Need ID for brown hair like algae

[kartrsu]

New tank, had a major diatom and small cell amphidinium bloom. At one point dosed silicates to combat amphi dinos but that failed. Since it was small cell, I installed UV 2 days ago, and tank seems free of small amphi dinos. This other stuff has been growing on my rocks and back wall. It looks like soft hair algae and is very easily brushed off with a tooth brush. Photo and microscope pic below. Seems there are 2 types of algae

400x magnification

 

[Subsea]

See if this helps.

Reef Cleaners

A good guide to identify most of the nuisance algae that plagues the hobby. Complete with pictures and suggested treatments

www.reefcleaners.org

Green Hair Algae or "GHA" is really a broad term that covers hundreds of species of green simple filamentous algae. These species tend to be simple, fine in texture, and have few distinguishable features. True species level identification requires a microscope.

Distinguishing it from look-a-likes: GHA is not coarse or wiry, it should break apart easily when pulled, and should lose form quickly when removed from water. If you can make out a root structure, or a stiff branching structure it is probably not GHA.

Manual Removal: Green hair algae can be pulled out easily, and tooth brushed or scrubbed off the rock work. This is easier to do if the rock is outside of the tank. If it is growing from the sand sift it out with a net.

Clean Up Crew: Assorted Hermits, Blue Legs, Florida Ceriths, Chitons, Turbograzers, Sea Hares, Conchs, Emerald Crabs, Urchins and a few others. It is readily accepted by many herbivores, but because it grows quickly it may persist even in a tank with a fair amount of cleaners.

 

[kartrsu]

See if this helps.

Reef Cleaners

A good guide to identify most of the nuisance algae that plagues the hobby. Complete with pictures and suggested treatments

www.reefcleaners.org

Green Hair Algae or "GHA" is really a broad term that covers hundreds of species of green simple filamentous algae. These species tend to be simple, fine in texture, and have few distinguishable features. True species level identification requires a microscope.

Distinguishing it from look-a-likes: GHA is not coarse or wiry, it should break apart easily when pulled, and should lose form quickly when removed from water. If you can make out a root structure, or a stiff branching structure it is probably not GHA.

Manual Removal: Green hair algae can be pulled out easily, and tooth brushed or scrubbed off the rock work. This is easier to do if the rock is outside of the tank. If it is growing from the sand sift it out with a net.

Clean Up Crew: Assorted Hermits, Blue Legs, Florida Ceriths, Chitons, Turbograzers, Sea Hares, Conchs, Emerald Crabs, Urchins and a few others. It is readily accepted by many herbivores, but because it grows quickly it may persist even in a tank with a fair amount of cleaners.

Thanks. I wasn’t convinced it was green hair algae because of the way it looks and it’s brownish color. This thread below seems to capture exactly what I have, but I’m not sure if the definitive answer is diatoms.

What am I battling here?

For the last month or so i've been battling what I thought was hair algae until today. I cut my feedings in half, began running GFO and started skimming a bit wetter. I can clean the tank of this stuff and it's everywhere again in 2 - 3 days. Glass can be cleaned with a MagFloat but 48 hours...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[kartrsu]

Also are the small circles symbiodinium dinos? @taricha

 

[taricha]

This thread below seems to capture exactly what I have, but I’m not sure if the definitive answer is diatoms.

Correct. Your dominant organism is diatoms, like in that thread.

Also are the small circles symbiodinium dinos?

No. Too small to be dinos.

 

[kartrsu]

Thank you very much!

Correct. Your dominant organism is diatoms, like in that thread.

No. Too small to be dinos.

 

[kartrsu]

Is GFO the only option for removing silicates from the water in a reef tank? Also as diatoms die or get eaten, do the silicates just get recycled in the tank?

 

[Subsea]

Is GFO the only option for removing silicates from the water in a reef tank? Also as diatoms die or get eaten, do the silicates just get recycled in the tank?

Because I have live sponges, I dosed silicates until I realized my ground water makeup was high in silicates.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Photo hard to tell as pic was too blue

 

[OutLawX77]

water is out of balance can to run a kato sump? phos to high maybe getting red slime? missing bacteria you could try Dr tims to clean it up. this man understands water chemistry 4 patins in this field.