Redish-Brown "woody" algae

[RichardScottRice]

I have some reddish brown filiment algae growing on a rock in my tank and it is slowly suffocating a small colony of caulastrea. It is very tough and woody and cannot be pulled from the rock. I have been trimming it with a pair of sissors to keep it from covering the heads on the caulastrea but I'm loosing the battle and it is slowly spreading. I wonder if I should just relocate the unaffected corals on that rock and take the infected rock out of the tank. Unfortunately I'd loose that colony of caulastrea in the process because the algae cannot be removed from it without damaging the coral. Thoughts?

 

[Ltlduc]

Does it look like little rust colored flakes? I have a recent outbreak of alge that I am trying to ID.( I don't have a camera)

 

[RevHtree]

Rust colored flakes sound like flatworms...

 

[RichardScottRice]

No, its not flakey. It looks like hair algae, except it is redish brown and it is very very tough. You can't pull it off the rocks, it almost fuzes with whatever it attaches to. I took a scalpel when it first appeard and had to cut it off the base of the caulastrea, but it just grew right back. Now every week I have to take that rock out of the tank, take a pair of sissors and cut the algae back and then rinse it off with some tank water hoping I flush away all the clippings.