Nightmare Red Cotton Algae: Took over my tank

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7351715#post7351715 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by waterfaller1
Maybe I need to get the kind from e-tropicals too . I have been battling this stuff for a couple years now. It smells sooo bad. When I try to remove it from the fuge..I put a pad on the outlet back to the tank because it turns into a veil of red liquid. I hate this stuff. The 'mexican turbos' we get here have ridges on their shell...are the ones you guys have smooth-shelled? I just had to remove my entire ball of chaeto this morning it was so full of this nightmare. I will replace it with fresh chaeto today. In the main tank it is minimal..thank goodness. It mostly catches in small holes and along the bottom edges of the rockwork, and I try to pull it with tweezers.:(
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That sounds different from what I had. Looked similar, but didnt' really have a smell, and when you remove it, it doesn't turn the water red. Also, it didn't really grow in small cracks and crevaces (sp) but more just in huge clumps on the rockwork. The mexican turbos from etropicals are about 1-1/2" - 2" in diameter, have stripes and ridges on the shell. You don't need as many as you might think. They're big and they're eating machines. They really look just like on etropicals site:

p_79687.jpg
 
Add me to the list too. Very greatful to have found this thread. Had a bunch in my fuge and the turbos kicked it's azz in no time. I am having another issue in my main tank, but I don't think it's the same algae. I posted a separate thread, but here is a pic to see if any of you have any ideas about what it is.

Thanks-- Rich



54215fuzz0001.jpg
 
No..it was definately the same stuff. It probably smelled due to it's ability to uptake nutrients..just like xenia. If I remove small bits of it the water does'nt turn red. If I removed large amounts of it, as in the refugium...that is when the water turned red. I am going to try the turbos. I'll let you know how it goes.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7352858#post7352858 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by wharfrat48
Add me to the list too. Very greatful to have found this thread. Had a bunch in my fuge and the turbos kicked it's azz in no time. I am having another issue in my main tank, but I don't think it's the same algae. I posted a separate thread, but here is a pic to see if any of you have any ideas about what it is.

Thanks-- Rich
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When you pick it off the rock does it look and feel like cotton? If so it looks very similar to the red nightmare......

Keep us posted....
 
When you pull the bunches out of the water and put it in a container, I've seen it starts to separate (assume attempts to spread). Maybe this is the "turning the water red" you're speaking about.

Again guys, use extreme caution when adding these to a tank. My situation was really bad. I have 150ish gallons (58 tank, 100 sump), and two of the real Mexican turbo's cleaned it up in a week. I would recommend adding one or two per 100 gallons. If you get more, make sure there are people locally that might want to utilize them as well so you can pass them of. This ends my 'save the enviroment' speech ;)

p_79687.jpg
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7358964#post7358964 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RokleM
When you pull the bunches out of the water and put it in a container, I've seen it starts to separate (assume attempts to spread). Maybe this is the "turning the water red" you're speaking about.

Again guys, use extreme caution when adding these to a tank. My situation was really bad. I have 150ish gallons (58 tank, 100 sump), and two of the real Mexican turbo's cleaned it up in a week. I would recommend adding one or two per 100 gallons. If you get more, make sure there are people locally that might want to utilize them as well so you can pass them of. This ends my 'save the enviroment' speech ;)

p_79687.jpg
Click to expand...

I'm with ya', man. :) I'm taking three of my four turbos to a reef club meeting this afternoon to trade away. That will leave one turbo and a Tuxedo Urchin to handle the 20L tank.

Man, those turbos are eatin' MACHINES! :rollface:
 
hmmm

hmmm

Not trying to start a debate but seems like yet another mystery algal bloom with a dsb. I had a huge hair algal bloom three times for no good reason with my 7+ inch dsb,til I finally removed it, and moved onto a much easier way to keep a reef. I just found that urchins were the best solution during my stint with algal. It's not red cotton but Tuxedos and especially pincushions and long spine will eat your algal away in a short amount of time, you may need quite a few tih that mosnter tank. Good luck and best wishes man. I feel for ya.

David
 
When I had this algae problem, I did find out what it's really called. It's called Polysiphonia AKA Red Turf / Hair Algae. It's mentioned breifly on pp.107-108 in Calfo & Fenner's Reef Invertebrates but without a picture.
 
Re: hmmm

Re: hmmm

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7359134#post7359134 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DitchPlains2
Not trying to start a debate but seems like yet another mystery algal bloom with a dsb. I had a huge hair algal bloom three times for no good reason with my 7+ inch dsb,til I finally removed it, and moved onto a much easier way to keep a reef. I just found that urchins were the best solution during my stint with algal. It's not red cotton but Tuxedos and especially pincushions and long spine will eat your algal away in a short amount of time, you may need quite a few tih that mosnter tank. Good luck and best wishes man. I feel for ya.

David
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Whats a bit confusing to me is that water parameters are perfect (absolutely zero phosphates) and yet the red nightmare thrives..... In addition to a 300 gallon refugium packed with macroalgae and 6 inch dsb I ran a fluidized bed filter with phosphate sponge for about two months with no affects..... So the whole rational about starving out the "Bad Algae" was thrown out the window for me......

Question: How do you think your dsb may have contributed to the problem? My refugium is up and running and since the red nightmare was taken care of my reef is normal with perfect water parameters......

Right now it's as if it was just a "Red Nightmare"...... memory at this time......:D
 
Do a search for some pics of polysiphonia. Al the pictures I found were of exacly what I had. When there's a ton of it, it kinda looks like a turf. Not that I'm one who's qualified to say what is and what isn't, the images and descriptions I found were spot on.
 
DSCN0887.jpg


This pink algae was introduced by an aquacultured acro. I want to get rid of it before it takes over the tank. My PO4 reads 0.00-0.02 by Hanna colorimeter. I have 2-3 mexican turbos in my 75 and they don't seem to eat it. Also the algae does not seem as "cottony".
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7352858#post7352858 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by wharfrat48
Add me to the list too. Very greatful to have found this thread. Had a bunch in my fuge and the turbos kicked it's azz in no time. I am having another issue in my main tank, but I don't think it's the same algae. I posted a separate thread, but here is a pic to see if any of you have any ideas about what it is.

Thanks-- Rich



54215fuzz0001.jpg
Click to expand...

I have algae that looks like this too. Any ideas about this stuff?
 
Well add me to the list. I knew there was somthing funky going on in my fuge when these little read balls started to proliferate in there. I posted some pics only to find out that it's cyano. :( :mad:

I threw 4 turbos in there right away and I'll see what they do. There is lots of this stuff in my cheato. I noticed earlier that someone said that they cleaned theirs out. Should I try this? Or is this cheato a write off.

It would be a shame as I have about 200-250 fan worms growing in there.
 
Bumping this thread again as I think a lot of people still have trouble with this algae. I have tried with giant turbos here in Europe (Finland) but they do not do the trick. It might be another species I guess?

Has anyone had any success with artificial algae cures such as Algen Ex or Chemi Clean Red Slime Remover (sold by http://www.meeresaquaristik.de/ in Germany)?

Not sure to what category this algae belongs to apart from being a red algae (is it a red slime algae?)

I have been fighting this dreadful algae for almost a year now and I have lost most of my corals to it, even green star polyps!

Anyway I will try the above products and see if it has any effect. I will let you know if it works or not.

Thanks

Peter
 
Ok thanks Armygreen, it just seems impossible to get hold of these guys where I live. Maybe I can make an order from Liveaquaria.

Edit: I noticed that it´s not possible to make orders from abroad :( .
 
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