This stuff grows slowly on the ceramic filter media balls that I keep in my culture jar (a gallon of brackish water specifically for growing heavy amounts of sand bacteria, algae, and biofilm in case I need to inoculate new water ). I have assumed this stuff was a blue-green alga species but now I am not so sure. It smells earthy and maybe a bit bitter, not foul, and it isn't (yet?) a slime. It forms a puffy velvety nub on several of the ceramic balls. (See photo, ignore the thready Chaeto, I'm talking about the dark blob.)
It is a deep green rather than yellowish-green color and I actually like it. If it would cover the media balls it would look cool, sorta like moss balls. I'm concerned though because the opae ula and Malaysian trumpet snails don't seem to eat it. I don't want it suddenly exploding and fouling both my culture jar and the opae ula tank, or putting out toxins.
It is a deep green rather than yellowish-green color and I actually like it. If it would cover the media balls it would look cool, sorta like moss balls. I'm concerned though because the opae ula and Malaysian trumpet snails don't seem to eat it. I don't want it suddenly exploding and fouling both my culture jar and the opae ula tank, or putting out toxins.
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Photo on 9-6-24 at 10.23 AM 2.jpg (83.17 KiB) Viewed 25226 times
Photo on 9-6-24 at 10.23 AM #2 2.jpg (89.71 KiB) Viewed 25226 times