Calciferous algae bleaching

[RobertoVespucci]

I bought three calciferous algaes yesterday. Within an hour both of the shaving brush types started bleaching. This morning the fan is pale too. Is there a way to tell if they are going sexual or if I need to add iron? Will adding iron reverse this?

 

[Anonymous]

When they go sexual, it is not reversible. The stress of moving it from one tank to another probably set it on, and it has little, if any, relationship with iron deficict. If you are lucky, you may end up with a bunch of baby brushes...

 

[RobertoVespucci]

Will it start another cycle do you think?

 

[Anonymous]

Probably not, but it does happy to some macro that went sexual, such as Halimeda.

 

[Anonymous]

This really cool macro algae is a calcareous algae. Shaving Brush is a beautiful marine macro algae used primarily as a decorative plant. Use in your show tank or in your refugium. It does best planted in an argonite sand or established fine crushed coral substrate. Expect it to die off some during transplanting. Do not remove seemingly dead plants. The plant will come back from the hold fast (roots).

So they can come back. I received from ebay three halimeda and all were bleached. They did try to green up but now weeks later only one is still growing.

From what I understand brushes and fans do need calcium. If your nitrates are already low they may not be getting enough nutrients.

but I would give them time to recover. And there should be no deap cycles. These are not like other macros. And any cycle you do experience should be short lived if you have plenty of other plant life to consume the cycle nutrients.

 

[RobertoVespucci]

Cool.

 

[RobertoVespucci]

When they go sexual, it is not reversible. The stress of moving it from one tank to another probably set it on, and it has little, if any, relationship with iron deficict. If you are lucky, you may end up with a bunch of baby brushes...

Ok, now that there are several hundred of these things stuck to the glass, are you prepared to take responsability for the babies we've created? :?


Really, I do have copious numbers of the things. I'm going to see how long I can keep them alive. They may end up being my first trade! Weeee! Erg, too bad they're in a nano.

 

[Anonymous]

IME, they don't grow on glass... the spores seem to have special surface requirement as to where they will attach.

 

[RobertoVespucci]

There is one in the sand that is several times bigger than those on the glass. It already has a stalk and everything. Think I ought to gently scrape these guys off to see if they'll do better in the sand?

 

[Anonymous]

It is very interesting to see them growing on the glass... take a pic, and it will be nice to share it.

Don't move it unless you want it off the glass. If it attach there, it will suffer if you scrape it off.

 

[RobertoVespucci]

The largest ones on the glass have dramatically changed appearance in the last 3-4 hours. I think this is where you to tell me that I'm the proud owner of baby hair algae. So, do I scrape this **** off the glass and risk spreading it or hope it dies on its own?

 

[Anonymous]

That doesn't look like any type of classic macroalgae to me. Looks just like Bryopsis or something similar.

 

[RobertoVespucci]

Do I scrape it off or see if it dies on its own?

 

[Anonymous]

I think you would want to scrape it off just like anything else. Just to be able to see your tank.

that pic looks like something falling out of the sky. :lol:

 

[RobertoVespucci]

Thanks.

 

[Anonymous]

Pretent you think it is a shaving brush, and sell it on eBay and I bet you can get $20 + $15 overnight shipping....

 

[RobertoVespucci]

I'm a greasy slimebag, but not that slimey.