What is this red hair like algae and how do I get rid of it?

jonathanyhsu

New member
I have a 10 gallon test tank I've been using to hold a dozen Nassarius snails, some Chaetomorpha, and basically test hardware I've been building. Unfortunately, I am beginning to see some kind of red hair/filament like algae/bacteria grow over the sand and my Chaeto. This is probably caused by a piece of fish I fed to the Nassarius and forgot to remove; it was a particularly juicy piece of tuna.

The closest match I can find is on reefcleaners.org and it looks like a hair variation of Cyanobacteria. I'm not 100% sure though, the photo is small and has no detail. I can't seem to find any information otherwise although I'm not sure if I'm looking very effectively.

http://www.reefcleaners.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=54&Itemid=60

Anyone have an identification and possible steps to eradicate? Ideally I'd like to feed the Nassarius a bit more rather than starve them (and the red stuff) out. The attached image shows a single tuft of the stuff on the sand, there are dozens of similar tufts and some strands growing off the Chaetomorpha.
 

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Looks like cyanobacteria. Excess nitrates and phosphates fuel it's growth. Cut back on feeding, increase flow and run some GFO.
 
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