Algae Identification Help

ReefSoup

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Hey all,

Looking for some help identifying what's going on in the attached picture. I added my first corals about a month ago and while I'm getting new growth, I'm having a bit of an algae issue, especially on my zoas. It started off as a bit of what I assumed was just green algae on the frag plug and I wasn't too concerned. Well now it's turned into this ugly mess which looks to me like a combination of bryopsis and some other green algae and is spreading to the adjacent rocks. Any suggestions on exactly what it is and any treatment before it gets worse?

Algae_20200610.jpg
 

andrewey

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I believe you are dealing with two pests- the stalks are likely bryopsis or a wire algae. The mat looks like the green variant of cyanobacteria.
 
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ReefSoup

ReefSoup

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My wife was able to use a microscope at work and take a look at a sample of what's in the photo. It was tough to get a photo, but at a lower magnification, this is what showed:
IMG-3070.png
IMG-3072.jpg


To me, it doesn't quite look like the examples I've seen of bryopsis under a microscope, but is this enough for anyone to give a positive ID?

At a slightly higher magnification, the green to me looks like it has the cell structure of algae and not the typical "chain" formation cyano would display:

IMG-3073.jpg


Thoughts? I want to make sure I get a positive ID before I find and start appropriate treatment.
 

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