fishface Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 This started growing in our saltwater tank several months ago and, being semi-new to this hobby, we thought it was just a cool-lookiing plant. Just to be sure, though, we took it to a place that sells salt-water fish and they said it was some kind of algae and that if we don't get rid of it soon it will kill everything on the live rock. Any input from my fellow reef lovers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua-Dome Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Nice looking red macroalgae. What genius told you it would kill everything? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dshel1217 Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Nice looking red macroalgae. What genius told you it would kill everything? havent you heard the algea that destroys its own enviroment, kills everything. even the tank glass. True story 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Red Tide happens fairly often in the Gulf of Mexico, It is a microalgae similiar to cynobacteria. These lower algae forms exist in high nutriant low oxygen enviroments. The picture you posted shows a red macroalgae. http://marineplantbook.com/ You tell us what kind of macro you have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishface Posted January 31, 2012 Author Share Posted January 31, 2012 I am REALLY confused now. Good? Bad? We're pretty naive about the things that grow in our tank, and if it's bad we want to get rid of it. The guy who told us it was bad worked at a CHAIN petstore where they sell saltwater fish. What do I do with red microalgae? We don't know if it's good or bad. I know, I know. "DUH." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 I would welcome macro algae like that to grow in my tank, and if you have tangs they will probably welcome it too. The vast majority of alga are beneficial and in fact the majority of the biomass on a reef is not corals or fish but alga making up between 55% to 85% of the total biomass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 +2 for Timfish. In overviewing habitate on coral reefs, if it were not for the herbivores, we would have algae dominated reefs. Twenty years ago, a mysterious virus/bacteria wiped out almost 100% of the Long Spinned Urchin in parts of the Caribbean with a resulting overgrowth of many coral reefs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.