# [Wet Thumb Forum]-What kind of algae is this?



## captain (May 12, 2006)

Go away on vacation and all heck breaks loose. I have this grayish slightly green algae all over my tank and I am not sure what kind of algae it is. It was a mild problem before vacation now it is a disaster.

You can see pictures of it here.
http://www.mindspring.com/~steve.ferenci/algae/
Hopefully the pictures are of good enough quality. If not I can take some new pictures.

The algae is:
* grayish-greenish, 
* looks like a lot of small threads a few 
millimeters long,
* it is floating in the water,
* it is on all the plants, driftwood, and 
glass,
* it comes off easily,
* a blast from a bulb syringe will dislodge 
it,
* it grows fast.

It absolutely exploded in growth the week+ I was gone. I think it is a cyanobacteria but doesn't look like the pictures I have seen. I have been trying to keep the tank parameters in line (see profile) but I am obviously screwing up somewhere. First though, I want to know what it is that I am dealing with. So what is it?

Let me know if you need more information.

Thanks,

-Steve
See profile for tank info


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## captain (May 12, 2006)

Go away on vacation and all heck breaks loose. I have this grayish slightly green algae all over my tank and I am not sure what kind of algae it is. It was a mild problem before vacation now it is a disaster.

You can see pictures of it here.
http://www.mindspring.com/~steve.ferenci/algae/
Hopefully the pictures are of good enough quality. If not I can take some new pictures.

The algae is:
* grayish-greenish, 
* looks like a lot of small threads a few 
millimeters long,
* it is floating in the water,
* it is on all the plants, driftwood, and 
glass,
* it comes off easily,
* a blast from a bulb syringe will dislodge 
it,
* it grows fast.

It absolutely exploded in growth the week+ I was gone. I think it is a cyanobacteria but doesn't look like the pictures I have seen. I have been trying to keep the tank parameters in line (see profile) but I am obviously screwing up somewhere. First though, I want to know what it is that I am dealing with. So what is it?

Let me know if you need more information.

Thanks,

-Steve
See profile for tank info


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## Vicki (Jan 31, 2003)

Well, I've been patiently waiting for somebody to come along who knows more about it than I do, but no takers. Geez, I have NEVER seen anything like that, but I feel very sure it isn't any type of cyanobacteria. It's some kind of green thread algae, I presume, since you say it can be easily removed, but it doesn't look like anything I've ever seen--maybe just because there's so much of it. I think I'd get out my diatom filter and be ready with lots of extra powder!

http://www.wheelpost.com


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## Roger Miller (Jun 19, 2004)

I'm with Vicki on that. I don't think it's a cyanobacteria. On the other hand, I don't know what it is, either. In a lot of respects it sounds like an algae I had in my fishless tank earlier this year, but the filaments in that algae were kinked and the infested areas looked more fluffy than hairy.

That algae thrived when nitrate was the only nitrogen source in the tank and most of it grew on a bit of driftwood. I removed the driftwood and fertilized with a fertilizer that provided ammonia and urea (later I just added fish). The algae disappeared and never came back.


Roger Miller


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## captain (May 12, 2006)

I have poked around the web a bit and found some cyanobacteria information. Some varieties of cyanobacteria grows in filamentous mats that look similar to what I have. Certainly it is not a definitive identification but so far it is a leading candidate. I'll look into renting or maybe buying a diatom filter to improve water quality in the short term.

Here is some web sites I found with info or pictures.
This site has lots of pictures of cyano. Some look like mine, at least superficially.

Here is a general description

A site with lots of links.

-Steve
See profile for tank info


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## 2la (Feb 3, 2003)

It's black brush algae, though the middle picture may feature a different type altogether. I've had it manifest from fuzzy green to very short and black, and someone here posted a picture of some that had turned fuscia!

 
(Click for pics)


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## captain (May 12, 2006)

I don't think it is brush algae. From all the descriptions I have read brush algae is difficult to remove mechanically. The stuff I have is really easy to dislodge. I can easily strip it off with my fingers or use a syringe to blow it off.

