Pigmentless Algae???

I have an aquarium that has been setup for about 3 months. I have yet to setup a light but the tank gets whatever light comes from the skylight. I have a bag of Carbon and Nitrate Sponge and it appears that something is growing on the darker areas of the aquarium. I took the video to a local fish store and they told me that it looks like pigmentless algae. Is this true or is there more to the story?

 

I have no idea! looks like frogs spawn to me cause it looks like jelly woth two black dots in the middle!
K

 

Well, with no lights on the aquarium, I tend to agree with the LFS on this one. It is more than likely "Green" hair algae but without light the pigment can not develop. So, I guess we will call it Albino hair algae. Hair algae is part of the cycling of a tank.

 

Albino Hair Algae, I like it! ;D

 

cant have a pigmentless algae, just doesnt work that way, the pigments are what do the photosynthesizing. Probably an invert of some type, or a bacteria explosion. To test to see if it is an algae, boil it first, if the water doesn't turn red it isnt a red algae (some reds can look white b/c they calcify on the outer layer...one example is liagora, that isnt what you have). Then place some tincture of iodine on the algae (out of the tank of course iodine will kill, it is iodide you dose...), if it doesnt stain dark blue/black then it isnt a green algae. Lastly, the brown pigments in brown algae can be dissolved in alcohol, but I 100% sure that wont get you any results, it definitely isnt a brown algae.

Good luck with your finds, remember most shelled inverts have some strange stages in their life, and what you got might not be the finished product. (limpets for example have a "white blob with flowing arm like projection" stage of their life, before they start forming their shell.

 

That has to be some Limpet since this stuff is pretty much throughout the entire aquarium. I'm honestly at a loss.

 

it may be, you can have white hair algae if it is dying, but it wouldnt grow that way. hydroids come in countless forms... try the iodine test, easy to get ahold of iodine. Would be cool to find out

 

Limpets arent an algae, they're gastropods. (Snails, mollusks)

 

yeah but during their settling stage they form a white blob with hair like projections that come out from them. Black ribbed limpets do at least.

 

Just throwing this out there, from what I see in the video, I have had something similar to that in my tank, it starts out looking like that, then in time, it has become a sponge. I've watched it closely, thinking it was some type of bacteria or algae and every time I've seen it, it's disappeared as a sponge has developed. If I don't want the sponge where it is, I remove it.