What kind of Algae is this?

mike89t · #1 03/18/2006, 05:14 PM

I've got this brown leafy macro algae growing in my tank. Right now it's one bush that is about the size of my fist. Anyone know what type it is? My live rock came from Tonga if that helps.

graveyardworm · #2 03/18/2006, 06:18 PM

dictyota

http://saltcorner.com/sections/guest...Ddichotoma.htm

mike89t · #3 03/19/2006, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by graveyardworm
dictyota

http://saltcorner.com/sections/guest...Ddichotoma.htm

Thanks!

Will this eventually overtake my tank if I don't do something about it? It doesn't bother me and I kind of like it right now.

Will herbivorous fish like tangs eat it?

fishy-doc · #4 03/21/2006, 12:00 PM

is this a good algae to have or bad? opinions please!

Typhon · #5 03/21/2006, 05:19 PM

I have the same species of macro algae. What will eat it??

mike89t · #6 03/21/2006, 10:19 PM

I've done a little bit of research. If anyone can add any more to what I've found that would be great or even correct me if I'm wrong.

It apears that Dictyota tends to be an aggressive Macro algae in reef aquariums. If you are not careful removing it, it can spread really easily! Not many things eat it except for Naso Tangs, Virgate Rabbitfish, Dolabella seahares and maybe Diadema Longspine urchins.

Here is another thread on it that I found:

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...light=dictyota

Typhon · #7 03/22/2006, 01:04 AM

Thanks for the info..

Quote:

Originally posted by mike89t
I've done a little bit of research. If anyone can add any more to what I've found that would be great or even correct me if I'm wrong.

It apears that Dictyota tends to be an aggressive Macro algae in reef aquariums. If you are not careful removing it, it can spread really easily! Not many things eat it except for Naso Tangs, Virgate Rabbitfish, Dolabella seahares and maybe Diadema Longspine urchins.

Here is another thread on it that I found:

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...light=dictyota

mike89t · #8 05/05/2006, 05:23 PM

Wow this stuff grows fast!

I pruned it back to the rock before I went on vacation. 3 weeks later it was back to the size of a softball.

A Naso Tang may be in my future.

Typhon · #9 05/05/2006, 05:25 PM

I wonder if a blonde Naso will work as well??

mike89t · #10 05/05/2006, 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Typhon
I wonder if a blonde Naso will work as well??

Actually they are very similiar. I'm considering the Blond Naso as my first choice.

mike89t · #11 05/08/2006, 06:14 PM

As much as I would love a Naso I'm hesitant to add one to my 150. I think it will get too big for my tank. I'm leaning towards a Virgate Rabbitfish(Siganus virgatus) now.

mike89t · #12 05/14/2006, 12:17 PM

Here is my new hope at removing this algae. He is currently in my QT so I don't know if he will do the job yet:

Samala · #13 05/14/2006, 12:37 PM

Those rabbits are some of my absolute favorite fish! Good luck with him as a macro predator. Hopefully he'll do the job on the Dictyota. By the way, is your softball clump of it fluorescing? This genus often expresses a green to blue fluorescence under high light. Rather pretty.. if you like algae.

>Sarah

mike89t · #14 05/15/2006, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Samala
Those rabbits are some of my absolute favorite fish! Good luck with him as a macro predator. Hopefully he'll do the job on the Dictyota. By the way, is your softball clump of it fluorescing? This genus often expresses a green to blue fluorescence under high light. Rather pretty.. if you like algae.

>Sarah

Not really fluorescing. Still looks just like the photo above but only larger now. At first I was excited by the Dictyota growth as it does sort of look nice. Then I saw how fast it grows and it kind of scared me.

R33f3r · #15 05/15/2006, 12:27 PM

That's an evil algae. Just be sure to get ahold of it or it will takeover!

InvertLover · #16 05/24/2006, 02:22 PM

If you can, remove the rock it's on. If it's already spread, you're going to have a time controling it! Let us know if the rabbitfish likes it!

graveyardworm · #17 05/24/2006, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mike89t
Here is my new hope at removing this algae. He is currently in my QT so I don't know if he will do the job yet:

Looks alittle thin, feed him well. My experience with rabbitfish has shown that they require almost constant grazing to do well. Make sure to provide dried nori or something similar on a regular basis. Also know that not all rabbitfish are reefsafe. So far my foxface has been well behaved, but I had a masked rabbitfish ( Siganus Puellis ) that had a taste for mushrooms.

mike89t · #18 05/25/2006, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by InvertLover
If you can, remove the rock it's on. If it's already spread, you're going to have a time controling it! Let us know if the rabbitfish likes it!

It actually growing on my Reef ceramics so there is no way I can physically remove it. Here is a photo of the reef ceramics to give you an idea of why I can't remove them:

I moved the Rabbit fish over to the main display tank. I've seen him take several nibbles on this stuff. I'm optimistic that "Bugs" will eventually take care of this stuff for me. Will keep you posted.

Oh and I made sure to fatten him up while in the QT tank. He went to town on all the macro I had growing in there.

InvertLover · #19 05/26/2006, 07:35 AM

Ah, That would be hard to remove. I do hope the fish will control it. This stuff can be awful. Let me know how the fish does, and here's a link to an active thread about the stuff as will.
http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...94#post7435894

TA · #20 05/26/2006, 12:49 PM

Keep us posted on how effective "Bugs" turns out to be. Spent 2.5 hours manually pulling last evening....about 1/2 quart or the stuff.

Quote:

Originally posted by Samala
...By the way, is your softball clump of it fluorescing? This genus often expresses a green to blue fluorescence under high light. Rather pretty.. if you like algae.

>Sarah

Yeah....mine has these intense fluorescent blue tips when viewed "just right"....don't care how nice it looks....I want it gone!

twhitti · #21 05/26/2006, 01:08 PM

I had an outbreak of this stuff once. It darn near took over the tank. I found that I could control it by "siphoning" it out with my gravel cleaner when I did water changes kept it under control. It finally went away and hasn't come back yet.

mike89t · #22 05/31/2006, 12:33 PM

Just a quick update. It appears that the Rabbitfish is indeed eating this pest algae. I have seen it several times eating the Dictyota and the large ball of it has gone down in size!

TA · #23 05/31/2006, 03:09 PM

Good news!

Where'd you get your rabbitfish?

mike89t · #24 05/31/2006, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by TA
Good news!

Where'd you get your rabbitfish?

I picked it up from Vivid Aquariums.

http://www.vividaquariums.com/10Expa...Code=01-2512-S

Although I'm not sure if it is really a Virgate Rabbitfish. It is probably more likely a Doliatus Rabbitfish which is closely related to the Virgate.

TA · #25 05/31/2006, 06:11 PM

Yeah, saw the site earlier and wondered about whether they "substitute" thinking, "The buyer will never know!".

...if so, poor practice, IMO. Would make me mad if I ordered one fish and got another...especially if I could have gotten the same fish locally.

Either way, good luck with him. I know what you're going thru (or COULD be going thru if left unchecked).

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode