New to BRS! And a quick question regarding nuisance algae....

[Wet Dreams]

Hello! I am new to BRS, but not necessarily the hobby. Thank you for having me!

I have a question regarding persistent nuisance algae, which formed on my live rock quite some time ago and appears to be spreading. It can be described as colonies of hundreds of small stems with bubbles on top, which are red in color.

So, does anyone have a good source for identifying this specific form of algae, its causes, and any associated remedies?

Thanks in advance for your help! And if this post belongs in another forum please let me know.

 

[PSU4ME]

Can you take some pics? Sounds like cyano. It disappear at night and develop again after light come on?

What’s the source of your water? 0 TDS RODI?

 

[Wet Dreams]

Hello and thank you for responding to this thread so quickly.

Yes, I will take a couple of pictures a little later on when the lights are on and then post them here.

I use a four-stage Coralife R/O system to generate my water for changes and top-offs. So, could that be the source of the algae? Perhaps it's not efficient enough?

Thanks again for responding and please look for the pictures a little later on.

 

[BiGGiePauls33]

 

[coralfishreef]

Welcome

 

[Seapets]

Welcome to the club

 

[DylanCameron]

Hello and thank you for responding to this thread so quickly.

Yes, I will take a couple of pictures a little later on when the lights are on and then post them here.

I use a four-stage Coralife R/O system to generate my water for changes and top-offs. So, could that be the source of the algae? Perhaps it's not efficient enough?

Thanks again for responding and please look for the pictures a little later on.

Welcome to the club!

A four stage RO/DI unit is typically enough filtration to produce 0TDS water, but if you are lax about changing filters or if your source water is particularly bad it may not be efficient enough. The best way to know is to measure the TDS of your source water and the output water.

Generally when posting about algae or other problems, pictures are worth 1,000 words, and posting your parameters (nitrate and phosphate in the case of algae) is going to speed up the discussion. I would agree with PSU4ME, it sounds like cyano, but with pictures and parameters someone can give you a more definite answer.

 

[Wet Dreams]

Can you take some pics? Sounds like cyano. It disappear at night and develop again after light come on?

What’s the source of your water? 0 TDS RODI?

Hello, attached are the photos of the algae you requested.

 

[BiGGiePauls33]

Hello, attached are the photos of the algae you requested.

Doesn't look like cyanobacteria to me. Possibly flame angel? Have a look on Melev Creature and Algae ID

 

[PSU4ME]

Red grape caulerpa?

 

[Wet Dreams]

Hello, attached are the photos of the algae you requested.

The

Can you take some pics? Sounds like cyano. It disappear at night and develop again after light come on?

What’s the source of your water? 0 TDS RODI?

The water source is: Boston city water The TDS for the last several batches has been right around 10 (Can't seem to achieve zero anymore and think it's the ROI membranes) and the nitrates are at zero. Thanks!

 

[thrillreefer]

attached are the photos of the algae you requested.

Whoa that macro is pretty! Can I have some lol? Does it spread fast?

10 TDS probably time for some new filters/RO membrane and/or DI but not necessarily what is causing algae growth

 

[Wet Dreams]

Whoa that macro is pretty! Can I have some lol? Does it spread fast?

10 TDS probably time for some new filters/RO membrane and/or DI but not necessarily what is causing algae growth

Yes, of course! I will scrape some off and mail it to you!

I do change the filters and membrane based on the number of gallons produced and the overall quality of the water being processed. However, the TDS still doesn't read 0 even with a brand-new membrane and filters. So, this has me believing that I am buying subpar membranes for my R/O system.

By the way, at the risk of sounding really ignorant, what does "DI" mean? Thanks!

 

[DylanCameron]

Yes, of course! I will scrape some off and mail it to you!

I do change the filters and membrane based on the number of gallons produced and the overall quality of the water being processed. However, the TDS still doesn't read 0 even with a brand-new membrane and filters. So, this has me believing that I am buying subpar membranes for my R/O system.

By the way, at the risk of sounding really ignorant, what does "DI" mean? Thanks!

DI is de-ionization, it’s a blue media that comes after the R/O membrane. So, if your filter is lacking this unit, that could be the cause for higher TDS.

I’ll try my hand at ID’ing the algae - possibly Botryocladia sp? Using this website as a reference: https://www.reefcleaners.org/nuisance-algae-id-guide

 

[Wet Dreams]

DI is de-ionization, it’s a blue media that comes after the R/O membrane. So, if your filter is lacking this unit, that could be the cause for higher TDS.

I’ll try my hand at ID’ing the algae - possibly Botryocladia sp? Using this website as a reference: https://www.reefcleaners.org/nuisance-algae-id-guide

Thanks for the clarification regarding "DI". Yes, the R/O system does have a DI cartridge.

I will check out the link you provided. Thanks!

 

[ifarmer]

those are the good stuffs, they make the tank looks colorful and it's not the unwanted algae like you mentioned

 

[Wet Dreams]

Thank you to everyone who responded to this thread. It looks like we have a winner in the name that algae contest. Based on all of the responses, background, and references provided it appears to be Red Grape Caulerpa. So, PSU4ME (first to respond with that answer), and anyone else who guessed that, are the winners. And since it's good algae and not bad I won't be removing it. Thanks again for everyone's help!