Algae ID

[LSU-reefer]

Can anyone let me know what this is? I have been fighting this and can't seem to get ahead of it

I measured my Phosphates on Saturday and they were 0.02ppm, Alk was around 10. Ca and Mg usually stay right around 400/1280

I am running a UV sterilizer at an algae-killing flow rate. I have not had much luck getting rid of this stuff so any suggestions are welcome.

 

[Dan_P]

Can anyone let me know what this is? I have been fighting this and can't seem to get ahead of it

I measured my Phosphates on Saturday and they were 0.02ppm, Alk was around 10. Ca and Mg usually stay right around 400/1280

I am running a UV sterilizer at an algae-killing flow rate. I have not had much luck getting rid of this stuff so any suggestions are welcome.

I would like to see this under white light before hazarding a guess. Thanks

 

[LSU-reefer]

this is as white as i can get it

 

[Dan_P]

this is as white as i can get it

I was initially thinking dinoflagellates. I was not expecting the structure. It looks like the thing is composed of filaments. Have you tried brushing it off or squirting it with a turkey baster to see what’s made of?

 

[Reefer Matt Verified Media Partner]

Looks like hair algae. That said, algae doesn't usually grow on healthy coral. It will brush off as said above, also snails eat hair algae.

 

[vetteguy53081]

This is hair algae and can be opulled by hand, reduce white intensity and reduce phos by adding chemipure blue or Elite and reduce amount of food fed.
Adding snails after pulling strands by hand such as Astrea, nerite, trochus and a few blue leg carribean hermits will help with control

 

[LSU-reefer]

Thanks for the feedback. I don't think it's hair algae though, I have been pulling it out and it's a brown, slimy algae and has bubbles in it where it gets thick. I am trying to manually remove it and have a pretty significant clean-up crew. I have 4 Pincushion urchins and good-sized Scopas tang and 4-5 fuzzy chitons plus the standard snails, crabs etc.
I have been measuring my phosphate on a daily basis along with Alk and it's running 0 per hanna. I have a feeling that my Ca/ALk dosing my be the cause of at least not helping, i have been dosing AFR and the plus-NP so i am stopping that and going to try just Kalk for a bit and see if that doesn't change things.

 

[GarrettT]

It could be both. In the beginning stages, I find Dinos will first attach themselves to other algaes, then make their way to the rocks over time.