Strange algae

aviator

aviator

Member
Hi all,
I've got something taking over my tank, I'm not sure what it is. I've battled green algae (and still am) but this appeared right after a rock scrub. It's only on certain rocks and seems to have stopped growing, but I have no idea what it is or how to battle it, can anyone help?
This is a 55 gallon tank, 400Watt MH light setup, 2 false percs, 2 Damsels, 1 bubble tip anemone (doing wonderfully!), a peppermint shrimp, a coral banded shrimp, misc. snails and crabs.
Water parameters seems to be within ranges, no nitrates, no phosphates. Light on an timer (8 hours on, 16 off). Feeding the tank with one frozen cube every other day. Inhabitants seem happy, anemone is opening up daily.
I'm talking about the strange brownish-white hairy algae growing on the rock. What the heck is it?
 
aviator

aviator

Member
I know!! Weird! When it waves in the currents it almost has a pearlescent look to it. It's VERY ugly!
This tank has been up and running for about 8 months now and I've never seen anything even close to this come up before.
I've halted all my plans to add stock to the tank until I can get this stuff under control.
 
cranberry

cranberry

Active Member
Originally Posted by meowzer
http:///forum/post/3204642
You mean you don;t know%%
Nope....
I heard but I've never seen any in a hobbyists tank! That would be cool!
EDIT: Oh, maybe not so cool for the OP, you can tell they can be a "bit" invasive.
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Tis hair algae. It can appear green, brown depending on nutrients - lights etc. available. The OP's looks to be starving out (notice the white).
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Originally Posted by spanko
http:///forum/post/3204654
Tis hair algae. It can appear green, brown depending on nutrients - lights etc. available. The OP's lloks to be starving out (notice the white).
WOW...Mine went from green...to an UGLY brown...to GONE

Never saw it look like that
Aviator.....start picking it out....even as it is dieing you need to remove it....I would remove some of mine every day
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
As it is dying off it is releasing all of its pent up nutrient back into the water. Agree, start getting it out of there. In the condition it looks to be in you may be able to suck it up with a siphon hose while doing a water change.
 
aviator

aviator

Member
I'd love to be able to "suck it up" with a siphon, but it takes a complete scrubbing to get it off the rocks. I've started the scrubbing process, one rock a day (or two if they're smaller) - plus a 10% water change every other day. I'll just keep starving it out. Thanks guys!
It's weird to see green algea (bottom right of photo) and this stuff in the same tank. I'd think it would all be the same color.
 
aviator

aviator

Member
The strange thing is that this is the color it started as, It actually grew as this ugly brown color.
 
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