What is this - id please?

S

satiger

AC Members
Aug 29, 2007
20
0
0
Recently purchased live rocks from another person. Some of those rocks are covered with green grass (like golf course grass). I have attached some photos - but they are not very clear from the photos.

My questions are - what is this?. Is is good for aquarium?. Mine is 55G with live rocks, some corals and fishes.

IMG_0780.JPG IMG_0781.JPG
 
It looks like some type of hair algae. Rip as much of it out by hand, preferably taking the rock out and doing it in a bucket of water to rinse the rock with once you have pulled off all that you can. It is considered a nuisance.
 
Last edited:
Thanks Ace. I did googling on bubble algae and those photos came across doesn't look like what I have. Mine just looks like a typical grass of very small height carpet. My seller told me some name for it and can't remember it now. He had a reef.
 
Looks like Cladophora or Bryopsis. Unfortunately, both of these are far more stubborn than the usual hair algae. Try manual removal first. Let us know your water parameters, particular nitrate and phosphate--numbers, please, though. Even then, Cladophora nd bryopsis can be resistant to low nutrient levels.
 
Water parameters are:
Nitrite : 0
Amonia : 0
Nitrate : 20
Temp : 76-77

I haven't measured phosphate yet. These green grass type of thing didn't originate in my tank. Some of the rocks that I purchased have them. Based on the responses, I am concluding that they are algae than a plant/grass in salt water. Just to be causious, I removed from the tank the rock that has (area 4"x5") covered with this green. It was in the tank for 2 weeks.

Should I be worried about other live rocks in my tank be infected with algae?.
 
Well, ideally you wouldn't want to add more established algae, so avoid it if possible. It would really help to get a phosphate reading as well.

FWIW, green algae, Chlorophyta, are considered true plants--at least for now. They seem to change it based upon various genetic results.
 
it looks like the type of algae that tangs love, but i never seen it green before, only red. there was someone with that same type but red algae and it took over the whole tank and was everywhere like hair algae, like on powerheads. I think a tang took care of that problem. I don't think it effected the rest of your tank within 2 weeks, but i'm not sure. it was in my fuge long time ago, but red, and i was growing it for my tang but chaeto killed it all.
 
After you rip it off you might want to invest in some astrea snails .
I ripped mine off hair was growing everywhere and them snails pigged out and cleaned it off :-)
i have 15 in 20 gl
Good luck
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom