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What kind of algae is this exactly?

Discussion in 'Aquatic Plants & Planted Tanks' started by LemonDiscus, Sep 3, 2009.

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  1. LemonDiscus

    LemonDiscus Thread Starter Active Member

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    I cant fight it if I dont know what it is.... its not the worst algae I ever had... it comes off easy, but it comes back in like a freaking day! Its not choking my plants like the BBA was but its still anoying
    algae1.jpg algae2.jpg
     
    LemonDiscus, Sep 3, 2009
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  2. stevenrox

    stevenrox New Member

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    ummm...... i know that but i forgot the name it was either from to much light or to much nitrates i think i never had it though lol
     
    stevenrox, Sep 3, 2009
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  3. LemonDiscus

    LemonDiscus Thread Starter Active Member

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    50% WC daily my nitrates area almost non existent!
     
    LemonDiscus, Sep 3, 2009
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  4. cooltow1

    cooltow1 Member

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    Cladophora algae, a branching, green filamentous alga, that forms a moss like structure and is not slimy.
    Nothing will eat this kind of algae.
    It grows on rocks and submersed wood exposed to high light, and in a few cases will grow on plants also. Balanced nutrients will give head start against the algae. just keep in mind that I'm not a plant person but I do grow alot of algae to feed my goldie and they won't touch this stuff
    IMHO


    Rick
     
    cooltow1, Sep 3, 2009
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  5. LemonDiscus

    LemonDiscus Thread Starter Active Member

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    That sounds like it! No its not slimy and yes it grows in my better lit areas of the tank.

    This just isnt that green as the photos I seen on search.... A heavy case of thread algae?
     
    LemonDiscus, Sep 4, 2009
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  6. cooltow1

    cooltow1 Member

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    Thead algae is not as filamentous as Cladophora and has a slimely feel but it doesn't bunch like that

    May second guess would be Hair Algae it has green-gray color


    Rick
     
    cooltow1, Sep 4, 2009
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  7. LemonDiscus

    LemonDiscus Thread Starter Active Member

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    And this stuff is brown.... its the color that keeps throwing me off.... :confused:
     
    LemonDiscus, Sep 4, 2009
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  8. cooltow1

    cooltow1 Member

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    Color not always a dependable indicator
    Dieing maybe?

    Rick
     
    cooltow1, Sep 4, 2009
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  9. LemonDiscus

    LemonDiscus Thread Starter Active Member

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    No way this stuff is dieing AT ALL! I take it off (usually with a brush I bought to use in the tank) and it comes right off with little to no effort... the next day... its back.

    Its not the worst algae I have dealt with by any means and really is just me being picky and that is the only reason it really bothers me (plus I would like to keep my driftwood clean so the fish have more spawning sites they dont have to work too hard to clean)

    It does not really attach to the plants though so I tolerate it better than other algae.... if its on a plant its more because it broke loose and got stuck on the leaf OR the leaf is old and dieing and needs to be pruned off anyhow...

    It also grows on one of my heaters.
     
    LemonDiscus, Sep 4, 2009
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  10. cooltow1

    cooltow1 Member

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    It got to be Cladophora algae, you have low nitrate high light and it growing on drift.
    Not a lot you can do about it but harvest it.

    Rick
     
    cooltow1, Sep 4, 2009
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  11. LemonDiscus

    LemonDiscus Thread Starter Active Member

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    Hmmm yeah, this stuff came when I started doing daily 50% water changes which has lowered my nitrate levels down to 10ppm which is quite low... That and I use tap so god only knows what the phosphate levels are out of the tap.... I could be adding phosphates every time I refill the tank...

    Again, Blue Green Algae is almost null in my tank now (I never really had much of this though) and the Black Brush Algae is non competitive anymore with the added waterchanges. I still have spots of the BBA here and there but they ARE NOT spreading and seem to be dieing back now some... so thats a good thing.

    I dont really get BGA on my glass at all.... after a few days without scrubbing this algae that is pictured will start growing on the glass but it does not get out of hand... just a few threads here and there in patches but I wipe them off and they are gone... It only gets to about 2mm on the glass at the absolute longest.

    The driftwood, heater and sometimes my filter is where this stuff seems to grow occasionally breaking off and making like little tumbleweeds of algae in the bottom of the tank that get stuck in the plants!

    It sucks that all I can do is what I am doing now, harvesting it.... Even if I could just slow it I would be happy.... maybe its time to play with my lighting again and set my timers different.... and get another time to run the 2nd half of my lighting again.... (I have 4 bulbs (2 Ballasts) on 1 plug and 2 bulbs on another) Possibly even putting a break in my lighting (I have never tried this and am a bit nervous of disturbing the fish with the lighting) to limit growth...

    Off of what I read and you said light is the key to this stuff!
     
    LemonDiscus, Sep 4, 2009
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  12. cooltow1

    cooltow1 Member

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    That it
    This stuff will grow in almost tap water with high light
     
    cooltow1, Sep 4, 2009
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  13. LemonDiscus

    LemonDiscus Thread Starter Active Member

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    Ok... thanks everything makes sense! Well I have lighting issues to correct then...

    Thats why you gotta know your enemy to win the fight :)
     
    LemonDiscus, Sep 4, 2009
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  14. MOD_Dawn

    MOD_Dawn Active Member

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    i've got similar growing on my driftwood in the 10g...it's greenish/red in color....I think it's something to do with the light like others have said.
    I use a toothbrush and scrub the "bleep" outta it, but it slowly rears it's ugly head again. Never got this stuff in the 90g though...and the fish don't seem to bother it (as far as eating it goes).
     
    MOD_Dawn, Sep 4, 2009
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  15. LemonDiscus

    LemonDiscus Thread Starter Active Member

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    Yeah I have a brush (used usually for pots and pans and floors of course its never been used for it but that type of brush with firm bristles a long handle and 2 sides) I brush it off almost daily and it comes back....

    I dont have any algae eating fish in my tank anymore. My last otto became a fatality to an angry discus!

    So.... nothing touches it (Corys, Discus or Cardinal Tetras) and I would not expect any of them to....
     
    LemonDiscus, Sep 4, 2009
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  16. stevenrox

    stevenrox New Member

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    how much wpg do you have? how long you keep you lights on?
     
    stevenrox, Sep 4, 2009
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  17. LemonDiscus

    LemonDiscus Thread Starter Active Member

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    Not a whole lot. A few clusters on about half my driftwood. They are on 9 hours
     
    LemonDiscus, Sep 4, 2009
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  18. stevenrox

    stevenrox New Member

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    hmm.... i use co2 on my tank and it went away
     
    stevenrox, Sep 4, 2009
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  19. MOD_Dawn

    MOD_Dawn Active Member

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    not in my 10g fry tank...I watched a bristlenose hover over it as if they were munching it...but I can't confirm if he/she actually did remove any of it.

    I'll keep a closer eye over the next few days and let you know.
    I didn't have this issue until shortly after adding the driftwood (although it didn't cause the issue in the 90g?)...so it leads me back to something with the lighting..I did slowly set mine back an hour on the 10g...so we'll have to see if that helps any :confused:
     
    MOD_Dawn, Sep 5, 2009
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  20. LemonDiscus

    LemonDiscus Thread Starter Active Member

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    No cash for CO2... too big of an investment when I still need more livestock
     
    LemonDiscus, Sep 5, 2009
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