Red Gracilaria dying - 7/28/08 I got red Gracilaria in a couple days ago and looked very healthy. since then it has started to turn green and looks like its going to keep decaying until there is no more of it left. I have it in my 10 gal tank with Chaeto. I have about a 2-3 inch sand bed with a few pieces of live rock and 5 hermits. I'm using a 20" 40 watt 50/50pc light and there is a good flow of water through the tank. I was wondering if it just needs time to adjust or am I doing something wrong? I use iodine, purple up, and iron for supplements for the tank. <This is a very small tank, and it will be hard to accurately dose/ maintain stable levels of these things. Frequent water changes should help, perhaps a gallon change every few days to start...otherwise, this algae can be fickle even in well-established, large systems. Also, please take care to punctuate, capitalize correctly in future correspondence; this is for posterity, you know. Benjamin>

Aiptasia infestation & quarantine question Dear Crew,  <Hi Paul, MacL here with you this fine and lovely day.> Last week, I obtained a half-pound of live Gracilaria parvispora (Ogo) from a dealer in Hawaii. I specifically asked the dealer if I needed to quarantine the Ogo before adding it to my downstream marine refugium. His emailed reply was no. <First and foremost, quarantine everything!> Upon adding the Ogo to my refugium, I noticed a few dead amphipods. A few days later, I discovered three 1-inch Aiptasia specimens attached to the glass and to a clump of Ogo. I've never had Aiptasia in my tanks before. After spending all night throwing out everything in my refugium including live rock, quarantining the Ogo in a bucket after the fact, sanitizing my refugium and hoping that the Aiptasia hasn't made it to the main tank, are there any other precautions I should take?  <You should be aware that lots of people use Aiptasia in refugiums for nutrient export. On the other hand its possible that this dealer was unaware that he had Aiptasia in his Ogo. Most people are going to say that you don't have to quarantine grasses etc before you put them in your tank because usually they come out of a situation where they've been used for nutrient export.> Regarding the dealer, should I simply warn him to check his Ogo tanks for Aiptasia or should I also demand my money back? What is customary?  <I might email him and tell him that you ended up having to put the Ogo in quarantine because you found some Aiptasia in it and you didn't want to chance having that go into your tank. I'm sure he didn't mean you any harm, but if you feel very strongly about it you might see if he's willing to give your money back or perhaps you two can come to a compromise. You'll need to treat the Ogo in quarantine to remove the Aiptasia from what's there.> 

Aiptasia Infestation Dear Crew,  <Hi Paul, MacL here with you again today.> (1) If Aiptasia is used in refugiums for nutrient export, how does one prevent the Aiptasia from contaminating the main aquarium?  <The people I know who are using it in this manner are keeping in enclosed in their sumps. So far they are telling me that they are not having it move. I personally wouldn't like to take the chance. One person I know who is cultivating it in their refugium has a second tank with softies that contains peppermint shrimps and copperband butterflies in the line before his main tank, so he controls them that way.> (2) Is it common for growers of Gracilaria parvispora to culture it in tanks with amphipods and other marine creatures, such as Aiptasia?  <With pods, definitely. With Aiptasia, probably not. But there are many people who don't view Gracilaria the way that others do. To them its a nuisance. This is something that is changing as more people begin to use it in their refugiums.> (3) Are you aware of any suppliers of live Gracilaria parvispora and Chaetomorpha linum within the 48 states? (I live in Colorado.)  <Honestly no I'm not unless Inland Aquatics has it. However, I do know that there are lots of people trading it on lots of websites. One with people close to your area would be www.reeffrontiers.com. They have a lot of people based in the western United States who are using Chaetomorpha.> Thanks very much.  <Its been lovely to talk with you Paul, if we can be of any further assistance please let us know. MacL> 

Ogo and quarantine   03/07/06 Hi, <Aloha> I ordered some Ogo from Indigo <Hee! Will send to Gerald, Heslinga... Indo-> Pacific Sea Farms about a week ago. It is currently in a 15 gallon qt tank. It is under 96 watts of PC light, and it is being tumbled around by a powerhead which might be too powerful.  Salinity is 1.025, temp is 80 degrees, PH 8.3, no ammonia nitrite or nitrate, calcium 400, and the water is RO/DI. My problem is I don't know if it is doing all that well. The plants <Algae> are still red, but the tips might be turning slightly white. <Not atypical> Is this from two much light? <Likely "just" shipping, stress> I would hate to lose the Ogo before I had a chance to use it, so is it safe to add some to the tank for food for my tangs, <Yes> or should I wait the two week quarantine period. <Are you concerned re Aiptasia, or? I would search through it, feed a bit off, move some to other quarters for culture (if you have them)...> I contacted IPSF and they said quarantine was not necessary, but I am still a little leery about putting it in the tank. So do you think this okay, or should I wait? Thank you, Aron <I wouldn't likely. Bob Fenner, who will eating Gracilaria in pokes on the Big Island in another day or so>

The Real Deal With Bob... and red algae Hello Steve or Anthony, or however else might be answering Bob's email, So what's the deal with Bob, is he really in a show, or symphony? It just seems like you guys are kidding around. If he really is, I'd like to go attend a show. That would be neat to see him with yet another hat on: Bob the marine aquarist, Bob the runner, Bob the diver, Bob the traveler, Bob the landlord. <Actually the truth must be told sometime... Bob is using us as a test to work the site while he searches for greener pastures. Seriously, greener pastures... he wants to be an Alpaca shepherd in South America and he is taking classes on birthing large hoofed livestock in preparation. Anthony><<Heeeeee! Love a llama! RMF>> Any who, I have a small problem, I bought some red algae (don't know what kind - it looks like a fern, but red).  <a lot of Red kelp on rock is shipped out of Indo and sold in LFS reef tanks> Slowly over the months it has lost it's color. New shoots are red but eventually turn light pink or white. <typical... some species need extremely bright light> Specifics: 55g reef tank, 1 Kole tang, 2 cleaner shrimp, 75lbs. live rock, Berlin system, pH=8.2, no ammonia, no nitrates, Ca=400ppm, alk=8.5 ( and it does fluctuate some), and 384W power compact lighting on a 12 hour cycle. The algae is located high up in the tank. (???) <probably good, but I'd need a picture or a name to fine tune the advice for you> Also, my coralline algae is bleaching.  <what are you day, night pH readings, calcium and alkalinity? Also, are the corallines bleaching throughout the tank or restricted to an area? Also, have you upgraded your lighting recently (sudden bright lights bleach corallines easily. will recover in time> I do add a 2part alk and calcium supplement every other day. Any ideas on what is wrong? (Hope that was enough information.) Thanks for any advice, Jana <best regards, Anthony>