Lionfish Lair
Renee
Oh, I really think that's hydroids. Oh course it's hard to say with 100% certainty, but I just found a structure that really makes me think it is.
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ID this algae please
- Thread starter fragit
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OP
OP
fragit
2500 Club Member
It is not growing out of the water. That photo is the C2C overflow and the line your seeing is the waterline inside the overflow. What structure did you see that makes you think hydroids. And do you know if these are the ones that just go away or not?
OP
OP
fragit
2500 Club Member
Edit: started my morning routine with the tank. I have not turned off the flow to the tank yet but I'm pretty positive there will not be any independent movement. I will verify this though. I did pluck one large strand from the refugium and looked at it with my magnifying lens, to no avail. I was able though to determine that they are green in color so I'm thinking chlorophyll and when pulled apart they are fiberous, and have almost a snap that can be felt. They are not slimey as I would imagine hydroids to be. I'm really thinking some sort of Algea.
Lionfish Lair
Renee
You are the one who is there at its side, so if you feel it is algae than that could very well be what it is.
twilliard
Tank pests..
Yes that my friend is an algae. Well IMO that is good news. Now for the bad news, seeing as there is a lack in cell structure (i bet it feels slimy) nothing in my book will eat it as most will not see it as a vegetable to them.
This will come down to manual eradication rock by rock. Since it seems to not have a tight waxy cell structure I would use the oh so handy H2O2 and do not use a toothbrush as I think I see stolons in the first picture. These guys will spread faster than you can grow coral.
This will come down to manual eradication rock by rock. Since it seems to not have a tight waxy cell structure I would use the oh so handy H2O2 and do not use a toothbrush as I think I see stolons in the first picture. These guys will spread faster than you can grow coral.
OP
OP
fragit
2500 Club Member
I will pull some more and see how it feels again. But it did not feel slimy at all, more dry and sort of course. It does not seem to grow rapidly as it's been in the fuge for well over a month. If I were to try peroxide can I dose the tank? Pulling the rocks is not an option as they are very large pieces of Pukani.
OP
OP
fragit
2500 Club Member
No stolons that I can see with the naked eye. That is one thing I have found strange about this stuff. It seems to be just single strands, like in my fourth photo.
twilliard
Tank pests..
From a treatment standpoint you have limited options. No stolons means it spreads by division.
The linear cell structure makes this easier to combat with a cell damage approach.
May want to look into H2O2 options depending on how the tank is setup and stocked.
In the meantime try not to disturb this stuff and use a felt sock if possible to catch free floaters.
Once a method is put into place you will never have to deal with it again.
The linear cell structure makes this easier to combat with a cell damage approach.
May want to look into H2O2 options depending on how the tank is setup and stocked.
In the meantime try not to disturb this stuff and use a felt sock if possible to catch free floaters.
Once a method is put into place you will never have to deal with it again.
OP
OP
fragit
2500 Club Member
Okay @Lionfish Lair and @twilliard here are a couple photos with zero flow in the tank. I am pretty positive that it is some kind of Algea. I pulled a little more and this stuff is not slimy, it is brittle and pulls apart very easily. Some of the pieces do seem to have a tiny little feathered feature but the vast majority does not. It does not move on its own. There are definitely no stolons. Any ideas what I'm dealing with now?
Lionfish Lair
Renee
There's a few things that make me go hmmmmm as far as algae is concerned. I guess another critter we could throw into the mix of guesses is a bryozoan.... a Hallopora bryozoa.
The borders are very serrated, which reminds me of a Corhiza scotiae. You can see tiny stands coming off the main stolon.... the "fuzz", if you will....
Several of the ends have strands on them... sort of reminds me of a hydroid polyp, which typical "crack off". I've included a drawing of a polyp, so you can perhaps tell a little bit what I'm looking at there.
This strand here... that's exactly what my hydroids looked like... exactly. I actually can't find the pictures of mine, but I put a picture below yours of another Reef2Reef member that had them.
This is Keith A Daniels picture....
This pic you can again see little "hairs" (red arrows) and you can see there's a center stalk with attachments (blue).
It's hard to tell without getting in there and touching it for ourselves and seeing what it looks like in person, but those are the reasons I was hesitant on algae.
The borders are very serrated, which reminds me of a Corhiza scotiae. You can see tiny stands coming off the main stolon.... the "fuzz", if you will....
Several of the ends have strands on them... sort of reminds me of a hydroid polyp, which typical "crack off". I've included a drawing of a polyp, so you can perhaps tell a little bit what I'm looking at there.
This strand here... that's exactly what my hydroids looked like... exactly. I actually can't find the pictures of mine, but I put a picture below yours of another Reef2Reef member that had them.
This is Keith A Daniels picture....
This pic you can again see little "hairs" (red arrows) and you can see there's a center stalk with attachments (blue).
It's hard to tell without getting in there and touching it for ourselves and seeing what it looks like in person, but those are the reasons I was hesitant on algae.
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OP
OP
fragit
2500 Club Member
There's a few things that make me go hmmmmm as far as algae is concerned. I guess another critter we could throw into the mix of guesses is a bryozoan.... a Hallopora bryozoa.
The borders are very serrated, which reminds me of a Corhiza scotiae. You can see tiny stands coming off the main stolon.... the "fuzz", if you will....
Several of the ends have strands on them... sort of reminds me of a hydroid polyp, which typical "crack off". I've included a drawing of a polyp, so you can perhaps tell a little bit what I'm looking at there.
This strand here... that's exactly what my hydroids looked like... exactly. I actually can't find the pictures of mine, but I put a picture below yours of another Reef2Reef member that had them.
This is Keith A Daniels picture....
This pic you can again see little "hairs" (red arrows) and you can see there's a center stalk with attachments (blue).
It's hard to tell without getting in there and touching it for ourselves and seeing what it looks like in person, but those are the reasons I was hesitant on algae.
Hmmmm, yup I think you are right. The picks you posted look exactly like what I've got going on. There are also a few strands where they are sort of cracked with the tops if you will falling off, similar to another of the photos you posted. So now the question is.... What do I do?
Lionfish Lair
Renee
Lionfish Lair
Renee
If it's breaking up, it could also be dying..... that's what mine did.
OP
OP
fragit
2500 Club Member
Yeah I was thinking of giving it some more time to see what happens. Trying to get it out by hand is not an option it is just too diffuse, and wide spread. Let's see what Todd has to say.
Why not use a canister filter like a shop vac.
Or siphon.
Lionfish Lair
Renee
If you do that... pick it from a bunch of different areas, not just one clump.
