Can anyone ID this algae?

roblox84 · Apr 7, 2018

It’s thicker than green hair algae and some strands look clear.

mcarroll · Apr 7, 2018

Still a type of GHA IMO....(it's a phenotype rather than a species or genus)
Check out some of the variety under this link:

(not all are marine)

If you can look at it under a scope you can narrow it down a lot further and a lot faster, but does it have any other remarkable features like having no branching structure or growing rooted to the rock? How long does it seem to get? Does anything seem to graze it?

roblox84 · Apr 7, 2018

So far nothing seems to graze on it. It also doesn’t seem to have any branching to it or root structure. It looks basically like single strands growing directly out of the rock.

I recently switched to LED about 3 weeks ago and also started to feed reef chili to my goni coral. I also run carbon and GFO and do weekly 5 gallon water changes in my 28 nano cube.

Oldsalt01 · Apr 7, 2018

I'm inclined to agree about GHA from the facts it has no apparent root structure or branching. How often/how much on the reef chili? GHA is generally caused by higher nutrient levels, often from over feeding, but can have other causes, such as overpopulation of fish/inverts or from excess Phosphates leaching from rock.... apparently, Pukani rock is noted for this issue.

roblox84 · Apr 7, 2018

I’d like to add that it’s growing out of some lps coral bases as well as on snail shells. I’ve been feeding reef chili twice a week, one level measuring spoon that they include. The rock was bleached and acid washed before using and I have been running GFO from the beginning.

If it is green Hair Algae what would I be able to do without having to remove rocks and scrubbing them? Do Mexican turbo snails eat this stuff?

Oldsalt01 · Apr 7, 2018

I have found NOTHING that will consistently eat it. I've tried turbos, cowery's, hermits, Trochus, TSB's, all to little or no effect. I've read that tuxedo urchins will munch on it, but that's what I also heard about the aforementioned critters. Dropping my Phosphates has helped but has had some negative effects on my softies, so I'm resigned to always having some in my system.

Oldsalt01 · Apr 7, 2018

I have found NOTHING that will consistently eat it. I've tried turbos, cowery's, hermits, Trochus, TSB's, all to little or no effect. I've read that tuxedo urchins will munch on it, but that's what I also heard about the aforementioned critters. Dropping my Phosphates has helped but has had some negative effects on my softies, so I'm resigned to always having some in my system.

Oldsalt01 · Apr 7, 2018

I have no idea why this posted twice. dang motor g.

Ubergroover · Apr 7, 2018

developing GHA .....nip it in the bud now. PO4 level check it. what are your lights

mcarroll · Apr 7, 2018

roblox84 said:
It also doesn’t seem to have any branching to it or root structure. It looks basically like single strands growing directly out of the rock.

That would seem to put you into this category:

roblox84 · Apr 7, 2018

Ubergroover said:
developing GHA .....nip it in the bud now. PO4 level check it. what are your lights

AI prime HD currently running on acclimation mode.

Oldsalt01 said:
I have found NOTHING that will consistently eat it. I've tried turbos, cowery's, hermits, Trochus, TSB's, all to little or no effect. I've read that tuxedo urchins will munch on it, but that's what I also heard about the aforementioned critters. Dropping my Phosphates has helped but has had some negative effects on my softies, so I'm resigned to always having some in my system.

That was my experience throughout the years also. My last tank was a 125g and I had a skimmer running and gfo, all my lps and softies didn’t grow. With this 28g I decided to go skimmersless and broadcast feed the corals and target feed the goni. Corals are doing great but Ive got algae issues now, lol. I guess I can’t have the best of both worlds.

roblox84 · Apr 7, 2018

mcarroll said:
That would seem to put you into this category:

Without a microscope I’d be only guessing but that looks like the exact texture of my algae.

Ubergroover · Apr 8, 2018

roblox84 said:
AI prime HD currently running on acclimation mode.

I hair algae bad until I took some of the red spectrum out of my lights. I cut back 25% and started using a better GFO. I went to zero algae in two weeks been that way for months now. Just my experience.....good luck algae is a formidable enemy.

roblox84 · Apr 8, 2018

Ubergroover said:
I hair algae bad until I took some of the red spectrum out of my lights. I cut back 25% and started using a better GFO. I went to zero algae in two weeks been that way for months now. Just my experience.....good luck algae is a formidable enemy.

How much red did you end up using at the end? Right now with acclimation mode on my red only goes up to about 5% at the peak of the preset.

Ubergroover · Apr 9, 2018

roblox84 said:
How much red did you end up using at the end? Right now with acclimation mode on my red only goes up to about 5% at the peak of the preset.

not being familiar with your lights the best answer I can give you is; my lights have an adjustable curve from 0-100 on every spectrum. I cut the red back to 75% and the green back to the same. bam...no algae. however I will look at your lights as I am planning another tank build. If I can offer a tip I will.

mcarroll · Apr 9, 2018

Ubergroover said:
not being familiar with your lights the best answer I can give you is; my lights have an adjustable curve from 0-100 on every spectrum. I cut the red back to 75% and the green back to the same. bam...no algae. however I will look at your lights as I am planning another tank build. If I can offer a tip I will.

Did you happen to measure your PAR or lux before and after the change?

roblox84 · Apr 11, 2018

mcarroll said:
Did you happen to measure your PAR or lux before and after the change?

No, I have no idea of the par. The only thing I can guess is that the leds are less bright than my cf lighting. A lot of my coral was bleaching under the stock lights. The only other thing is every single preset for the AI Prime seems to have a long light duration, like 10+ hours.

Im running the David Saxby preset which has lights ramp up starting at 10am then ramps down to lights off at 11pm. Maybe that is fueling my algae? I would shorten it but I don’t know how without messing with the entire preset.

mcarroll · Apr 11, 2018

I agree, you could hypothetically clip an hour (or more) off that day to see what if any effect there is on the algae with no fear of negative side effects.

Unfortunately I don't know how either... Can't be that hard with the wifi control and all, can it?