Good vs. Bad Algae thread???

[Ready4Launch]

I've looked in the discussions on algae, and there's good macroalgae and nuisance algae. Isn't there a micro(?) algae that is also good?

I mean, where is there a thread that starts me in understanding "this is good. this is what it looks like" and "this is bad, and this is what bad can look like." I seem to have missed it in my search.

I have some brownish algae that I'm not alarmed about that is beginning to grow on the tank, but the Kole Tang seems to like to eat it. My friend said that a good sign for when the tank is ready to plant some corals is when blue encrusting algae begins to form. I am not sure if some small spots that I see is the start of that. And, then, what exactly is blue encrusting algae? And, what is the brownish algae?

 

[Subsea]

Coralline is encrusting algae. Normally, pink, red, yellow or green.

Within the algae kingdom, there is micro algae like phytoplankton. Within macro algae (seaweed) there is good and there is nuisance.

True marine plants are called seagrasses.

https://www.reefcleaners.org/nuisance-algae-id-guide

 

[Scrubber_steve]

I've looked in the discussions on algae, and there's good macroalgae and nuisance algae. Isn't there a micro(?) algae that is also good?

I mean, where is there a thread that starts me in understanding "this is good. this is what it looks like" and "this is bad, and this is what bad can look like." I seem to have missed it in my search.

I have some brownish algae that I'm not alarmed about that is beginning to grow on the tank, but the Kole Tang seems to like to eat it. My friend said that a good sign for when the tank is ready to plant some corals is when blue encrusting algae begins to form. I am not sure if some small spots that I see is the start of that. And, then, what exactly is blue encrusting algae? And, what is the brownish algae?

As subsea said,
Coralline algae comes in shades of pink purple red green yellow. Its a calcifying algae, which means it takes calcium & carbonates (alk) out of the water to build its structure, just like coral. It encrusts on the rocks & glass & plastic pumps.
micro-algae is phytoplankton. Its a single cell organism, & a lot of it makes the water look like green soup.
Macro-algae are multi-celled organisms - sea weed, & vary in form & size & colour greatly.

A good macro-algae is an algae that is contained within the system & used as a filtering mechanism, by removing inorganic nutrients as a fertilizer for photosynthesis (algae scrubber, chaeto fuge, algae reactor).
A bad macro-algae is one that is growing in your display that you didn't place there, or do not want there, & is difficult to get rid of.

 

[Ready4Launch]

As subsea said,
Coralline algae comes in shades of pink purple red green yellow. Its a calcifying algae, which means it takes calcium & carbonates (alk) out of the water to build its structure, just like coral. It encrusts on the rocks & glass & plastic pumps.
micro-algae is phytoplankton. Its a single cell organism, & a lot of it makes the water look like green soup.
Macro-algae are multi-celled organisms - sea weed, & vary in form & size & colour greatly.

A good macro-algae is an algae that is contained within the system & used as a filtering mechanism, by removing inorganic nutrients as a fertilizer for photosynthesis (algae scrubber, chaeto fuge, algae reactor).
A bad macro-algae is one that is growing in your display that you didn't place there, or do not want there, & is difficult to get rid of.

Ok - I get that but still ... what is good vs. bad (micro or macro) and what do they look like...?

 

[Scrubber_steve]

Ok - I get that but still ... what is good vs. bad (micro or macro) and what do they look like...?

There's no bad micro algae as such in an aquarium. I don't know of anyone ever getting micro-algae blooms in a tank. In an outdoor pond yes.

Micro-algae is typically fed to a reef aquarium as a food for
corals, sponges & filter feeders. You can produce your own or buy it.

chaeto macro algae is typically grown in a fuge for filtration

Ulva algae is typical of the macro algae that grows on an Algae Scrubber (ATS) growth screen

Green hair algae & bryopsis are examples of bad macro algae growing in an aquarium & it is refered to as nuisence algae

 

[Ready4Launch]

There's no bad micro algae as such in an aquarium. I don't know of anyone ever getting micro-algae blooms in a tank. In an outdoor pond yes.

Micro-algae is typically fed to a reef aquarium as a food for
corals, sponges & filter feeders. You can produce your own or buy it.

chaeto macro algae is typically grown in a fuge for filtration

Ulva algae is typical of the macro algae that grows on an Algae Scrubber (ATS) growth screen

Green hair algae & bryopsis are examples of bad macro algae growing in an aquarium & it is refered to as nuisence algae

Cool thank you that's a start. I've got none of that right now. What I do have is what's pictures below, which I assume you're going to say is green algae, however in person it's brown. Is that correct? What is it?

 

[Scrubber_steve]

Cool thank you that's a start. I've got none of that right now. What I do have is what's pictures below, which I assume you're going to say is green algae, however in person it's brown. Is that correct? What is it?

have no idea looking at that photo,,, way too blue.
Can you whiten the light & take a snap

 

[Ready4Launch]

have no idea looking at that photo,,, way too blue.
Can you whiten the light & take a snap

Will post better pics tomorrow. It's brownish, but I'll get the photos posted. I've started the process of putting the tank to bed. Right now, I'm sitting, enjoying the tank, eating some leftover better-than-sex chocolate pie from Thanksgiving, and sipping a Lagavulin 16. I love having a tank!

 

[Scrubber_steve]

Will post better pics tomorrow. It's brownish, but I'll get the photos posted. I've started the process of putting the tank to bed. Right now, I'm sitting, enjoying the tank, eating some leftover better-than-sex chocolate pie from Thanksgiving, and sipping a Lagavulin 16. I love having a tank!

If its fine like hair it probably just brown hair algae.

 

[Scrubber_steve]

Nuisance Algae ID Guide:

 

[Ready4Launch]

If its fine like hair it probably just brown hair algae.

Here are better photos.

 

[Subsea]

Looks normal for a new tank.

Did you look at the link that I posted on this thread at #2 post? If you look, you will be able to identify.

 

[Ready4Launch]

Looks normal for a new tank.

Did you look at the link that I posted on this thread at #2 post? If you look, you will be able to identify.

Yeah, I did. The picture isn't great on that page, but I am guessing from the description and rereading it that these are just diatoms?

 

[Subsea]

Yeah, I did. The picture isn't great on that page, but I am guessing from the description and rereading it that these are just diatoms?

I agree. Let diatoms run their course. Food for snails.

 

[Ready4Launch]

Mid morning I noticed some stuff that looks like hair growing on the front in one location. This afternoon it has expanded to multiple locations.

Question - for this sort of stuff, if you're scraping it off, how do you get the scraps or of the tank? I mean, scraping it off generally dislodges it from the surface but it just floats through the tank.

 

[Scrubber_steve]

Keep in mind that diatoms & various algaes will appear on a new tank. It's just part of the cycling & maturing period & process.

 

[Ready4Launch]

Keep in mind that diatoms & various algaes will appear on a new tank. It's just part of the cycling & maturing period & process.

Yeah, but I mean the point is getting the nuisance stuff out of the tank still, yes? I mean, I don't want to let it run amok for a week.

 

[Scrubber_steve]

Yeah, but I mean the point is getting the nuisance stuff out of the tank still, yes? I mean, I don't want to let it run amok for a week.

Efficient filtration, keeping the tank clean & not over feeding, plus physical removal of the offending algae is about all you can do for now.

 

[Subsea]

With respect to dislodging & removing algae, use a toothbrush taped arouda small siphon hose.