What kind of thread algae is this?

[Petex]

hi,
Did anyone know what algae is this?
photo: http://img4.fotos-hochladen.net/uplo...e52ybrcw07.jpg
Microscope photo: http://www.naturaquaristik-live.de/a....php?id=14860&
I asked a so called "algae expert guy" who shoots that photo, but he also wasn´t able to indentify this algae -nor- how to get ever rid off it.

The algae can build pretty long threads and attach plants. It can´t be fight with lowering light / Blackouts, EC, ferts or so.
It is pretty more stuborn thing like Clado and will still be introduced through new plants.

The biggest problem with this algae is:
If plants are healthy and as better the conditions for the plants = as better this algae will grow for sure.

So this makes killing this thing somehow difficult.
I know that I can kill this algae with H202, but dosing must be very high and I am affraid it will kill my rare plants. So I am looking for a "more safer chemical solution".
Is there any?


thx. peter

[Tug]

Hi peter,
It looks like a non-branching green filamentous algae.
Continue to remove it manually, try and improve water circulation. Most likely your nutrients are not the problem but you might have low levels of Oxygen=poor surface agitation and/or a dirty filter.

I know that I can kill this algae with H202, but dosing must be very high and I am affraid it will kill my rare plants. So I am looking for a "more safer chemical solution".
Is there any?

A 50% weekly water change is the only "chemical solution" I can suggest, sorry.

[nipat]

It seems to be unbranched. And it looks like Spirogyra. But in microscopic picture, there is
no spiral chloroplast. Hmmm.

Oedogonium? But I've never seen it grows this long.


....Mougeotia?

[Petex]

but you might have low levels of Oxygen=poor surface agitation and/or a dirty filter.

Did this look like low Oxygen levels?
http://img4.fotos-hochladen.net/uplo...r6ybac2hjp.jpg
There is no dirty filter, waterflow is good with fine surface agitation + plant grow is fine. But like I told --> as better the plant grow condition --> as better this algae grows.
This is not a "typical algae". It has the same behaviour like Cladophora that "nothing can stop it" - still a little bit more worst: You can not remove it manuelly if it attachs on stones, leafs, gravel and so on.

@Nipat
It didn´t show the "typical" End caps like Oedogonium and seems also no Spirogyra.
I first thought it could be a Microspora, but obvisously it could be also like you say a Mougeotia?
What did we exactly know about those algaes?

[Biollante]

Hi Peter,


Cannot be Cladophora since it is a branching alga.

Quite certain it is not Mougeotia.


Microspora Thuret maybe from macro photograph except, except microphotograph cell walls would have an “H” shape. A look at the ends should reveal distinct holdfast. Microspora is problematic since it is not a well-defined group.

I rather like Microspora for this; can you get microphotograph of the ends?

The fact that you have a hard time removing it suggests to me that it is Oedogonium as its filament has both a holdfast disc and a calyptra.

To me the microphotograph appears to be 40X, magnification Oedogonium, there are a number of “curly” species, I cannot get my brain to come up with the species, I know, I know it.


Oedogonium is usually associated with low CO₂ rather than low DO.



Biollante

[Petex]

Hi Biollante

I rather like Microspora for this; can you get microphotograph of the ends?

unfortunatly my digicam isn´t the best and can´t make/archive better screenshoots:

http://img4.fotos-hochladen.net/uplo...xdfwkug584.jpg

What do you think?
cu Peter

[Biollante]

Hi Peter,


Actually those are pretty good photos!



I like Oedogonium, based on these microphotographs I am sure it is not Microspora.


It is just the macro photograph does not seem like Oedogonium…



Well I will give it some more thought and a bit more searching.


Biollante

[Petex]

So any idea what algae this is?
(Amano shrimp may eat this stuff, but I do not want to put my Amano in the Nano tank)

So, I tested days ago around with this plague and what to do next and came up to the following results:
# This Thread algae did not die @plant safe EC dosing
# This Thread algae did not die @plant safe Monolinuron dosing
# This Thread algae will die @0.5ml H202 Spotthreatment applied via. syringe over 3days (**) and thats pretty safe dosing for "harder" plants like Marsilea sp. - nevertheless, it may harm (but not kill) more sensitive plants. At last it isn´t any big problem to do small H202 Spottrreathments, but I want to get the whole tank 100% free from this weed.

So, I am looking for sugestions about "plant, critters & fish safe H202 dosing for whole tank".
(I know there was a dutch/netherland website with pretty much information about h202 tank dosing (calculator), toxic levels and so on but I have lost the link)

Anyone here with closer H202 experience who can suggest anything?


(** as compare: Cladophora dies @0.3ml Spotthreatment over 2days and this means that this Thread algae is much harder to kill)

[Biollante]

Hi Peter,

Will you tell us about the tank?


Biollante

[Petex]

Tank size is ~4Gal (11Liter) with Pressured Co2 and 12W T4 bulb (HO). [Tank messures 42cm lenght, 17cm deep and 16cm high]
It is not a scape tank, it is simply a tank where I still collection Nano plants (Ammanias, Cupheas, Toninas, Mini Macrandra and so on.)
Here you can see some threads between this (new) InVitro Rotala and Cuphea:
http://www.fotos-hochladen.net/uploads/9kdv87inxq6.jpg

There are not much threads, but enough that it starts to disturbs me.
I can really not need this algae and want to get rid off it. But, in this tank are a few Moskito Boraras, so I do not want any "unsafe H202" fish dosing. I am looking for "fish safe" solution.