# Green Brush Algae? Is it bad?



## Bunfoo (Jan 14, 2012)

I picked some driftwood out of our lake today but it's got what resembles black brush algae, but is bright green. Can there be green brush algae? If so, is it harmful to aquatic life? If it isn't, will shrimps eat it? I am going to finally invest in a Fluval Edge and want ti make it into a shrimp tank, but haven't been able to actually grow any kind of algae...anywhere. Even outside I can't seem to get it to grow. 

Should I just pick the little algae clumps off the wood, rinse them, and tie them to one of my other finished driftwoods? There IS a little cyano on the wood too, but I don't think I want that. Is there any way to get it off the brush algae or...?

Edit:

Looks just like this, but very bright green.


----------



## livingword26 (Oct 28, 2010)

BBA can come in a variety of colors. Thats what it looks like to me.


----------



## Bunfoo (Jan 14, 2012)

Good to know! Is it safe for shrimp, and would they eat it? 

Man, I wish there was a list around here with a list and pictures of common algae for shrimp...


----------



## DanCottle (Apr 12, 2011)

You want to grow algae ??? lol. I think we have oppisite ideas here haha. I know my shrimp(cherries and amanos) do not eat BBA.


----------



## Bunfoo (Jan 14, 2012)

Yeah, I was hoping too. It's a little strange but I like how some of them look. Google is telling me now that probably only amano will nibble it, if that, and that mostly it is only a type of fish will eat it. I think I will keep it in it's own little bowl just for the fact it looks pretty. lol. 

If I were to add it into an algae-only tank, would I be able to control it and keep it in one area, if the shrimp would not eat it? I've not had experience with anything algae-ish other than diatoms so far so I don't know how fast it grows.


----------



## livingword26 (Oct 28, 2010)

No one puts BBA in their tank on purpose, and no, you won't be able to control it. It will either take over your tank, or you will, after a long battle, figure out how to kill, it or nuke your tank. I had a piece of driftwood that had BBA on it one time. I took it out of the tank. soaked it in pure bleach, let it dry in the sun, then boiled it several times to get all the bleach out of it. Put it back in the tank, and it had BBA on it within 2 weeks. \

Don't do it.


----------



## Bunfoo (Jan 14, 2012)

Ouch. Okay, definitely won't do that then. Need to find a way to grow some safe algae now without collecting it then, I'm just going to assume anything I take out of that lake might have BBA on it.


----------



## aweeby (Oct 1, 2011)

as with all living things, growth is limited by the characteristics of it's environment. If you provide it with the right conditions, bba will explode, on the other hand, if you keep it in another state of conditions, you'd be able to keep it under control. It really depends. Green brush algae actually looks really cool! (as long as you have it under control)


----------



## Bunfoo (Jan 14, 2012)

It does look neat! I actually really like it. Even if the shrimp didn't eat it I'd be okay with it taking over everything lol. I think I will just pluck some off the wood and grow it in a bowl. I think it's cute. (Just wait - I bet I'll accidentally introduce it to one of my other tanks..nightmare waiting to happen I suppose!)


----------



## TWA (Jan 30, 2012)

You really do not want this algae. Everything else is manageable to me but not BBA. It will be a constant battle until you completely redo the tank. Every other week taking rocks an plants out and bleaching them so they don't die from the algae. Nothing except true SAE eat this algae. And even they are picky when it comes to it.


----------



## m00se (Jan 8, 2011)

These guys speak truth. Do NOT put that in your tank. Seriously


----------



## JoraaÑ (Jun 29, 2009)

Bunfoo said:


> Good to know! Is it safe for shrimp, and would they eat it?
> 
> Man, I wish there was a list around here with a list and pictures of common algae for shrimp...


Here


----------



## Bunfoo (Jan 14, 2012)

Actually, I think it might be beard algae. I've been letting it grow in a little container outside and it doesn't really resemble brush anymore.


----------



## m00se (Jan 8, 2011)

I could be wrong here, but I think they're the same species. They come in all sorts of colors including red, black, blue, and green, and all shades in between. They also change color depending on what nutrients and amounts of light they get....


----------



## Bunfoo (Jan 14, 2012)

I finally found the card for my camera! (I seriously need to buy more of those...)

Sorry I can't get any closer. :icon_frow I just got this camera and haven't had the money to buy a macro lens yet...and neither the kit lens or my zoom is useful in this moment. :hihi:

I think it might be beard algae instead. (Are they the same thing?) I saw the list posted above already but it also listed BBA and cyano so I wasn't sure which ones else were shrimp-safe. I did find a list that says shrimps LOVE beard algae. Is that true? If it is, can I fill a tank with this stuff (and some moss) and they'd be fine? :icon_surp


----------



## Bunfoo (Jan 14, 2012)

One more.









Edit: 

Oh, I see, green beard and black brush are the same? 

http://www.guitarfish.org/algae

So what I have is no good then? I'm going to throw it out. 

Darn! I cannot seem to find or grow any useful algae


----------



## m00se (Jan 8, 2011)

Going a little deeper into that same website you will find:

The Dreaded Cladophora

Sure looks like it to me. I actually LIKE this algae LOL

Of course, I've never had it take over my tank either, and I don't have any now, somehow.


