Re: [APD] The cure for Green Dust Algae (Akistrodesmus) infestations

[Stuart Halliday <stuart at stuarthalliday_com>]

I believe Thomas Barr wrote this email section below:
> I orgnially identified this species found in our aquaria a few
> years ago(GSA, BGA, Staghorn as well). 
> 
> This species is likely Akistrodesmus falcatus (Corda)
> The films we typically see are almost pure cultures of
> zoospores(asexual) and are motile.

What brought this thread on Thomas? :-)


> You will note upon cleaning the glass, they seem to grow back in
> 30-90 minutes. This is not **new growth**, the alga's zoospores
> simply swim around after being scrubbed off, find a nice lit
> clean surface and begin to grow(the glass seems to be the
> favorite place). It's rarely on plants or wood etc.  

So you're talking about the tiny threads of algae that grow on the glass of
tanks or is it the round green 'disks' that develop?


> The cure is deceptively simple:
> Leave it the heck alone.
> Do nothing, let it grow, do not wipe the glass, after about
> 10-20 days, the film will produce patchy thicker patterns and
> parts of the film will fall off. At this point you can go in and
> clean it off.


Why does it die? Surely all plants grow and reproduce.

Why would it just die off?

> I attack these myths barbarically often times, but it's because
> they are myths and I know they are because I've done a fair
> amount of background test and observations on the algae as well
> as taxonomy, culture, repeatable test, methods to cure it that
> do not cost $$$. Myths are not people, they are just bad ideas. 

I'm all of blasting into Myths and snake oils.


-- 
Stuart Halliday
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