Algea ID please?

[Dave001]

Hey everyone,

I get this algae showing up on my Ambulia every now and then and was just wondering what it is? It always seems to be up the top of the plant where the most light is.
It's never been a real problem, and trimming the plant back removes most of it, but I'd like to remove the base of the plants, they're getting a bit untidy with all the runners, and replant the tops, so I need to get rid of the algae first.

Tank specs: (cut and pasted from my other post)
120 gallon (48" x 24" x 28")
20 gallon wet/dry filter
Temp 30 deg C
Lighting - 2 wpg (shop lights, so might not actually be getting that figure from the reflectors, into the tank)
Substrate is 3mm Coffs Harbour pebble, with Laterite base.


PH - 7.5
GH - 8
KH - 3
Ammonia -0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 10 ppm
Phosphate - 1 ppm
Iron - 0.25 ppm
Calcium - 20 ppm
No CO2

I do 50% water changes weekly, and with that dose 1 tbls of Epsom Salts and 1 tbls of Potassium Sulphate.

I dose 15mls of Chelated Trace Element / Chelated Iron mix (PMDD with out the Nitrate and Potassium) on day 2, 4 and 6.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Dave

[ILLUSN]

Sorry mate, bit hard to see in the photos, maybe green spot algae? try this link
http://www.otocinclus.com/articles/algae.html

[Dave001]

Thanks for the reply ILLUSN,

It doesn't look like Green Spot to me, more like Green Thread Algae or maybe even Blue Green Algea, I'll try to get a better picture of it.

[DiscusEden]

Does it lie flat on the leaves, or grow in little tufts?

[fish_r]

how's the circulation in the tank ?

[Dave001]

Where it's thick it lies flat on the leaves, like a blanket, but where it's only thin on the plants, it looks like little tufts.

Circulation should be fine, I have a around 2000lph (tested, not going off the pump specs) moving through my wet/dry, it enters on one side of the tank through a 3/4 inch outlet, and exits via a pair of 1 inch overflows.

Here's a couple more pics I just took, I cut off some of the algae covered plant and moved it to another tank hoping I could get a better picture.

Thanks,
Dave

[ashley]

Hi Dave,

I dont wish to be an alarmist, however this looks very much like Blue Green algae.

Does it look a bit like a sheet of green film?

Im no expert, however Ive had first hand experience with this dreaded stuff.

If its BG, you are going to have trouble getting rid of it. You may want to try this. Do a 50% water change, turn off all of the lighting then cover your tank for 2 to 3 days with no light at all.

After the 3rd day remove the covers and do another 50% change and syphon off any dead algae that is floating in your tank.

I have found that if you increase current flow in the part of the tank that the Algae is sticking to the plants it prevents it from adhereing to them.

If this doesnt help you may have to revert to antibiotis, if you get desperate, but use these only as a last resort

There are many articles on the net that deal with Algae. The krib.com has some excllent articles on BG Algae.

Hopes this helps, Ashley

[scott bowler]

ash that is blue green and i would get rid or it any way you can and as quickly as you can it will take over and you will have real probs mate . good to see you got rid of it . the one in the first pics of daves isnt bg . this is were a tiatom fillter is great it removes the free sporces from the water , they cost but the best for removeing nasties

[Dave001]

This stuff has never been a real problem for me, it shows up each time the Ambulia reaches the top of the tank, I normally remove it when I trim it back, so i'm guessing it's not Blue Green Algae then.


scott bowler, I worked out a cheap way to remove algea spores from a tank when required, with out the need for a Diatom Filter, you just need a power head (I used a 1000lph one), a 5 micron water filter cartridge, and some hose and blanking plugs from any hardware store.

Block off one end of the filter cartidge with a blanking plug, then plumb the inlet of the power head into the other end using the hose, depending on your pump, you might have to use an adaptor and a couple of different size hoses to achieve this, then just drop the whole lot into the tank and turn it on. Replace the filter cartridge when it's dirty, you'll know when it's dirty, it turns bright green. Not the prettiest thing in the world, but it does the job, and does it well.

Dave

[scott bowler]

hey dave do you have one running if so can you take a pic and give us a look it sounds good

[Dave001]

Here you go mate.
I don't have one running, but I just threw the bits together to show you how it all goes, it's very simple. You need to remove the plastic from the filter of course, I haven't in the pics as I don't plan on using it yet.

[Dave001]

No idea why my second picture didn't attach to the last post but here it is.

[scott bowler]

thanks dave and it works ok ? thats a good idea