Colerpa or red microalgae in new tank?

OK, so those who have read my previous posts know this is my first go
round with a reef tank...so here's where we are at this time.

72 gallon tank, setup with sump, skimmer (currently off), 2 power
heads, and 85 pounds of live rock. It's been that way for about 3
weeks now, and has completed an ammonia/nitrate cycle (hooray). It
was setup using R/O d/i water, and I had all my measurements checked
at the LFS and everything is ready to run.

That having been said, I have noticed a growth of red hairs over a
majority of the live rock and some of the overflow box itself. Thin,
red hairs. I've discussed with the LFS and they seem to think it is
likely to be red microalgae, and that adding a couple of algae eating
organisms (snails, crabs etc) will help...but the other option they'd
mentioned is that it could be colerpa.

So the question is this...how do you tell the diff between colerpa and
red microalgae, in it's very early stages? The growth is red,
filamentous, and seems to be broadening into leaves at the very tips
of the growths. Any thoughts, before I add the snails etc?

Mitch

Is it Slimmy red or hairy red? Slime, ( cyanobacteria). is easy enough to
get rid of, Chemi-clean, it's reef safe and works over night. If its not
cyanobacteria, then a good clean up crew will do the trick.
I purchased 15 blue claw hermits. 10 Turbo's and 3 emerald crabs.. At one
point, they were working overtime. I had a dead goby, the carcass was gone
before my ammonia spiked




"Big Habeeb" wrote in message
ps.com...
OK, so those who have read my previous posts know this is my first go
round with a reef tank...so here's where we are at this time.

72 gallon tank, setup with sump, skimmer (currently off), 2 power
heads, and 85 pounds of live rock. It's been that way for about 3
weeks now, and has completed an ammonia/nitrate cycle (hooray). It
was setup using R/O d/i water, and I had all my measurements checked
at the LFS and everything is ready to run.

That having been said, I have noticed a growth of red hairs over a
majority of the live rock and some of the overflow box itself. Thin,
red hairs. I've discussed with the LFS and they seem to think it is
likely to be red microalgae, and that adding a couple of algae eating
organisms (snails, crabs etc) will help...but the other option they'd
mentioned is that it could be colerpa.

So the question is this...how do you tell the diff between colerpa and
red microalgae, in it's very early stages? The growth is red,
filamentous, and seems to be broadening into leaves at the very tips
of the growths. Any thoughts, before I add the snails etc?

Mitch

On Oct 23, 11:27 am, "Peter Pan" wrote:
Is it Slimmy red or hairy red? Slime, ( cyanobacteria). is easy enough to
get rid of, Chemi-clean, it's reef safe and works over night. If its not
cyanobacteria, then a good clean up crew will do the trick.
I purchased 15 blue claw hermits. 10 Turbo's and 3 emerald crabs.. At one
point, they were working overtime. I had a dead goby, the carcass was gone
before my ammonia spiked

"Big Habeeb" wrote in message

ps.com...



OK, so those who have read my previous posts know this is my first go
round with a reef tank...so here's where we are at this time.

72 gallon tank, setup with sump, skimmer (currently off), 2 power
heads, and 85 pounds of live rock. It's been that way for about 3
weeks now, and has completed an ammonia/nitrate cycle (hooray). It
was setup using R/O d/i water, and I had all my measurements checked
at the LFS and everything is ready to run.

That having been said, I have noticed a growth of red hairs over a
majority of the live rock and some of the overflow box itself. Thin,
red hairs. I've discussed with the LFS and they seem to think it is
likely to be red microalgae, and that adding a couple of algae eating
organisms (snails, crabs etc) will help...but the other option they'd
mentioned is that it could be colerpa.

So the question is this...how do you tell the diff between colerpa and
red microalgae, in it's very early stages? The growth is red,
filamentous, and seems to be broadening into leaves at the very tips
of the growths. Any thoughts, before I add the snails etc?

Mitch- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Not sure to be honest...it's still very short but from what I can see,
it looks to be hairy rather than slimy. Put it this way, the
powerheads are generating enough circulation that it's 'flapping in
the breeze' so to speak...dunno if that helps or not.

It's probably just a red hair algae.

Nothing red is calerpa.

Wayne Sallee



Big Habeeb wrote on 10/23/2007 10:36 AM:
OK, so those who have read my previous posts know this is my first go
round with a reef tank...so here's where we are at this time.

72 gallon tank, setup with sump, skimmer (currently off), 2 power
heads, and 85 pounds of live rock. It's been that way for about 3
weeks now, and has completed an ammonia/nitrate cycle (hooray). It
was setup using R/O d/i water, and I had all my measurements checked
at the LFS and everything is ready to run.

That having been said, I have noticed a growth of red hairs over a
majority of the live rock and some of the overflow box itself. Thin,
red hairs. I've discussed with the LFS and they seem to think it is
likely to be red microalgae, and that adding a couple of algae eating
organisms (snails, crabs etc) will help...but the other option they'd
mentioned is that it could be colerpa.

So the question is this...how do you tell the diff between colerpa and
red microalgae, in it's very early stages? The growth is red,
filamentous, and seems to be broadening into leaves at the very tips
of the growths. Any thoughts, before I add the snails etc?

Mitch

there is some red version of grape calerpa, and my LFS has some red
"stuff" in his macro algae tank, that looks to be caulerpa, but im not
sure what species. but definetely sounds like hair algae to me too, i
have not had a single case of red hair algae that i can recall in my
time. must have been a culture that got into your tank from a live
rock or something that had a bit of ammonia, or nitrites to feed on
while the tank was cycling before other bacteria or organisms had a
chance to keep it at bay. or im guessing possibly your light, Peter
Pan, could possibly going off spectrum? are you running NO's?

ahh, i think it is Gracilaria at my LFS now that i recall

On Oct 29, 9:35 am, wolfdogg wrote:
my LFS has some red
"stuff" in his macro algae tank, that looks to be caulerpa, but im not
sure what species.

hehe yep :-)

Wayne Sallee



wolfdogg wrote on 10/29/2007 12:36 PM:
ahh, i think it is Gracilaria at my LFS now that i recall

On Oct 29, 9:35 am, wolfdogg wrote:
my LFS has some red
"stuff" in his macro algae tank, that looks to be caulerpa, but im not
sure what species.