Well, at least I learned a few things about this algae.
First,
some pics
Heres another good pic...
"...It is brown with a faint bluish iridescence..."
If you got it and you got it from me
rolleyes: )...GET IT OUT NOW!
Some quotes from various threads (note some of the authors):
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6114744#post6114744 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Anthony Calfo
it is a scourge... will not easily wane into submission...
Few organisms will eat it. Dictyota also thrives in good water quality (hence the difficulty of starving it into submission)....Diadema urchins may help.
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=5421413#post5421413 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Anthony Calfo
its not only easily fragmented and distributed unwanted through the system... but its also rather noxious....I would not encourage Dictyota use in any significant measure for typical home aquaria.
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=4786787#post4786787 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rshimek
It was probably on some rock you added, growing as a surface layer, perhaps only a couple cells thick. These algae don't have a "dormancy" period, it was likely just cropped low by something eating it. Any reef tank will have the nutrients necessary for a such an alga to thrive, coral reefs really are algal reefs with a thin layer of coral on them. If it is a problem in your system, and you don't have anything to control it, I would advise removing the rock it is on. Scraping the rock probably won't do it; many of these algae can regrow from a very small group of cells left o the rock.
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=3375139#post3375139 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Agu
Dictyota grows slowly but relentlessly. When you try to remove it pieces beak off and spread throughout your tank. Once established it's near impossible to remove manually, and it will overgrow your corals....I've tried an urchin but it was more interested in the coraline and barely put a dent in the dictyota. I finally was able to control it with a naso tang, but that was in a 180 with no other large fish. That's not an option for most people....IMO, get rid of it now !!
Agu
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=3375236#post3375236 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Bomber
.... small emeralds will eat it....As they get older and approach sexual maturity, they need more meat.
Also, smaller=younger=faster metabolism=growth
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=3375601#post3375601 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gmh320
My tank was overrun with this stuff. It started out small and soon blossomed into a mess. Nothing would eat it, tangs, urchins, emerald grabs...until I got a Sea Hare..... if even the slightest bit is left in the tank it will keep growing and growing and growing.....
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=3154043#post3154043 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by R33f3r
The ONLY biological success I have had with dictyota is Dolabella seahares...Other than pruning it constantly, the sea hare will make quick work of it. I was losing the war until I bought one.
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=1846994#post1846994 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kevinpo
The fish that have worked well for me in order of first one best:
Virigate Rabbit Fish
Naso Tang
Achilles Tang
HTH,
Kevin
Some potential consumers:
Blonde Naso Tang (most report Nasos love the stuff)
Red Sea Naso (is this the same fish?)
Emerald Crab (variable...hard to keep up with the growth)
Queen Conch (one report...fast eater)
Longspiny Urchin (may favor coraline (?) )
Sea Hare (Some reports positive, others not)
I can't believe that some people are offering it for sale/trade. Maybe a species-thing, but unless you know what you're getting, simply say "No Way"!
:mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2:
