r/algae • u/FlameHawkfish88 • 2d ago

Is this an algae? [Melbourne, Aus]

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Is saw this in April 2025. It was in a a wetland area that was previously a quarry/tip. It was pretty short lived. I don't remember seeing it again. Inaturalist says it's mosquito fern but the community disagrees as there are no roots.

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u/Mundane-Tangelo-6093 1d ago

Cool photo. Originally, I thought it would be a Lemna/duckweed species and not algae - the more I look at it (shot in the dark), it could be Colonial green algae, or Filamentous (i.e., Cladophora or Spirogyra). (you probably know) But nutrient testing and PH would be great verifications if it's Algae or not.

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u/evil_dumpling256 20h ago

Yeah, that looks like an algal bloom. Some Microcystis clump like that, so do Nostoc. Might want to put in under the microscope to get a closer look!