ID: Algae on my moss?

[grey_fox]

Hi all,

Need your help to I.D the following two pictures.

They're growing all over my moss.....

What is this?



Another picture...

[Swoop]

seems like hair algae to me

[|squee|]

Hair algae, as well as the common weed. That weed is impossible to eradicate. Best to throw away your moss, since it's infested with algae anyway.

[Rupert]

Hair algae, as well as the common weed. That weed is impossible to eradicate. Best to throw away your moss, since it's infested with algae anyway.

That common weed is really difficult to eradicate! I got some, just a little bit in some plants a long time ago and it took ages to finally get rid of it. But in the pictures above it looks entirely established which might be mission impossible.

[grey_fox]

bah! My moss grew really really really thick and nice already until recently this stuff started growing over it... so I should do away with the moss?

[barmby]

Throw in algae shrimps. Yamato and Malayan shrimps. Get 200 pcs of Malayan & 50 Yamato.

Use old toothbrush to twist & curl and take up the hair algae. Try your best.

Up your CO2 to 20-30ppm during illumination.

Get another reactor to do the job of distributing the CO2 thru out the tank. Remember bigger tank is much difficult to execute EI to perfection..

[grey_fox]

Hey barmby,

Apparently too late for the curling portion with a toothbrush. I took out the entire driftwood, and gave it a good rinse (out came the malayan & yamato prawns - put them back into the tank) but the entire moss was over-run by weed....

Threw away the entire bunch... replaced with new (taiwan) moss. Intending to purchase about 50 or so malayan prawns. Anyone in the forum selling?

[barmby]

Intending to purchase about 50 or so malayan prawns. Anyone in the forum selling?

LFS going @ 100 pcs for $10.00

I think Nature Aquarium is $8

It is inexpensive

[valice]

Malayan shrimp quite cheap to get in those large numbers from LFSes... So think it would be more convenient for you to buy from the shops than from the forumers... Another malayans are very cheap in those numbers... Think like 100 pieces for 8 bucks... Something like that range...

[grey_fox]

Where (address) is NA btw?

[|squee|]

Opposite Thomson Medical Centre. It's difficult to miss.

[juggler]

The first pic is hair algae. Yamatos will eat them away. Consider keeping Yamatos next time you keep mosses.

2nd pic is bladderwort. Quite hard to get rid especially entangled in your moss. Better restart again as suggested.

Good luck.

[AquaObsession]

just to ask.... will malayan shrimp eat hair algae too ( the algae in pic 1)

Curious to know...

[grey_fox]

Hey juggler,

Hehe really like your tanks Saw you site before I saw AQ (from the links). I have about 15-20 (can't really remember) yamatos and most are growing big already (more than enough for them to go around chewing on it seems...)

Alas, I've restarted by throwing away the entire moss... (really thick but entagled with the weed and that algae.... ) and tying new moss on it, hopefully my yamatos (adding more malayans soon) can keep whatever foreign is growing at bay.

Juggler, I would appreciate if you can advise me on my fert (liquid) regime for a 5 x 1.5 x 2 feet tank. From your site, your tanks are beautiful and best of all, seems free from any algae which is what I myself am aiming for

[PeterGwee]

Something major is happening with all those algae in there. CO2 seems to be the main culprit. Unless you are willing to get a good handle of it and stablize it near 30ppm throughout the entire photoperiod, you are going to have issues no matter what fertilization regime you go about. Picking on it will do the most damage ime as well adding shrimps in mass (not the cure for the long time..but helps).

Regards
Peter Gwee

[primavera]

Yeah, the second pic is a bladderwort alright, Urticularia sp. I had some of those entangled in my riccia, and considering its almost the same light green colour, I did not notice it spreading until it was too late. If spotted early, try pulling it out by hand or with a skewer. Its more easily done on moss than riccia, I can tell you.

I still find it from time to time among my plants, but just an interesting point to note, Amano sometimes use it to hold down his riccia. If you look closely at his pics, some of the bubbles on riccia are not bubbles but 'bladders' of the bladderwort. Those bladders are for capturing small prey, yeah, its carnivorous. Also, they bear pretty little yellow flowers if you keep them floating on still surface long enough to form a mat, under intense sunlight of course. I have them blooming in my waterlily vats outside in the garden.

[michael lai]

Hi Grey Fox,
I had the same thing, I also tore the entire moss out from my DW. But I didn't throw away the moss. I pull the whole mess loose and retie thinly on my spare drift woods. I then put it in my spare tank with alot of amanos shrimps. It's not clear yet but I can see good progress from the shrimps.

[grey_fox]

Mine's all down the chute. Reset my moss already. Fresh ones on the DW now. Also as mentioned by Peter Gwee, I believe it was the CO2... I've upped it to 30PPM and can see the plants starting to pearl like mad now.. I've also scrapped/removed/tore out the algae by hand which took me a total of 4-5 hours and now... *my...back...ouch*... ( A very good lesson learnt I must add.... )

I don't want to post a double thread, so I decided to continue with my original thread at http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...315#post160315 asking for more information on the fert regime since now I have painstakingly removed the algae *I know not completely, but majority*.

This thread may be used by others as a reference to the algae/weed that can be evident in a tank and get more feedback & knowledge from it.

[superchevy]

LFS going @ 100 pcs for $10.00

I think Nature Aquarium is $8

It is inexpensive

sorry what is LFS ...anyone care to advise.

[hirowen]

Local Fish Shop