new source for macro

graveyardworm · #1 01/02/2006, 07:59 PM

Just found a new source for macro not a huge selection but they have some purple stuff.

Whoops forgot the link http://aquacorals.com/ShopMacroAlgae.htm

Could someone id the the purple and ribbon please?

Here's a pic of the purple

and the ribbon

graveyardworm · #2 01/02/2006, 08:20 PM

Did a little searching could the purple be hypnea pannosa? And the ribbon caulerpa prolifera?

Samala · #3 01/02/2006, 10:22 PM

Might be the elusive Ochtodes in that purple pic. I agree on the C. prolifera for the ribbon macro.

They sure do want a lot for the "blue-purple ball macro"!

>Sarah

SuperNerd · #4 01/02/2006, 10:35 PM

Samala,

Is c. prolifera as invasive as serrulata and racemosa and does it "go sexual" as often as them?

Seahorsewisprer · #5 01/03/2006, 10:08 AM

Yes! But, it is easily pruned and harvested.

Samala · #6 01/03/2006, 10:47 PM

I havent had it go sexual yet.. and thats with years of keeping it, though not all at once. As long as it has nutrients to grow, its fine. It is aggressive, and a quick grower. I harvest about a cupful every few days from my display. I am beginning to wonder if I should be slowly converting the tank over to other sorts of macro that are not quite as aggressive.

Plus, dosing nitrate to keep up with prolifera as a sink is kinda annoying!

David the more I look at that pic the more it looks like Ochtodes.. but with shipping its a $50 peice of algae. Sheesh! I guess the question is.. how bad do I want it?

>Sarah

Seahorsewisprer · #7 01/04/2006, 10:48 AM

Hmmm, how bad do you want it? Bad enough to wait 'till mine grows out a bit?

Maybe the reason you haven't experienced a sporing event is because you dose nitrate? I think this alga is prone to "go sexual" without a close bit' of monitoring. I have a blade go white every once in while, warning me to check my NO3 & FE levels. I use it like my canary.......

Samala · #8 01/04/2006, 11:55 AM

That is precisely how I use it too Suzy!

Great minds..

I am pretty certain that the lack of NO3, or PO4, or Fe, causes sporulation events. In test tanks where I allowed nutrient levels to crash to zero (either all three, or just one) I had sporulation events from C. prolifera. High alkalinity did it too in the fifth tank while my lovely control tank kept right on growing. Time to sporulate varied between each condition, with lack of nitrate being the least tolerated and lack of phosphate being the best (longest survival time in depleted water before sporulating). Took from three to eight days.

When I repeated this project all the results were the same. When I repeated it once more this time using 24hour light on all the tanks the "time to sporulate" lengthened considerably, moving from 3-8 to 5-11. I have not yet repeated the 24hour light and I cant really propose an explanation for why 24hour light does this. You would think, initially, that more light equals more photosynthesis causing a need for more nutrients... and making the alga feel the lack of those nutrients more quickly. Its interesting at least.

>Sarah

graveyardworm · #9 01/04/2006, 06:26 PM

Wow I was thinking that 29.00 wasnt too bad, but hadnt even thought about shipping. 50.00 bucks is alot. I could drive there but it would be about a 4 hour round trip. So I guess its not worth it.

Telgian · #10 01/04/2006, 07:16 PM

Perhaps those who keep purple algae like that pictured above cna help me a bit.

Does ochtodes flouresce (sp.?) purple on newer growth, and light blue on old growth?
Rapidly clings to surfaces and settles in (a day or so), tolerates high flow very well.

I have some purple algae that grew out of some Fiji live rock that does this, but I know that there are a lot of algaes in the sea.

TIA

Seahorsewisprer · #11 01/04/2006, 08:37 PM

I have a tiny piece but not a lot of growth at this time. So far, my new growth is the same as the old growth.

fambrough · #12 01/04/2006, 09:50 PM

Hmmm, I think I have that rhodophyta growing gangbusters in my tank. It is quite beautiful. I hope it contiunes to florish. Telgian, your description matches my macro very well. Mine has grown out of Uaniva (tonga part of the world). I did a google image search for Ochtodes, but did not come up with much. Didn't find any images at algaebase either. Any references?

Ben

Samala · #13 01/05/2006, 01:09 AM

You want like an algae-nerd's kind of reference.. Halogenated blah blah from Ochtodes secundirema. Or a slightly easier read on monoterpenes and some hints on reproducing Ochtodes? And a little more.

Or like a normal reefers kind of reference.. Pic. I actually cant find more references that are from the reef community. Darn!

>Sarah

Telgian · #14 01/05/2006, 11:47 AM

Thanks for the links. Will look at shortly.

I ran ochtodes through google after posting here. After sifting through about 8-9 pages of results I now know that it is a RED algae, and is sometimes sold as 'blue ball' algae.

Pictures that I saw match the appearance of what I have.
Will borrow camera and get pictures.

fambrough · #15 01/06/2006, 10:05 PM

I'll do the same; post a picture, that is, when I get around to it sometime in the next few days.

Thanks for the links Samala! I was sort of looking for something like a life history/natural history view. It doesn't seem that exists for the lay person, alas. If it does, please correct me. The monoterpenes stuff was interesting, but honestly, I wanted more just about the algae: where is it found? what are its close relatives? How does it reproduce? What are its needs? Basics of morphology etc.

You know, the bottom line for me is pretty pedantic: I think the algae is cool and I want to know just a little bit about it. By the way, I would be happy to send you some. Looks like this stuff is on a rampage right now. Funny how different organisms have their day in the sun (as it were) as a tank matures.

Cheers,
Ben