and diatoms in any order happenstance might present. if this is green coralline and you've passed the first stages (it usually deposits after those, not first, coralline is usually a 2 mo + deposition) then pinks and red coralline w start to layer in time. since there are no spots on the substrate or walls I don't think its coralline I think its microalgae but either way the cause is the substrate not being already covered with coralline purple or coral flesh. its open for taking
 
this is my take:

do nothing this is natural. adjust no param reactively except for less lighting if you want, theres low demand for lighting as of now

I call it green dot microalgae, could be coralline agreed to but nonetheless this is uncolonized white base rock... in the reef there is a depositional order of operations when you input open vital space into the tank and then seed it with colonizers (not seeded yet here)

the early colonizers for your substrate are bacteria first, then algae and cyano and diatoms in any order happenstance might present. if this is green coralline and you've passed the first stages (it usually deposits after those, not first, coralline is usually a 2 mo + deposition) then pinks and red coralline w start to layer in time. since there are no spots on the substrate or walls I don't think its coralline I think its microalgae but either way the cause is the substrate not being already covered with coralline purple or coral flesh. its open for taking
Very interesting! I did have a slight diatom bloom where the rocks were dusted with brown diatoms. One day they retreated, and I haven't seen any on the rock since. The glass does have a slight dusting on what I'm assuming is diatoms. The pods flock to it, and keep it under control. I'm not ruling out that I won't see cyno soon, but I have yet to have any.
 
So I inspected my rock more closely today, and found some spots where it looks like purple/pink coralline algae is starting. Thoughts?
IMG_6714.JPG
IMG_6715.JPG
IMG_6716.JPG
 

IF YOU HAD TO TAKE A REEFING EXAM, WOULD YOU PASS?

  • Yes!

    Votes: 32 45.7%
  • Not yet, but I have one that I want to buy in mind!

    Votes: 9 12.9%
  • No.

    Votes: 26 37.1%
  • Other (please explain).

    Votes: 3 4.3%

New Posts

Back
Top