What algae is this and what eats it?

Burrito · Sep 28, 2018

so tank is about 6 weeks old but rock was transferred from a smaller tank running Since April.

The algae shown is Almost leaf like and is only on the carbisea life rock. Not the other type of rock I have in the tank.

My nitrates are averaging 8ppm and phosphate is .04

I only have 5 small fish st the moment in a 100g tank and a cuc team of mostly snails and a few hermits. I have a small emerald crab too. It haven’t seen it in a while.

What kind of algae is this, how do i get rid of it and/or what fish/cuc eat it. Looking for new fish anyway.

Dennis McGrath · Sep 28, 2018

Kinda looks like green cyano.

Burrito · Sep 28, 2018

Just pull a little piece up for better id

I should also add I have cheato growing in sump

Dennis McGrath · Sep 28, 2018

That would not be cyano.

jack_aubry · Sep 28, 2018

ulva? too small to be sure if it's ulva just about everybody likes it

Burrito · Sep 29, 2018

Any other thoughts? Growing pretty quick. Still just in the carbisea life rocks

Burrito · Oct 9, 2018

Update. I think is sea lettuce and is growing still in the same spots bought 2 more smaller emeralds and they have been eating it. I have a foxface in QT but will be about 4 weeks til He’s in the DT.

Sea lettuce right?
Phosphate undetectable
Nitrate less than 5

saltyfilmfolks · Oct 9, 2018

Yes. Lettuce. Ulva.
Toothbrush and snails. urchin

Burrito · Oct 9, 2018

Do I run the risk of pieces growing new areas if I brush in the tank? Would rather. It remove the rock but if it will
Spread like bubble algae would than I’ll do it.

Urchins...could be cool

saltyfilmfolks · Oct 9, 2018

It could maybe yea.
After I toothbrush anything , I low the heck out of the rocks right after and for a couple days.
Also , it’s in the tank already so imo , if it was gonna spread it would have.

starypotter · Oct 9, 2018

The ulva growth in my tank waxes and wanes with my nutrients, pods always seem to congregate when it gets really deep and wrinkly, IMO it's a good thing to have you could always just pluck it off when it gets back but for me I'm able to see it as a sort of signal as 'oh the ulva is growing a lot, my nutrients must be getting high' and I'm learning to be able to tell that without testing, and when I test after it always confirms my suspicions. I used to feed it to my herbivore, my algae blenny used to eat it before worms took the poor little guy. My snails will eat it sometimes, my urchin has a lovely disguise of it, and my ghost shrimp will eat it at times too. (No fish in the tank yet so I don't have much other input) It grows in places but at least it's easy to pluck out.