----------



## Bunfoo (Jan 14, 2012)

Hmm, I dunno. It doesn't quite look the same to me, but I am definitely no expert. I can try to take a picture of it while it's under water, if that would help any?

I should add that when i picked off a piece of it, it definitely resembled the first picture, just green. Like a little tuft of algae from single base.


----------



## Bunfoo (Jan 14, 2012)

Under water (sorry, best picture I could get...)


----------



## m00se (Jan 8, 2011)

Hair algae and that's my final offer!


----------



## Bunfoo (Jan 14, 2012)

That's good then, right?  I can grow this for my ghost (and future RCS?) shrimp in their own tank and they'd eat it?


----------



## m00se (Jan 8, 2011)

If you keep it in check by hand harvesting it, sure. I've found that this algae is transitional. That is, the parameters that make it thrive are narrow, and once the chemistry of the tank is disturbed out of that narrow parameter (whatever that is - I've never figured it out) it disappears. Kind of annoying when you WANT an algae and it up and leaves you. 

....now if I could have that kind of luck with BBA....ah...of course not....


----------



## Bunfoo (Jan 14, 2012)

Hopefully I'll keep it alive! The lake I took the wood from is only a few hundred feet from my house and is actually more like a giant pond that we seems to keep pumping our precious well water into, lol. It was a nasty light green when I picked it up but after being in water outside, the shaded part of the algae turned a really nice deep green and even survived the snow we had the night before last, lol. 

How does one propagate it? If I wanted to take it off this wood (because I think this wood has cyano on it and seems to be the root of a tree) and move it to rocks or other wood, do I just ct it off and try and tie it, or will floating it work too?


----------



## m00se (Jan 8, 2011)

As I said above, I don't know how to propagate it. One thing I can tell you is to be very careful hauling things out of your pond without treating them for parasites and bacteria. You're just asking for problems.


----------



## Bunfoo (Jan 14, 2012)

Oops, sorry, not propagate, I meant attach it to things. My bad! I wanted to know it it'll actually attach to something else. 

And yeah, that is one thing I am afraid of. I'm going to try washing and ripping off as much as I can, get it to attach to something else and see if I can grow it in a container with nothing but it and the water for a while. The pond is pretty darn huge and the place where I live treats it (monthly, I believe) for "weeds and parasites" (they're's pretty much nothing alive in there but algae. I don't even think I've seen a fish, lol!) So I'm just going to assume this algae is contaminated so I have to try and clean it anyways. I've got a few months before I am ready to get shrimp so I'm hoping that'll be plenty of time to get it going without bacteria and parasites - hopefully..


----------



## m00se (Jan 8, 2011)

Google "bleach dip aquarium plants". 1:19 ratio is the usual quoted ratio bleach to water. 3-5 minutes for resilient plants. That should kill off *most* parasites (and might kill your algae too - I didn't say it would work. Just one method out of several). Other options are potassium permanganate and regular old drug store hydrogen peroxide.

What your "place where you live" treats it with ought to interest you too. There are some vile organophosphate derivatives for plant and insect control...things you don't even want micrograms-worth near an aquarium.

Many people use black cotton sewing thread to attach moss to driftwood/objects. It eventually dissolves and isn't too noticeable. Then there are "moss walls" made with plastic mesh "sandwiches" that you put your moss (algae) in the middle of. All google-able for plenty of examples and ideas.

Good luck


----------



## Bunfoo (Jan 14, 2012)

Hmm that's true. I will ask at the office what they treat with and how much. 

Thanks much for your help!


----------



## ucantimagine (Jan 8, 2012)

My Amanos went to town on it for the first 3 days, now they're losing the battle. lol


----------



## Bunfoo (Jan 14, 2012)

I kind of want to grow it on everything in the tank.  It'll be one of the only things in the tank (hopefully some other GOOD algae will turn up..) so it's ok if it takes over the tank. 
I finally got a hold of a couple tanks (60g,15g,3g) at the swap meet this morning, so I am going to try and de-rim the 3g and see how that goes. If I manage not to destroy it/kill myself in the process, I'll see if I can get this stuff to grow in there. Main problem is the 3g is a reptile(Or bug? Something..) tank, it does hold water with no leaks but I have no idea how it'll do once derimed. Wish me luck!


----------



## TWA (Jan 30, 2012)

You have no idea what you're doing... 
If you let it grow in your tank you'll regret it of you ever move on from the novice stage in fishkeeping. You'll hate this algae.


----------



## ucantimagine (Jan 8, 2012)

I agree with TWA and everyone else telling you not to do it. I guess you aren't planning on any other plants in the tank because the algae will just smother and kill everything. It is not attractive at all and once it gets going it will grow inches overnight. Dwarf Shrimp do not eat the algae. Even my Amanos ignore most of it and instead go for whatever else is in the tank, only taking algae as a snack. And I only feed them a small amount 2-3 times a week.
When I first got it, I thought it looked cool on the driftwood. But it doesn't just stay on the driftwood. It invades the substrate, the plants. I was told "a little hair algae is like a little VD." Boy was Dogfish right. lol

You will want to take back control of your tank and this stuff does not go down without a fight.


----------

