Red algae problem

mxett

New member
Hi,

I have a 7 month old reef and am struggling with a red algae that is just taking over!

My water tests fine, nitrates and phosphates all under control. I am running a good downdraft skimmer, Rowaphos in a kent phosreactor, 2 x 250w MH lights.
Live stock includes a clown fish, lawnmower blenny, rabbit fish and 3 blue/green chromies. I also have 4 good size turbo snails, but they dont touch the stuff!

This algae can gro in dense thick clumps, sometimes up to 4 iches in diameter.

Any ideas what it is, and how do I attack it? Or do I just wait it out?

Thanks

158690mini-mini-CIMG1404.JPG
 
when I was reading "red algae" i was thinking of slime algae

but this stuff looks like macroalgae

if it was green, i'd call it grape caulerpa

do you have any tangs in the tank? i'm wondering if they eat this stuff. I am assumming you do not.

I'm still going to go with "that's caulerpa" and just a type that I don't know about.

Now, do you want it in your tank:

if it's invasive, and making the tank ugly, no, of course you don't.
however, going on MY assumption that it's a form of macoalgae, that stuff isn't bad, I have a refugium of macroalgae in a reef ready tank, and i don't keep a skimmer as my caulpera consumes my nitrates, then i just hack back the caulerpa and throw it away. this is all in a refugium, though, and i'm not tearing up my display tank doing so.

so... my suggestion is to cut it back as much as possible, and get a tang or two. Kole tangs do a good job on algae, and the best tang in my personal experience for [all types of] algae is a Naso Tang. they're peaceful, you can get a 3" or 4" inch size (8-11 cm) and they live long. I just had one die after having him 6 years. I never realized how useful he was, but hair algae has started taking over the tank since he died.

Hopefully, someone can definitively identify this algae for you..

I love having my 'fuge. i suggest one.

good luck -

G.
 
Interesting answer, thanks.

I have been thinking of a tang, but they just seem to grow too big for my tank.

I realise this is possibly a macroalgea. However, it is covering areas that I wanted my coral to begin to spread into with growth. When I remove it, it grows back very quickly.

I have limited space in my tank cabinet, so a refugium is out of the question, given my sump is full of calcium reactor, carbon reactor, phosphate reactor and associated pumps. :)

Anyone else know what this is, or have any ideas?
 
lol Thanks, I dont know if it would survive the trip across the pacific.

Anyone else have any ideas?
 
I have just had expert advice on another forum suggesting this algae is a dead end and basically requires a total system breakdown and restart to solve.

Anyone else had similar problems with this type of algae?
 
I think goldmaniac is correct that looks like red grape caulerpa, Tangs keep it in check. I see it all the time in the LFS's around S. Fla. Anytime I've asked about it they ask if I have a tang. Apparently everyone with Tangs love the stuff and can't get enough.
 
It doesn't really look like grape caulerpa to me. I had a small yuma rock with some similar macro algae growing on it. I would remove the rock every week and use a tooth brush to scrub the red macro off. I had the rock leaning against the back of the tank and the macro started attaching to the back of the tank. I ended up selling the yuma rock to the fish store. The macro definitely grows back quickly. Sorry, I do not know of anything that will eat it. Here is a pic of the rock that had the red macro on it. It is kind of difficult to see (to the right of the yuma) since I was taking a picture of the yuma, not the macro.

watermelonyuma-1.jpg
 
Well at least its not ugly looking like hair alge...lol


Id say let it grow in a clump bout a fist size then pull it out in a clump.
It is obviously liking your chemical composition of your water, so in theory, it will eventually exhaust the nutrients it is growing off of, and begin to grow slower.

You could remove the rock its popping up on, it its not a major piece, and either trade it in to the LFS, before or after stripping the plant off of it.

One way to maby knock it off the rock would be to set the rock in freshwater, which would cause tissue damage on the plant.
The plant can not control the water it will absorb, as it attempts to equalize its tissue salinity with the water salinity.

If you want to buy a fish to eat it, the above suggested were all good ones. But I would add.... I would take some of the plant in question to the LFS with you, and buy whatever fish grabs it as its test fed/ dropping in to the tank. Some fish may already know of this plant, and may actually seek it out. Others who are plant eaters, may specifically dis like the plant all together.

these are all my personal opinions.


I personally would see if the LFS would buy or give you credit for the plant. One mans nussance, is another mans desire (take my wife.....please....lol).
Then you can stop by every other week, and drop off a bunch, and build up a nice fish budget in the process.


[Cristi, NICE YUMA!!!!!]
 
Thanks guys,

unfortunately this algae is on almost every rock and is completely convering 2 of my zoatnids. While not being unattractive, it sure is invasive! I might try a tang, problem is they grow so damn big!
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10559716#post10559716 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Cristi
It doesn't really look like grape caulerpa to me. I had a small yuma rock with some similar macro algae growing on it. I would remove the rock every week and use a tooth brush to scrub the red macro off. I had the rock leaning against the back of the tank and the macro started attaching to the back of the tank. I ended up selling the yuma rock to the fish store. The macro definitely grows back quickly. Sorry, I do not know of anything that will eat it. Here is a pic of the rock that had the red macro on it. It is kind of difficult to see (to the right of the yuma) since I was taking a picture of the yuma, not the macro.

watermelonyuma-1.jpg

Your algae looks like something I once had so my guess is some sort of Gracilaria and the round structures is reproduction organs, if you want to get rid of it buy a Tang ;)

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=890936&highlight=Gracilaria

/Magnus
 
Magnus-interesting thread. I loved the picture of the conch sprouting some macro. I rid the problem by removing the rock from my tank. Unfortunately, my tank is too small for a tang. But maybe mxett can solve his problem by getting a tang.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10566452#post10566452 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Cristi
Magnus-interesting thread. I loved the picture of the conch sprouting some macro. I rid the problem by removing the rock from my tank. Unfortunately, my tank is too small for a tang. But maybe mxett can solve his problem by getting a tang.

Your info at the bottom of your posts says you have a 50 gal??

You can get a tang in a 50 easy, just remove him when the food source is gone, or supplement his feeding.

I had a 3" purple tang in a 30 gal display tank, back when i was in retail/wholesale. He was vert healthy for several years.
 
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