BrainPOP – Educational content about Algae

Algae Education Algae, Brown Algae, diatoms, dinoflagellates, euglenoids, Green Algae, Red Algae

Founded in 1999, BrainPOP creates animated, curriculum-based content that engages students, supports educators, and bolsters achievement.

Here is a content about Algae:

What are all those little green plants covering your lake? It’s more than just pond scum, it’s algae! In this BrainPOP movie, Tim and Moby teach you all about algae, including where they fall in the tree of life and what physical characteristics these organisms have. You’ll learn the differences between several categories of algae, including green algae, red algae, brown algae, euglenoids, diatoms, and dinoflagellates. You’ll also find out about algae’s place in the food chain and what uses algae serve for humans. Finally, learn about some environmental problems associated with algae, including their contribution to red tide. It’s time to give algae their proper due!

Watch the Science movie about Algae….

Source: http://www.brainpop.com/science/diversityoflife/algae/preview.weml

Algae Control in Aquarium

Aquarium Algae Algae, blue green algae, Brown Algae, Green Algae, Red Algae

I found a small beginner’s guide for those, who decided or have algae in their aquarium and i have also created a new category for this called Aquarium Algae.

Not all algae in the aquarium is necessarily ‘bad’ – a certain amount is inevitable where there is water, light and nutrients. However, some types of algae are certainly a nuisance, if for no other reason than looking unsightly.

The control or prevention of different algae types is primarily about nutrient control, and the amount of light. There are therefore some general guidelines which can be followed to help minimise algae:

Avoid direct sunlight falling on the tank, especially for prolonged periods. Unfortunately, despite the pleasant rippling light effects provided by sunlight, the rich lighting spectrum of the sun is likely to mean a constant battle against algae in most setups.
Do not leave lighting on for more than 10-12 hours a day. Longer periods are likely to favour algal growth, rather than promote plant growth.
Minimise nutrient levels with frequent water changes.

In particular, it may help to keep nitrates, phosphates and silicates low if you have a persistant problem – either by the use of reverse osmosis (RO) or deionised (DI) water, or specific adsorption resins (e.g. API Phos-Zorb). However, note that although high levels of such nutrients may encourage algae, it is not generally possible to completely eliminate algae by attempting to reduce them, as algae can survive at levels below those which can be measured by a hobbyist test kit.

Consider adding algae eating fish if appropriate to the setup. These include: suckermouth catfish (e.g. Ancistrus, Peckoltia and Otocinclus species), the Siamese Algae Eater (Crossocheilus siamensis) and mollies.
Note that in planted tanks (which is not really the same as tanks with a few plants in!), the most effective way to control algae growth is to plant heavily and promote vigorous plant growth of several different species, to out-compete the algae for nutrients. The management of a planted aquarium is beyond the scope of this article, and will be the subject of a future article, but an important nutrient with regard to plant versus algae growth in a planted tank is Iron, and controlling levels of this nutrient is likely to be important.

The taxonomy of algae and related organisms is complex, but for the purpose of identification in the aquarium, they can be conveniently grouped into the following:

More details you will find here ( Source ): http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/algae.htm

Phaeophyceae: Brown Algae

Algae Forms Algae, Brown Algae, brown seaweeds, Fucus, Laminaria, Phaeophyceae, Saccharina, Sargassum muticum 0 Comment

Phaeophyceae: Brown Algae

Examples: Laminaria and Saccharina, Fucus, Sargassum muticum, brown seaweeds

Characteristics

Laminaria digitata The brown colour of these algae results from the dominance of the xanthophyll pigment fucoxanthin, which masks the other pigments, Chlorophyll a and c (there is no Chlorophyll b), beta-carotene and other xanthophylls. Food reserves are typically complex polysaccharides, sugars and higher alcohols. The principal carbohydrate reserve is laminaran, and true starch is absent (compare with the green algae). The walls are made of cellulose and alginic acid, a long-chained heteropolysaccharide.

There are no known unicellular or colonial representatives; the simplest plant form is a branched, filamentous thallus. The kelps are the largest (up to 70 m long) and perhaps the most complex brown algae, and they are the only algae known to have internal tissue differentiation into conducting tissue; there is, however, no true xylem tissue as found in the ‘higher’ plants.

Himanthalia elongata Most brown algae have an alternation of haploid and diploid generations. The haploid thalli form isogamous, anisogamous or oogamous gametes and the diploid thalli form zoospores, generally by meiosis. The haploid (gametangial) and diploid (sporangial) thalli may be similar (isomorphic) or different (heteromorphic) in appearance, or the gametangial generation may be extremely reduced (Fucales). The brown Giant Kelp Macrocystis pyrifera (above) is harvested off the coasts of California for feeding abalone. It used to be used for alginate extraction, but this now mostly comes from Atlantic Ascophyllum nodosum and Laminaria hyperborea. Alginates, derivatives of alginic acids, are used commercially for toothpastes, soaps, ice cream, tinned meats, fabric printing, and a host of other applications. It forms a stable viscous gel in water, and its primary function in the above applications is as a binder, stabilizer, emulsifier, or moulding agent. Saccharina japonica, formerly Laminaria, and other species of the genus are grown on ropes in China, Korea and Japan for food and alginate production. Undaria pinnatifida is also cultivated in Japan, Korea and China for production of Wakame, a valuable food kelp. Small amounts are also grown in Atlantic France for the European market.

About 16,000 tonnes of Ascophyllum nodosum (Feamainn bhuí in Irish, referring to the yellow colour in summer) are harvested each year in Ireland, dried and milled in factories at Arramara Teo., Cill Chiaráin (Kilkerrin), Co. Galway; and some 3,000 t of the resulting seaweed meal is exported and processed in Scotland for the production of alginic acid. Laminaria hyperborea stipes (sea rods) are harvested in Norway and used to be collected in drift in Scotland and Ireland. The rods are used for the manufacture of high-grade alginates. Other brown algae are used for the extraction of agricultural sprays (‘liquid seaweed extracts‘). These extracts are used at low concentrations on crops and their hormone-like activities are thought to be due to betaines, cytokinenins, etc.

There are about 1800 species of brown algae, and most are marine. In general, brown algae are larger and more species are found in colder waters. Virtually all the biomass worldwide comes from a relatively small number of species in the orders Laminariales and Fucales. The total wholesale value of dried brown algae worldwide collected in the wild or cultivated is less than $100 million dollars.

Source: http://www.seaweed.ie/algae/phaeophyta.html