Anyone able to ID this interesting looking algae?

[saltyhog]

Sampled a small cyano patch last night and found this cool looking algae among the cyano. I nicknamed it "hangman's noose algae".

 

[taricha]

This actually IS the cyano.
Cyanobacteria is surprisingly mobile. One of the "moves" it has is to twist loops. This brings all of the cyano close together, and it might be one of the mechanisms for cyano to re-clump after it's been scattered or disturbed.

 

[saltyhog]

Interesting! It looks like it's smaller diameter than the untwisted cyano. I'm guessing it has the ability to change diameter and shape. Thanks for the info @taricha (algae whisperer).

 

[taricha]

It looks like it's smaller diameter than the untwisted cyano.

What you posted looks like the cyano I typically have most often. Could you post a pic of your other cyano? I'm sure Dan and I would be interested.

 

[saltyhog]

This is what I have more of.

 

[dwest]

This is what I have more of.

And here I thought I was the king of cyano .

 

[Dan_P]

What you posted looks like the cyano I typically have most often. Could you post a pic of your other cyano? I'm sure Dan and I would be interested.

I would indeed be interested. I am wondering if the larger untwisted filament is what lysed during a recent shipment of a cyano patch sample from Rick.

 

[Dan_P]

The purity of this culture is amazing. @taricha has observed this but I hadn’t appreciated how pure it could be. I am wondering if this characteristic is a clue to why this species proliferates.

 

[taricha]

True, @Dan_P.
I also forgot how humongous the individual cells are in that type.

And to think, a few months ago I thought everybody's red slime cyano mats were the same - oscillatoria.

 

[Dan_P]

True, @Dan_P.
I also forgot how humongous the individual cells are in that type.

And to think, a few months ago I thought everybody's red slime cyano mats were the same - oscillatoria.

@taricha, it would be of interest to examine all previously posted photos of cyano as a quick-and-dirty way to survey the cyanobacteria infecting reef systems. The alternative might be to set up a PO box and solicit samples from willing R2R members. Maybe we can arrange to have a banner placed on contributors masthead “cyano club member”.

Oscillatoria might be the leading contender for ”filamentous cyanobacteria most likely to be annoying me” title. Spirulina and Lyngbya might be the other two.

 

[taricha]

@taricha, it would be of interest to examine all previously posted photos of cyano as a quick-and-dirty way to survey the cyanobacteria infecting reef systems

There might be enough quality microscope shots posted to generate useful data. Might poke around later and see where it goes.

 

[Dan_P]

There might be enough quality microscope shots posted to generate useful data. Might poke around later and see where it goes.

How will you search for posts with pictures?

 

[Tamberav]

Hangman's cyano sounds nice!

 

[taricha]

How will you search for posts with pictures?

Google image search of the r2r forum for cyano OR cyanobacteria microscope yields what looks like hundreds of hits and 10-20% are actually microscope cyano pics with enough detail to be interesting for this purpose.

edit: we'll need to click through the good ones to make sure it's user posted pics and not reposts from elsewhere on the web.

 

[saltyhog]

True, @Dan_P.
I also forgot how humongous the individual cells are in that type.

And to think, a few months ago I thought everybody's red slime cyano mats were the same - oscillatoria.

This one does breakdown in H2O2. What do you think of treating the tank with H2O2 to get it under better control? I don't want to risk it if there's a chance it could make my dino issue return. It doesn't seem to be any kind of threat to my corals, just looks bad and covers up my beautiful corraline algae in spots.

 

[saltyhog]

This one does breakdown in H2O2. What do you think of treating the tank with H2O2 to get it under better control? I don't want to risk it if there's a chance it could make my dino issue return. It doesn't seem to be any kind of threat to my corals, just looks bad and covers up my beautiful corraline algae in spots.

@taricha

 

[Dan_P]

This one does breakdown in H2O2. What do you think of treating the tank with H2O2 to get it under better control? I don't want to risk it if there's a chance it could make my dino issue return. It doesn't seem to be any kind of threat to my corals, just looks bad and covers up my beautiful corraline algae in spots.

When you state that it breaks down in H2O2, does that mean adding the cyano to 3% H2O2?

 

[saltyhog]

When you state that it breaks down in H2O2, does that mean adding the cyano to 3% H2O2?

Yes sir, a couple of cups of tank water and a small piece of the cyano mat , added 3cc of 3% H2O2 and in a couple of hours the water is pink and the cyano is clumped and green.

In the past for me these types of cyano don't respond to Chemiclean.

 

[Dan_P]

Yes sir, a couple of cups of tank water and a small piece of the cyano mat , added 3cc of 3% H2O2 and in a couple of hours the water is pink and the cyano is clumped and green.

In the past for me these types of cyano don't respond to Chemiclean.

Thank you! That works out to be about 90 ppm H2O2. Interesting that the method has such predictive power.

I have been studying the nutritional requirements for cyanobacteria mat formation but I am not having luck cultivating the red-purple cyanobacteria species yet. Who would have thought such pests are picky about where they grow (and maybe, what they eat). They seem to be sensitive once they are removed from their mat in the aquarium. I have killed quite a few filaments. This sensitivity might be a hint for how to cultivate them if I could just decipher the hint

 

[taricha]

This one does breakdown in H2O2. What do you think of treating the tank with H2O2 to get it under better control? I don't want to risk it if there's a chance it could make my dino issue return. It doesn't seem to be any kind of threat to my corals, just looks bad and covers up my beautiful corraline algae in spots.

I really would not attempt to knock out cyano in a tank that is going through or has recently gone through dinos. Because peroxide is more harmful to the cyano that other organisms, then the nutrients fueling cyano will likely quickly be gobbled up by a resurgent dino bloom. I would use the cyano mats as a mechanism for vacuuming up debris and removing it that way.
Think of it as using the fact that cyano seeks out debris to help with manual export of that material.