# ID Help



## Auban (Aug 8, 2010)

what i know is that this is an algae. what i dont know for sure is what exactly it is. has anyone seen this before?

what algae grows in fresh water and looks like this?


----------



## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

Filament Algae


----------



## rtmaston (Jul 14, 2012)

hey reefing-madness what causes that type of algae?thanks


----------



## oldpunk (Dec 9, 2012)

Where did you get it? Is it growing in your tank? I've never seen/heard of that actually being a problem in a planted tank. 

The only time I've seen it, it's been growing on the surface of a pond/river/lake.


----------



## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

Ive seen it, but i've only seen that type in a SW tank, never in a FW tank. But thats sure what it looks like to me.


----------



## Auban (Aug 8, 2010)

this stuff is very brittle, holds its shape very well, and grows in the areas of my tank with highest flow. i havent encountered another filamentous algae(in fresh water) that resembles it. can anyone point me to a species name, or genus that produces something like this? anything not saltwater anyway. if i can rule everything else out, it only leaves one option...


----------



## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

Two main types: hair and thread. Hair algae have shorter strands than thread algae (around 5cm in length) and tends to form matted clumps. Thread algae have much longer strands (as long as 30cm) and is often an indicator of excess iron. Both are quite easily removed with a toothbrush.


----------



## rtmaston (Jul 14, 2012)

is there any type of scaverger that will eat that type of algae?


----------



## oldpunk (Dec 9, 2012)

rtmaston said:


> is there any type of scaverger that will eat that type of algae?


Amano shrimp 'might' eat it.


----------



## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Fresh water chato? I know you love reading Auban so hope this works
http://www.algaebase.org/pdf/AC100CF00f55a160C8QqU3DD1283/32746.pdf


----------



## Auban (Aug 8, 2010)

im most certainly not going to remove this stuff... it has strands that are a over a mm thick, which i have never seen in freshwater. im going to grow it out and see what it does. it looks and feels exactly like chaeto, but its growing in freshwater...

if it is some feshwater algae that i just havent encountered yet, yay for me. i dont think i have ever heard of a freshwater counterpart to Chaeto before. if it is Chaeto, it makes me wonder what other marine algaes can be converted to freshwater. 

the tank it is in was a saltwater tank before it was drained and converted to freshwater, which had chaeto in it. after i grow it out some more, would anyone be interested in samples? you kinda have to see it and feel it to know how unusual the texture is for a freshwater algae.


----------



## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

I'll check it out and compare it to my chato and other macros.I've got some that are tough like you say.Nature is amazing!PM me and I'll split shipping if you're in.


----------



## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Sorry but here's another link to FW chaetomorpha; skip downloading adobe if it says to and see.
http://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/cytologia1929/61/2/61_2_179/_pdf


----------



## Auban (Aug 8, 2010)

ill just send it to you... dont worry about shipping. if this is Chaeto, its a very interesting find.

for the few months this tank was set up in north carolina with fresh water, i never saw it. here in california though, the kh is over 200 mg/l  whereas it was nearly unreadable in the soft acidic water we had in north carolina. that made me suspect that it was responding to the KH, so i went and added some aragonite to the tank. about half of it dissolved in a couple days and now the algae is growing much faster. i think within a few weeks ill have some sizable portions to send out.


----------



## Auban (Aug 8, 2010)

still no match. while im pretty sure it IS a chaeto, none of the ones listed so far have a cell diameter that is anywhere close to what this stuff has. it is single stranded with multinucleate cells, but the sizes and proportions are totally different.


----------



## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

I have little understanding of the phrasing I read in such science orienated text.You seem to speak what I read in the second link(which still leaves me ;blah blah blah), BUT if it was a quiz show or guess theme game with your picture as clue:I ring in (even being penalised for wrong answer)"What is Chaeto".I think it IS chaeto also.I don't get nucli,or the true size diff,but if it looks like,smells like, there certainly appears to be a FW version of chaeto and algae are common in both FW/SW ,why wouldn't they link or have similiar types.I think it IS FW chaeto.Like you said,I would not want to remove either,it is a very uncommon thing(not meaning good/or bad),just rare.An acheivement in any respect.I dig your experiment and to repeat my self from"stupid high light" ; if we all did what we were told and followed all the"rules",there would be no discovery,new creation, or improvements.Rules are great for those who lack understanding,but if you know why?, or what for? then a tweak or a dash of this(in good measure) can only lead to more USEFULL INSIGHT,and answers that many of us crave.Bravo, and thanks for sharing what most,including myself have never seen or even thought about.I dig your post! Thanks.


----------

