Help identifying this algae

[yanni]

Hey all,

No3: 10
Po4: 0.04

I’ve has this algae pop up in my new tank, 2 months old. Used live rock that was cooked in a bucket for 2 months. CUC is 1 stromb, 1 nassarius, 1 lawnmower blenny, 2x trochus, 2x astrea, 1 CBS, 3x turbo snails

it appears on the rock, and also on the sand which clumps the sand together. It’s brownish coloured, scrubs off super easy, doesn’t hold oxygen bubbles. I can get a microscope ID soonish if truly needed. I just scrub it every few days, snails do slowly eat it, but veryyy slowly.

would an urchin help perhaps?

more does anyone know what this could specifically be?

 

[I never finish anythi]

Bryopsis or gha . Could be wrong ain't been in the hobby that long . Try a few mexican turbo snails

 

[yanni]

Bryopsis or gha . Could be wrong ain't been in the hobby that long . Try a few mexican turbo snails

I feel like it’s not byropsis, doesn’t really have the fern look to it, snd isn’t “green” enough to be GHA if that makes sense

 

[I never finish anythi]

I had hair algae that was more of a brown colour. I got a few mexican turbos , sea hare and urchin. Got my nutrients in check and it's gone . Don't think a sea hare be good for that tank tho looks quite new .

 

[I never finish anythi]

Also the tank will go through various ugly stages being that new .

 

[yanni]

Also the tank will go through various ugly stages being that new .o

Yeah I understand that, just want to avoid severe ugly stuff. Working on increasing my micro biodiversity, gonna dose phyto n add pods, also adding micro brittle stars n stomatellas.

I had hair algae that was more of a brown colour. I got a few mexican turbos , sea hare and urchin. Got my nutrients in check and it's gone . Don't think a sea hare be good for that tank tho looks quite new .

It’s only a Waterbox 20, would an urchin be suitable?

 

[ConsummatePro]

If the tank is pretty new be careful of not starving the clean up crew. Urchins need quite a bit of algae to munch on - you could feed them nori but that adds nutrients. Starfish need stuff to graze on in the sand bed too so beware. Blenny could starve, too, in a very young tank.

 

[yanni]

If the tank is pretty new be careful of not starving the clean up crew. Urchins need quite a bit of algae to munch on - you could feed them nori but that adds nutrients. Starfish need stuff to graze on in the sand bed too so beware. Blenny could starve, too, in a very young tank.

I figured micro brittle stars would be a safer bet for a young tank, the blenny n snails poo a LOT, the sandbed is full of stuff. I’m going to pass on the urchin for a while, and I supplement the blenny with pellets so he eats plenty, has a little fat belly.

Did some research on the urchin, don’t want it to starve, will get one at around the 8month mark I think

 

[Nman]

When my tank went through the ugly stage. I put in turbo snails and they did the job cleaned up all the rock

 

[yanni]

When my tank went through the ugly stage. I put in turbo snails and they did the job cleaned up all the rock

I’m picking up some more snails in a week or so, should do the trick then. Mixture of turbos stomatellas and doves

 

[Nman]

I’m picking up some more snails in a week or so, should do the trick then. Mixture of turbos stomatellas and doves

Nassarius snails are good for turning over your sand bed . You won’t see them much but when you feed your fish they come out of the sand . I have some they are great cuc

 

[yanni]

Nassarius snails are good for turning over your sand bed . You won’t see them much but when you feed your fish they come out of the sand . I have some they are great cuc

I’m got one nassarius so far who is awesome. I thought he died for ages, then he reappeared randomly when feeding, I see his snorkel usually at night sometimes. I think getting maybe one or two more would be a good ideal, it’s only a 20g so anymore than that might be too mant

 

[I never finish anythi]

A LMB won't touch the long stuff .

 

[yanni]

A LMB won't touch the long stuff .

yea that’s fine, he’s for the anything beginning. The snails are quite keen on the long stuff, and I scrub my rocks when I WC each week

 

[All_talk]

I would look at Astrea and banded trochus snails as well.