Algae ID - guesses from photos, then some microscopy

[Privateye]

Hey all,

I have some algae that looks like something I've only seen a few times, or at least I think that's what I saw before...

...I'll pull the microscope out of the closet soon, but since I have a guess I wanted to let others guess first too.

My guess concerns the golden color!

 

[itselenababe]

It kind of looks like some type of sponge but I could be completely wrong in that, I’ve been out of the hobby for a few years now and just getting back into it

 

[EnterName]

Following.

If it's not a sponge I'm going to take a blind guess and say some chrysophytes might be able to create this weird mass. They create weird growths sometimes that doesn't have to be slimy, and they are quite rare in reef tanks so that might explain why we don't see this kind of growth very often.

Your microscope will help a great deal with the identification. We will see spicules if it's a sponge and individual cells if it turns out to be chrysophytes or some other algae.

If it just looks like debris then it might be bacterial, but that will depend on the magnification your microscope can achieve. If possible I would try taking a look at it under 200x and 400x magnification.

 

[Privateye]

Following.

If it's not a sponge I'm going to take a blind guess and say some chrysophytes might be able to create this weird mass. They create weird growths sometimes that doesn't have to be slimy, and they are quite rare in reef tanks so that might explain why we don't see this kind of growth very often.

Your microscope will help a great deal with the identification. We will see spicules if it's a sponge and individual cells if it turns out to be chrysophytes or some other algae.

If it just looks like debris then it might be bacterial, but that will depend on the magnification your microscope can achieve. If possible I would try taking a look at it under 200x and 400x magnification.

I was thinking the same thing - chrysophytes (these blobs are goopy, and there are still a couple of small ones on the glass). I haven't seen them in my tanks before, but I have in some research systems. I couldn't send photos from those places though, so I got excited to have some of my own. Now I can ask whether my previous ID was correct! These look the same.

Here are the pics. I included a photo of some dinos too for size comparison. The highest magnification I used was 400x. I apologize for the quality - these were taken with my phone.

Chrysophytes? If so I'm not worried. They're already going away on their own. My tank is just going through some algae dynamics while I'm cleaning it up. I thought it might be worth sharing though.

 

[Privateye]

I keep trying to delete the photos on the bottom (taken with a lesser microscope) but they keep coming back for some reason...

 

[EnterName]

I keep trying to delete the photos on the bottom (taken with a lesser microscope) but they keep coming back for some reason...

There is an attachment list at the bottom which holds old images that were once added before. You have to delete the images there, too or they will be re-attached.

Delete them here when editing your post:

The image quality is insufficient to tell you what exactly we are dealing with but as they are smaller than dinos and still individual cells I would say Chrysophytes is possible. I would love to find some for my microscopy thread as well, but I'm unsure if what I found are Chrysophytes... they come in many different shapes. If I can find an image or video I will share it here in a few minutes. Maybe you can compare them.

I'm still in the identification process so it's possible they are also just odd diatoms... (the lengthy things are obviously diatoms, I'm talking about the round-ish blobs)

(Magnification: x630)

(Magnification: x630)

(Image showing the potential siliceous cyst)
​

I don't see any flagella though, so it's probably something else entirely.

These ones might look similar to yours (at least on a microscopic level): https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/c...fy-treat-and-remove-it-from-your-tank.299585/

 

[Privateye]

There is an attachment list at the bottom which holds old images that were once added before. You have to delete the images there, too or they will be re-attached.

Thank you! Deleted.

Does this zoom help? Same mag, same photo, but more zoom. These are non-motile for sure. They're embedded in a matrix of goo.

Also, I stored the sample (pipette bulb-full) in the fridge overnight before taking the photos. The cloudy patches are because I didn't use a cover slip, so there's some 3D structure going on.

 

[EnterName]

There is an attachment list at the bottom which holds old images that were once added before. You have to delete the images there, too or they will be re-attached.

Thank you! Deleted.

Does this zoom help? Same mag, same photo, but more zoom. These are non-motile for sure. They're embedded in a matrix of goo.

Also, I stored the sample (pipette bulb-full) in the fridge overnight before taking the photos. The cloudy patches are because I didn't use a cover slip, so there's some 3D structure going on.

The shape is too ambiguous. There are so many microalgae species that have just some round/oval shape. I don't think I will be able to tell for certain what we are looking at.

However, I can't see any spicules so it doesn't seem to be a sponge and the weird blob points toward a less common nuisance like chrysophytes. I think the issue will resolve itself but would still remove the stuff without disturbing it too much if possible.