Please help with exact algae identification

[Skywater]

Hello my friends. Looking for the exact identification of this species of

algae. Grows quickly in the algae scrubber. Pic shows 16 days since zero in algae scrubber. The algae is soft and the Turbo snail loves it. Pic in cup of about a 2¹/⁴ inch diameter.

 

[VintageReefer]

It’s the same stuff my surf2 scrubber grows. Some form of turf algae, I’ve heard it referred to as sea lettuce.

Everyone’s tank has spores for algae that lack the conditions to make it grow. The surf 2 has conditions for certain algae, and grows it from the spores in the water.

Are you just curious what the scrubber is growing?

 

[Skywater]

It’s the same stuff my surf2 scrubber grows. Some form of turf algae, I’ve heard it referred to as sea lettuce.

Everyone’s tank has spores for algae that lack the conditions to make it grow. The surf 2 has conditions for certain algae, and grows it from the spores in the water.

Are you just curious what the scrubber is growing?

Good to hear from the VintageReefer.
Yes I was looking for an exact identification. Thankyou for the response.

 

[VintageReefer]

Good to hear from the VintageReefer.
Yes I was looking for an exact identification. Thankyou for the response.

I have not been able to identify it. it’s pretty unique and people won’t have this growing in their tank. It needs extremely high par, more than most corals. It needs direct contact with oxygen / air exposure. It needs the right surfaces to be able to attach and root. The right flow. The display tank just doesn’t meet the conditions typically so majority of people won’t know what it is. Unless they are algae experts lol

From my attempts best I can come up with is a form of sea lettuce. It’s extremely good at soaking up phosphates and nitrates, grows faster than cheato, and is noninvasive. Snails will eat it and many tangs will also. My tang wouldn’t at first but was trained to eat it

It’s not even the same algae that other algae scrubbers grow

 

[Skywater]

I have not been able to identify it. it’s pretty unique and people won’t have this growing in their tank. It needs extremely high par, more than most corals. It needs direct contact with oxygen / air exposure. It needs the right surfaces to be able to attach and root. The right flow. The display tank just doesn’t meet the conditions typically so majority of people won’t know what it is. Unless they are algae experts lol

From my attempts best I can come up with is a form of sea lettuce. It’s extremely good at soaking up phosphates and nitrates, grows faster than cheato, and is noninvasive. Snails will eat it and many tangs will also. My tang wouldn’t at first but was trained to eat it

It’s not even the same algae that other algae scrubbers grow

Yes VintageReefer is correct. Bryan at Santa Monica Filtration, the genius behind the Surf2 algae scrubbers just identified this as Ulva Intestinalis.
A couple of followup questions. I wonder if anyone has used the Surf2 type algae scrubber in seahorse tanks? Perhaps even dwarf seahorses. Also it seems like this would be the perfect filter in a amphipod culturing tank...anyone used one for this yet? In the 1980s, when I kept seahorses, filtration and water flow were a challenge...to many water changes. Would have loved to have Surf2 back then...nitrates and phosphates turned into algae with airdriven upflow filter...amphipods and copepods thriving in the algae...seahorse food...

 

[Subsea]

“A distinctive green algae that is in the family Ulvales. It's both a temperate and sub tropical species found in slightly different forms worldwide. This particular algae features long, slippery hollow tubes rising from the center of the plant attached by a single holdfast. The Latin term "Enteromorpha" literally means intestine-shaped. It grows in small clumps at the low tide zone attached to mangrove roots, shells and coarse substrate. Enteromorphacan tolerates a wide range of salinities from 17 ppt. to 40 ppt. and is often found at the base of rivers and brackish water estuaries. Like other species of Ulva, it prefers cooler water temperatures in the aquarium and will not do well in temps over 80 degrees. It's very palatable to fish.”

This grows in several tanks that I have. I would not consider my lighting intense.

 

[VintageReefer]

“A distinctive green algae that is in the family Ulvales. It's both a temperate and sub tropical species found in slightly different forms worldwide. This particular algae features long, slippery hollow tubes rising from the center of the plant attached by a single holdfast. The Latin term "Enteromorpha" literally means intestine-shaped. It grows in small clumps at the low tide zone attached to mangrove roots, shells and coarse substrate. Enteromorphacan tolerates a wide range of salinities from 17 ppt. to 40 ppt. and is often found at the base of rivers and brackish water estuaries. Like other species of Ulva, it prefers cooler water temperatures in the aquarium and will not do well in temps over 80 degrees. It's very palatable to fish.”

This grows in several tanks that I have. I would not consider my lighting intense.

I will revise. The strains we grow are conditioned to high par and the scrubber chamber is ideal for rapid growth. It does not adapt well to conditions typically in displays and usually dies.

As reference this is what mine grows.

 

[Subsea]

I will revise. The strains we grow are conditioned to high par and the scrubber chamber is ideal for rapid growth. It does not adapt well to conditions typically in displays and usually dies.

As reference this is what mine grows.

Add lime juice & soy sauce: good to eat. However, I prefer the crunch of Red Ogo, Gracilaria Parvispora.

PS: what is temperature of the water that you cultivate Ulva. What I copied & pasted was written by Russ Kronwetter, diver/owner of GulfCoast Ecosystems

Marine Plants in the Aquarium

macroalgae, marine plants, caulerpa, refugium substrate, marine macroalgae for sale

www.marineplantbook.com

 

[VintageReefer]

Add lime juice & soy sauce: good to eat. However, I prefer the crunch of Red Ogo, Gracilaria Parvispora.

PS: what is temperature of the water that you cultivate Ulva. What I copied & pasted was written by Russ Kronwetter, diver/owner of GulfCoast Ecosystems

Marine Plants in the Aquarium

macroalgae, marine plants, caulerpa, refugium substrate, marine macroalgae for sale

www.marineplantbook.com

77-78 for me

 

[Skywater]

76⁰ for me. I think on the inside of the scrubber it might average noticeably warmer because of the LEDs. I let the scrubber cool off for a few minutes with just the air driven circulation, and LEDs off before I stop all circulation pumps for fish feeding time.
It is very important to get a variety of ideas from seperate people's experiences. Abundance of information can be valuable. I appreciate the responses.

 

[VintageReefer]

I run mine 19 hours a day. There is a 5 hour period during my tanks day period where the scrubber leds are off.

Air pump is on 24x7