Algae Id please

[sd2127]

This is growing in several places in my tank and i cant get it to stop. I pull as much of it out as i can but it keeps growing back. I put a few rocks that were covered in my sump away from the light and they have died back mostly but I cant keep it out of my display. Any advice is appreciated.

Heres a FTS.

 

[SushiGirl]

Dictyota sp.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

what size aquarium?

this is an attractive macroalgae IMO

 

[sd2127]

what size aquarium?

this is an attractive macroalgae IMO

Thats what I thought too, it was on a piece of LR that I added and left it but now its growing outta control. It is in a 75 thats been set up about 4 months now. I transfered everything from my 29 that was set up about 4 months and thats when I first had this algae but it didnt spread like it is now. I wanted to leave some in my sump but any little piece that breaks off will attach to my rock and start growing. I have chaeto but this is growing a lot faster than that is.

 

[sd2127]

Dictyota sp.

Thanks I will search that, any idea how I can get rid of it? Any fish that will eat it or snails, I have Turbos that dont touch it.

 

[Gravesj1s]

Carbon and sources of Nitrogen most likely determine what kind of alage will be ideal to sprout from live rock,imther nutrient sources like iron and phosphate are in the mix but much less phosphate is needed. for the most part reducing levels of carbon and nitrogen are where Id look for getting rid of it.

Lots of algae release toxic compounds that effect bacteria,corals and deter consumers from eating it.

Waterchanges ,skimming and activated carbon

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

Yellow Tang would be a safest bet.

 

[SushiGirl]

From what I read, nothing's really going to eat it, and the causes for it are just like for any other algae. There weren't really any good, easy methods for getting rid of it. Reducing lighting period, manually removing (it even specifically said with a dental pic & make sure to get every tiny piece LOL), and reducing nutrients were pretty much your only alternatives other than nuking the rock.

 

[sd2127]

Thanks everyone, I have tried several things and I have not found anything that will eat it, yellow tang Kole tang snails, nothing seems to be interested. Its on too many pieces now to nuke the rock and I dont really want to take the tank down. Looks like a battle ahead of me, i did put a few of the worse pieces in the sump away from the light source and it died back so maybe I can rotate the rocks on top of everything else. I did a little research on that algae and it looks like that was indeedd what I have, it does look nice it is green and purple when the light reflects off of it and would be nice if I was able to control it.

 

[SushiGirl]

Yeah, it's pretty, but I know what you mean. When it takes over you have no real estate left for anything else.

 

[GMaquarium]

I have some dictyota in one aquarium. Have been able to maintain it on one rock for a while now. Once in a while have to scrape some of really small frags, but larger corals and colonies have no problems growing through it. Have not seen zebrasoma tangs eat it only kept yellow and sailfin in that tank. Seems to grow well under lower light and has increased in growth since I swapped out the halide to t5.

 

[5380]

Have you considered trying Rabbit fish?

 

[sd2127]

I have some dictyota in one aquarium. Have been able to maintain it on one rock for a while now. Once in a while have to scrape some of really small frags, but larger corals and colonies have no problems growing through it. Have not seen zebrasoma tangs eat it only kept yellow and sailfin in that tank. Seems to grow well under lower light and has increased in growth since I swapped out the halide to t5.

I have T5 lighting as well, I think I can atleast contain it, like I did in the 29gal tank butI think being a newer tank it has gotten out of control.

Have you considered trying Rabbit fish?

I have not I am not sure if that would be a good fit with the future plans and stocking of the tank but maybe worth looking into thanks.

 

[museumguy]

I should rent these bad boys out as an Algae Cleanup Crew. I've yet to find any algae that they won't devour. Props to Gary for the pic, I hijacked it from his photobucket.

 

[Gravesj1s]

~Musuemguy,thats pretty amazing you haven't found an algae they wont eat.I cant help ask you though,have you found any herbivours tangs that stayed true herbivours?

I was told many years ago by a respected aquarist once that there were no captive true herbivours and that only wild sp. were herbivours.Once taken from the wild they become omnivours.Have you found this to be true in your experience?
Thanks ,Steve

 

[museumguy]

~Musuemguy,thats pretty amazing you haven't found an algae they wont eat.I cant help ask you though,have you found any herbivours tangs that stayed true herbivours?

I was told many years ago by a respected aquarist once that there were no captive true herbivours and that only wild sp. were herbivours.Once taken from the wild they become omnivours.Have you found this to be true in your experience?
Thanks ,Steve

I don't mean to hijack the thread, but yeah I've seen all the tangs we've ever had be omnivores. We feed a lot of "plant" matter in the food with spirulina, multiple types of macro-algae, etc but the bulk of the food is from animal protein and all the fish, especially the big tangs will eat it up like crazy. If I toss a whole raw cocktail shrimp into the tank the unicorn tang usually has it eaten in about 3 seconds. On the other hand if I put a full sheet of nori in the tank he'll have that gone in about 10 seconds... so I think he just eats anything he can fit in his mouth.

I suspect them becoming omnivores is a survival adaptation since most tanks are all but void of natural herbivore food sources, and even with constant feedings most herbivore preparations are pretty lacking compared to what would be available in the ocean. Just my hypothesis, I don't really have any facts to back that up.

 

[Gravesj1s]

Musuemguy, thanks and yeah I dont want to cause a hijack but I couldnt help ask.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

Tangs in the wild might be classified as herbivores but they're certainly omnivorous. (Just take some fish food with you on a dive trip.)
Dictyota is a staple food of many Naso spp. Tangs but all Naso get too large for most home aquaria so it's not a good solution to Dictyota in the reef aquarium.
I've seen Zebrasoma nibble on Dictyota. Foxface will take that algae, too. (It helps to have big hungry specimens.)

nice pic!