i need help in determining what algae this is

[Mahu7447]

hello i have been running the tank for 11 months with fish only. im slowly going into corals and added dry rock to the tank which i cycled in an rubber maid bucket. i cycled the rock in it for a month then i added it to the main tank it was ok for a week but slowly the green algae was taking over the whole tank which i didn't have a problem before. i do run a skimmer and feed my fish once a day. the water parameters are as follow Ammonia undetectable, Nitrate 5ppm, pH 8.2, Nitrite 0. i used a red sea test kit. help me

 

[twilliard]

What is your po4?

 

[salttanklife]

Looks like green corraline to me... is it hard to get off the rock?

 

[Nihilus]

Green Coralline algae, Green Film algae & Green Cyanobacteria are all possibilities depending on how easily it comes off the rocks and glass.

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

 

[twilliard]

Cyanobacteria will produce o2 bubbles

 

[Nihilus]

Cyanobacteria will produce o2 bubbles

Always? I've seen plenty of green, purple & black mats where bubbles weren't noticeable at all before.

 

[twilliard]

Always? I've seen plenty of green, purple & black mats where bubbles weren't noticeable at all before.

It is a natural byproduct of cyanobacteria
Yes they produce o2
Check out the link within

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/cyanobacteria-questions-answers-and-solution.253823/

 

[Mahu7447]

What is your po4?

I don't have a po4 test kit at the moment I'll have to order one since it's not available in my country

 

[Mahu7447]

Looks like green corraline to me... is it hard to get off the rock?

It's hard to get of the glass I have to use blade side of my flipper magnet. Haven't tried to scrap it off the rocks yet

 

[Mahu7447]

Green Coralline algae, Green Film algae & Green Cyanobacteria are all possibilities depending on how easily it comes off the rocks and glass.

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

No o2 bubbles visible

 

[Nihilus]

It is a natural byproduct of cyanobacteria
Yes they produce o2
Check out the link within

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/cyanobacteria-questions-answers-and-solution.253823/

I don't doubt that o2 is a natural byproduct of Cyanobacteria, but do bubbles always have to be present to even qualify as Cyanobacteria? In the picture below I can see some bubbles associated with the Cyanobacteria on the Caulerpa, but not so much in the mat covering the rock.

 

[twilliard]

That actually looks like spirulina which produces far less o2 then cylindrospermum
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirulina_(dietary_supplement)

 

[Diesel]

Not all mats that looks like cyano is indeed cyano, it can be a form of spirulina.

 

[Diesel]

That actually looks like spirulina which produces a lot less o2 then cylindrospermum

HA........... you were two steps ahead of me.

 

[twilliard]

Yes people get these two confused based on appearance
Two absolutely different species
The spirulina I grow produces little to no o2

 

[Diesel]

Todd, where is the link you explain how to find out if it is cyano or spirulina?

 

[twilliard]

Here it is
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/positive-identification-of-cyanobacteria.253287/