-Steve
See profile for tank info


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## Ghostie (May 9, 2003)

Actally, I'm sure that it is cyanobacteria. Iv'e had major problems with it before. I think cyanobacteria does that when conditions aren't quite favorable for it to be it full blown slimy form. It might do that when the water is fairly acidic from CO2... how are you plants growing? Good...bad? 
Ghostie


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## captain (May 12, 2006)

The plants are hanging in. I have some stem plants that are growing but the stuff grows over the new growth quickly. Anubia, java fern, and swords are also hanging in but I am not sure how much longer they'll hold up. The water is acidic, I am injecting CO2 so maybe that is why it looks like that.

-Steve
See profile for tank info


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## Vicki (Jan 31, 2003)

Well, I couldn't begin to guess how many species of cyanobacteria there are, so it's certainly possible, I guess. I did see one underwater image that did look a lot your situation. That's a terrific site, by the way, thanks for pointing that out! In any case, I think I'd still attack it the same way--remove as much as I could manually, and run a diatom filter to get as much of it out of the water column as I could (and the DE will clog VERY fast, so you'll want to clean and recharge it every hour, maybe more frequently than that). Having once done that, I'd do a major water change and try to reset all my nutrients and see what happened. You might consider doing a blackout after the water change, then another water change after the blackout's over and THEN reset all nutrients. If it still hangs around, you could try an erythromycin treatment. If that kills it, you have your answer. In fact--it might not be a bad idea to scoop some of it into a jar or a small tank with water from the infected tank, and then drop in a Maracyn tablet and see what happens. If it dies, it's cyanobacteria, and you can then treat accordingly.

http://www.wheelpost.com


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## Ghostie (May 9, 2003)

I think it is the same cyanobactria usually seen in aquaria. It just is able to take different forms depending on water conditions.
Ghostie


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## Vicki (Jan 31, 2003)

There are hundreds of species of cyanobacteria, Ghostie. They are the simplest of all life forms, each species only grows in one way. But they all look different in varying degrees, either microscopically or in the way we perceive them. Whatever Captain has in his tank, it's not the common blue-green slime we see most often.

http://www.wheelpost.com


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## captain (May 12, 2006)

I'll try to get better pictures and we can add it to the algae info thread. On one of the links there is a list of cyanobacteria scientist. I am wondering if I can send a sample to get a positive identification. Hmmm...

-Steve
See profile for tank info


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## 2la (Feb 3, 2003)

Not all brush algae is difficult to remove, and I've never seen cyano manifest in tufts of hair. You might try dosing the tank with erythromycin to see if there's any response, though.

 
(Click for pics)


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## captain (May 12, 2006)

One week later. What do you think? Only one new picture at the bottom of the page.

http://www.mindspring.com/~steve.ferenci/algae/

-Steve
See profile for tank info


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## Roger Miller (Jun 19, 2004)

Vastly improved. What was the "algae treatment"?

Roger Miller


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## captain (May 12, 2006)

I dosed erythromycin for the past week and a couple of large water changes. Looks like I had a bad infection. The plants seem to be doing much better now too.

-Steve
See profile for tank info


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## Vicki (Jan 31, 2003)

I'd say you can conclude that your infestation was some type of cyanobacteria since it seems to have been nuked by the erythromycin. Very interesting! I've never seen that species before, or anything like it.

http://www.wheelpost.com


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## Phil Edwards (Jan 22, 2004)

If you get it again send some to Tom Barr, he'll likely be interested in it.


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## captain (May 12, 2006)

Well I hope I never get it again. 

Cyano has a billion or so years head start on us so it could possible be the case that each infestation in a tank could be a unique species. It seems to me that it is impossible to positively ID an algae just from appearance.

Thanks for all of your inputs,

-Steve
See profile for tank info


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## Vicki (Jan 31, 2003)

> quote:
> 
> Cyano has a billion or so years head start on us so it could possible be the case that each infestation in a tank could be a unique species.


Indeed. After all, cyanobacteria is the mother of us all. You have to respect that, even if it DOES drive you nuts.

http://www.wheelpost.com


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