As far as I know, the term "hair algae" is applied to a variety of different algae. Bryopsis is (I think) rather thicker and stalkier than the others, though (less like hair, more like grass stalks).
Of course, I might be completely wrong. Anyone any other ideas?
short answer, nope. Bryopsis looks like a little tiny fern plant. "hair algae" like Burntom said, is a bit generic for a host of nuisance algaes seen in captive systems.
Emerald crabs work well. But the key is to keep phosphates down and pH/Alk up.
Hair algae is more of a general term meaning filamentous algae. Bryopsis is a genus of the order: Caulerpales, which encompesses about 45 genera and 400 species one of which is the genus: Derbesia, or one of what we commonly call hair or nuisance algae. Some species of Bryopsis could be considered hair algae.
Which all goes to show the risks of common names as opposed to their pesky latin counterparts. :wink:
Seriously though, I remember spending long hours searching for a particular algae on the internet. It's one of the more difficult tasks, considering how many different genus and species there are.
