Is this green hair algae?

Kongor

Kongor

Member
Hey guys, picture below:



The reason I'm asking is nothing seems to touch it on my CUC. I got turbos, ceriths, nerites, scarlet hermits, and tons of pods. Nothing really seems interested in it. I even went and bought a lettuce sea slug since I heard they love this stuff and nada... I put the slug right on top of the algae since its a bigger tank and it just decided to get on the glass and hang out right below the water line. Still roams the tank but don't see him touching it.

It is not easy to remove, aka tried blowing it off and it doesn't budge and its growing in some high flow areas.

I haven't tried manual removal with a toothbrush etc yet.

PO4 and NO3 both read 0 but that's obviously skewed with the algae growth. I have a fuge with chaeto, rubble rock, 7 inch sand bed plus carbon and GFO reactor.

Thanks!
 
Paul B

Paul B

Well-Known Member
I even went and bought a lettuce sea slug since I heard they love this stuff and nada... I put the slug right on top of the algae since its a bigger tank and it just decided to get on the glass and hang out right below the water line. Still roams the tank but don't see him touching it.
Click to expand...
Lettuce slugs do not eat hair algae no matter what you read about them. I have raised hundreds of them and wrote a couple of articles about them. That doesn't look like hair algae, it looks like a blurry picture of spinach.
But no matter what it is, it doesn't look like a big deal. I would leave it where it is, go out to dinner, have a nice glass of merlot and forget about it. I just did that and feel fine.
 
Kongor

Kongor

Member
Thanks john, it's currently my favorite softie in my tank. Believe its called a galaxy paly? not sure but its growing pretty good only had it for 2-3 weeks and its got 4 new polys coming in.

Paul this is the species I bought, Lettuce Nudibranch (Tridachia crispata) , not sure if its the same as a lettuce sea slug but I'm pretty sure it is. No matter its a pretty cool animal I was just wondering what this is and if I had a PO4 problem, but that doens't seem to be the case since my LPS and SPS are growing and from what I recall an abundance of P04 will not allow the formation of the skeleton.

My foxface decided to commit suicide (probably under the guilt of stabbing one of my chromis accidentally last year with his poison fins) and somehow jump out of my tank with the canopy on so I might be picking up a bristletooth tang... hopefully it can graze on it and enjoy the meals as it grows back.

I will try and take some clearer pictures of it over the weekend and post them
 
Paul B

Paul B

Well-Known Member
A lettuce slug is an Elisia Crispata. Here is an article I wrote about them. I am not sure what you have as I am not the God of sea slugs but I wish that I were. I would also like to be the God of Supermodels but that also ain't happening although I did date a girl once in Colorado who resembled a flounder. I think that's what drew me to her.

I also don't believe PO4 or nitrate will "cause" any kind of algae but it will "allow" it to grow. My nitrate and PO4 is probably 10 times what it is recommended to be and I have no algae. (No Supermodels either)
That is a shame about your foxface. Maybe he looked in the mirror and didn't like what he saw, sort of like my Flounder faced girlfriend.
That algae doesn't look to be a problem. Algae is not a problem anyway as algae grows on every healthy reef in the sea so all those horror stories about algae are science fiction. As I said, go out and have a nice glass of merlot. I prefer Pino Nior but that is your decision. In either case, don't get crazy reading horror stories about algae. As I said, there is no algae in my tank now and it bothers me. If I see absolutely no algae, I know something is wrong. 97 1/2% of the members here will disagree with me on that, but there is a word I like to use to describe those people, and that word is "wrong" :wave:

Merry Christmas

http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/11846
 
Kongor

Kongor

Member
Thanks for the input Paul, like I said I'm not worried just more curious at this point, it's actually starting to turn greener and looks like turf grass haha

I live CT and go into Long Island sound all the time and add snails I find to my tank along with some ulva sea lettuce... or what looks like it. No problems so far got some hitchhikers I IDed as Stomatella snails and some brittle stars.

Too bad my tank isn't big enough to hold me some stripers lol I always seem to catch the small ones
 
Paul B

Paul B

Well-Known Member
I have been adding stuff from there for decades, Had a few lobsters, crabs and those small strippers.
 
Mike Johnson

Mike Johnson

Well-Known Member
Paul B said:
A lettuce slug is an Elisia Crispata. Here is an article I wrote about them. I am not sure what you have as I am not the God of sea slugs but I wish that I were. I would also like to be the God of Supermodels but that also ain't happening although I did date a girl once in Colorado who resembled a flounder. I think that's what drew me to her.

I also don't believe PO4 or nitrate will "cause" any kind of algae but it will "allow" it to grow. My nitrate and PO4 is probably 10 times what it is recommended to be and I have no algae. (No Supermodels either)
That is a shame about your foxface. Maybe he looked in the mirror and didn't like what he saw, sort of like my Flounder faced girlfriend.
That algae doesn't look to be a problem. Algae is not a problem anyway as algae grows on every healthy reef in the sea so all those horror stories about algae are science fiction. As I said, go out and have a nice glass of merlot. I prefer Pino Nior but that is your decision. In either case, don't get crazy reading horror stories about algae. As I said, there is no algae in my tank now and it bothers me. If I see absolutely no algae, I know something is wrong. 97 1/2% of the members here will disagree with me on that, but there is a word I like to use to describe those people, and that word is "wrong" :wave:

Merry Christmas

http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/11846
Click to expand...

Must be nice to be smarter than 97 1/2 percent of other reef keepers. Or maybe more than one glass of Merlot?
 
Paul B

Paul B

Well-Known Member
I am far from being as smart as most members here. I didn't go to college (I am rather proud of that) and I can't get into the philosophical conversations here. I am an electrician, nothing more or less. But I got me a fish tank :wave:
 
G

gbose

Member
Paul B,

I'd recommend against keeping a SM unless you have a really large tank and a lot of time available. I understand they are very high maintenance, with complicated dietary requirements and need lots of exercise. Not sure how big your tank is, but I think you'd want 1-2,000 Gallons for an adult specimen. You'll also want a refugium, where you can breed copepods, in case your SM won't accept flake food (I believe many do not, and just starve away -- though it's hard sometimes to tell whether they are starving or always look like that).

Really only recommended for experts. Good luck with your slugs!

GBose
 
Mr.Reeefer

Mr.Reeefer

Member
Paul,

You stated your nitrates and phosphates are ten times what they are "meant" to be at, care to explain the sense behind the madness for me?

Also, try multiplying your bank account balance by ten, that seems to work for supermodels :laugh:
 
lcstorc

lcstorc

Well-Known Member
Paul has a very unique and very natural tank. Most reefkeepers try to keep nitrates and phosphates as close to 0 as possible. Since Paul prefers a more natural method of reefkeeping he is happy to let various algaes grow. His tank is over 40 years old and looks great so obviously he is doing something "right". Check out his thread.
 
Mr.Reeefer

Mr.Reeefer

Member
Ics,

The question was directed to Paul, as I have read his thread and know he has an unorthodox technique and would like his insight into this.

I am a person who tries to keep phosphates at zero also however, I like some nitrates in my water also for my own reasons which is a little experiment I have going on, but am I wrong in saying we should ALL be trying to keep a "natural" environment for our animals?

Since Paul has such an unusual method to just about everyone else on here and has successfully kept his reef going for 40 years, I wanted his explanation to his actions to see if they are similar to my theories or completely different.

thank you
 
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