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Green microalgae and macroalgae tend to present themselves later on in the season, after about week three or later. A spot or two of green microalgae under the microscope is usually nothing to be overly concerned about, but anything much more may have an opportunity to compete with the kelp growth, and you should take action to contain the growth. Green algae, such as Ulva spp., don’t tolerate desiccation well. During your weekly water changes, it is recommended to leave your spools exposed to air for 10-15 minutes. Reducing the light intensity is also an elimination strategy, but the trade-off can be slower kelp growth1.
Should any microalgae congregate in visible clumps on your spools or green macroalgae begin to sprout, you can carefully, physically remove it with a pair of sterilized tweezers.
1Mooney-McAuley, K. M., Edwards, M. D., Champenois J., Gorman, E. 2016. Best Practice Guidelines for Seaweed Cultivation and Analysis, Public Output report of the EnAlgae project, Swansea, June 2016, 36pp, Available online at www.enalgae.eu.