# weird algae



## John_Auberry (Dec 14, 2006)

I have a weird algae.......any ideas? Its growing like Coraline but its a fresh water tank.


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## TheFishGuy (Apr 21, 2005)

Are the rocks something new to the tank? Did you change the lighting? I kind of like it.....


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## John_Auberry (Dec 14, 2006)

no the rock have be in there for a while though I did move the tank.


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## TheFishGuy (Apr 21, 2005)

So is the sun involved (or not involved) now? 
Is the lighting (meaning the light fixture lighting the room) in the new area different than the old area? 
Is it in a new room or just on a different wall?


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## naegling23 (Jan 4, 2008)

where did those rocks come from?

It looks more like lichens than algae.

It looks kind of neat though.


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## John_Auberry (Dec 14, 2006)

Its in the same location, I had wood floors put in.


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## John_Auberry (Dec 14, 2006)

Its between the door and the window


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## Laurel (Jun 17, 2007)

I have green algae that's beginning to beat out my brown algae, and it's growing in expanding circles like coraline on top of the brown then killing it. Could this be something similar?


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## PsYcHoTiC_MaDmAn (Dec 26, 2005)

looking at it I was reminded of lichens. dont know if they do grow underwater, but thats what my first thoughts are


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## TheFishGuy (Apr 21, 2005)

When you moved the tank did you leave the rocks out during the floor installation? Like outside or something? Also, is the strange lichen looking material hard or soft?

Those were questions that got fired back to me when I talked with a few of my botany friends...

If it's hard it could be calcium deposits, if it's soft you might be growing some form of lichen??

BUT, both people said they've never seen lichens grow under water, only in damp situations...


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## John_Auberry (Dec 14, 2006)

Some of the rocks went on the back porch........some went in a 75g with the fish.. It is a hard crusty algea but flakes off pretty easy. whats a lichen?


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## TheFishGuy (Apr 21, 2005)

A quick google search resulted in a lot of information.... Click on the links 

http://www.earthlife.net/lichens/lichen.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lichen

http://www.lichen.com/


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## naegling23 (Jan 4, 2008)

http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1469-8137.1973.tb02020.x

So, if you look at the abstract, they do mention underwater lichens. So they can grow underwater which solves that question. They definatly look like lichens to me, im going with that. They look neat, I would leave them, I dont think they can harm anything. You could try to scrape them off, but if they are anything like terrestrial lichens then good luck.

I was asking where the rocks came from because if they came from the woods or a stream bed the chance of lichens being transferred is much greater than if you bought them at a garden shop.

Lichens are a symbiotic (cooperative living) relationship between an algae and a fungi.


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## TheFishGuy (Apr 21, 2005)

I didn't read any of the links, just skimmed over them... That's very interesting though, I'll have to let my two friends know :thumb:

So what's the verdict John? Are you gonna keep em or are you gonna bleach em? I've got to be honest with you, I'd keep em, nothing like that ever grows in my tanks :?


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## John_Auberry (Dec 14, 2006)

well they dont seem to be harting anything and Im pretty lazy, so there staying,


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## TheFishGuy (Apr 21, 2005)

John_Auberry said:


> well they dont seem to be harting anything and Im pretty lazy, so there staying,


 :lol: :lol: That's an awesome statement :thumb:


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