Choclate Brown Encrusting Algae???pics

stricknine

stricknine

New member
I am starting to get concerned with this algae. It is a very dark chocolate brown, looks to be coating all of my rock exposed to light and flow like coraline would, but its not coraline. Has a very slimy texture, not too sure if it is being eaten by the CUC, but if it is they are doing a terrible job! I am positive it is NOT coraline or cyano (as I have issues with both of those in another tank!)

Pics below, take a look and let me know if you know what it is, or better yet how to get rid of it!

All params perfect, lights on for 10 hours a day, 10 blue, 7 daylight.

All looks a touch purple with the flash on, but it appears as a dark chocolate brown. Has been spreading as well.

P4020059.jpg


P4020054.jpg


P4020053.jpg


P4020055.jpg
 
I have the same stuff, from what I can see in those picsz. Its brown wafer algae. The only thing I've heard that eats it is a Naso Tang, or Blonde Naso Tang. I have tried everything else, and plan on trying a BNT soon. Nothing else ever worked for me.
 
Im positive it isnt cyano, and in th newbie forums I heard the NASO thing (eating the stuff). Dream coming true, I NEED a naso! Now the "special order" for the tang in a 72, and another build coming? Thanks all, will definately look in to the wafer algae!
 
If its what I have its brown wafer algae. Here is a pic of mine, so the OP can tell use if this is what it looks like in person
brownalgea004.jpg
 
Your brown wafer looks very close.
I think I may beef up the snail count and see if they have any effect. LFS had a juvenile Naso in too, 1.5". Was very tempted to take it home but my tank is only a 72. Two tangs in a 72, sounds like a case for the tang police!
 
I have tired every kind of snail I could. And they had no affect. Niether did emerald crabs. Or lettuce leaf nudis. Or a Sea Hare.
 
luther1200,

Did you try a diadema or tuxedo urchin already ? I read they also control the brown wafer algea (lobophora) from going out of control. Blond naso apparently is very effective if you can have one.

stricknine,

Can you get a closer picture of yours? Even closer than the last picture you posted.
It is hard to say from the available pictures.

Thanks,
 
i had something like this the bacteria i had was more red. i think it was cyano, anyway i added 6 big mexican turbos along with the snails and sea hair i already have and they took care of it pretty good. i gave the power heads, skimmer and really everthing else a very good cleaning. i took special care to get the inside of any plumming too. seems to be all out of my tank now. i hope this might help
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14766188#post14766188 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by luther1200
No the 1 of the things I didn't try was an Urchin.
Click to expand...


Urchins are the most unbelievable thing I've ever seen in my life for eating algae.

I used to have this very cool 55g tank set up with large limestone rocks and lots of fish/inverts native to the South Carolina coast (blennies, gobies, various crabs, etc...).

I had an incredible amount of hair algae, but it was beautiful bright green and had a nice sway in the flow, so I let it grow.


One day I managed to find a couple sea urchins, which proved to be a mistake. The two urchins, over a period of a couple weeks, ate the tank so bare that the limestone rock was a blinding white color. I had to get rid of the urchins so they didn't starve to death.
 
I don't honestly know, but they looked like the ones you used to find at the LFS that were actually temperate urchins (pink spines) that always died in a reef tank.

I did not heat the fish/invert tank, so they did fine. It stayed in the low 70's (only normal-output flourescent lights).

Note that if I had it to do again, I wouldn't mess with the urchins, and I would also take a closer look at state law on harvesting them. I always kept a fishing license, which was required for harvesting other inverts like shrimp and oysters. Later as I discussed the urchins and some sea stars with a DNR biologist, he said even he wasn't sure about the law but suspected that the fishing license didn't cover such inverts. South Carolina doesn't have much of an over-collection problem like Florida, and the thought never crossed my mind until I talked to the biologist.
 
I may have to look into the urchin idea because the algae is seeming to get out of control.

Also positive it isnt cyano, and unless diatoms can create a thick slimy encrusting film I dont think its diatoms either.

Thanks all.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14773333#post14773333 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by stricknine


Also positive it isnt cyano, and unless diatoms can create a thick slimy encrusting film I dont think its diatoms either.

Thanks all.
Click to expand...

Not like the pics you posted, no diatom mass I've ever seen.


I think you have a brown algae of some sort.
 
Can you easily remove it by scratching it with your finger nail?

I had something that looked very similar and was hard and slippery like coralline. I ended up blasting it with a turkey baster full of boiling water. It turned rather bright green then disappeared a few days later.

--Andy
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14788514#post14788514 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by spazthecat
Can you easily remove it by scratching it with your finger nail?

I had something that looked very similar and was hard and slippery like coralline. I ended up blasting it with a turkey baster full of boiling water. It turned rather bright green then disappeared a few days later.

--Andy
Click to expand...

I had forgotten about that trick. I've killed dictyota and hair algae that way. Some algae are more sensitive to the boiling water than others.
 
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