Red vein like things growing on glass.

I have some interesting things growing on my tank walls. It literally looks like veins. They are maybe a half inch long, with 1/8 to 1/4 in branches. Each branch seems to have a thin white streak coming out of the end that is about 1/2 in. Here is a photo.

 

I can't say I know what they are, you would think scrap them off if they bother you but sorry can't help :-\

 

I can't say I know what they are, you would think scrap them off if they bother you but sorry can't help :-\

I don't want to scrape them off until I know what they are. Pretty weird looking. They are multipling fairly well. I hope they aren't a problem lol.

 

They don't seem to spread or anything so I'm gonna let a couple go . I'll just have to see what happens.

 

It looks like Aglae... I'll research it.

 

It has to be algae...I can't find anything like it.

 

Do you have any coral that is that color that could be "seeding" the glass? The stuff looks a little angular for algae (not saying it isn't algae, there are millions of kinds, and I certainly haven't seen them all, not by a long shot)

 

It looks like a little microalgae. What kind of texture is it?

 

If it is algae, you can harvest it and sell it. Just do a search for "Red Marine Algae" and you'll find people selling it as a cure for herpes, the common cold, impotence, and a slew of other things.

 

lol

 

I don't have any coral that I know of. It had to have come on live rock. It is really small and doesn't grow very fast so I don't think I'm gonna make any money off of it lol. It is still a mystery.

 

the mysterious Alien Algae...

 

Ever figure out what that is? I have it now.

 

How bad is it ?

 

Not bad. I count 3 little "veins" on the glass. It looks a lot like something that is growing on the rock as well, not very far from the affected glass. I can try to get a picture, but my camera does not seem to do too well at the zoom levels needed for a good pic. Gozer's pic is spot on to what I have, minus the green/brown algae...just the red "veins". Any ideas?

 

Still clueless. It never gets out of hand. I find it on rocks here and there. It seems to come and go. Very weird.

 

If it's not out of control, it probably isn't a problem. In fact, you can use it as an indicator of health. If you know that your tank is currently healthy, and this stuff is appearing at this rate, keep an eye on it in addition to your tests. If it goes away or suddenly blossoms, you could very well have an issue.

 

Updating old posts.

Still unknown, still show up now and again. Who knows lol More on the rocks than on the glass now though. Strange little growth.