Algae ID help

RainbowManatee · May 15, 2023

Hi everyone,
I've had this C-137 zoa frag for a few months and it came with this algae on it that I have been unable to ID. Can anyone help with ID and how to control it? Is this bryopsis? It's starting to grow more because I've put the frag higher up in my tank hoping the zoas would grow more.

I've tried plucking the individual strands, but it really ticks off the zoas and they close up for several days, only for it to come back. It's almost as if some of the algae has grown into the zoas themselves. I've also tried using peroxide several times but it was unaffected and it did nothing to kill the algae.

I'd love to get a tuxedo urchin for my tank, but my rockwork isn't the most stable and I don't want to re-aquascape until after I move in a few months. I've read that emerald crabs can be good and help fight many types of algae, but I'm hesitant to get an emerald crab because I have an up-coming trip to Australia for several weeks and won't be able to monitor the situation and I've read they can eat corals if they aren't fed often enough. What about red-legged crabs? I only have 1 blue-legged crab right now because he's a jerk and has killed all the other crabs.

Any help with ID and suggestions on how to get rid of this algae are appreciated. This is the last time I am buying zoas online. Thanks!

ocnbrze · May 15, 2023

not sure what kind of macro algae that is. maybe take the plug out and with a fragging tool cut the plug up scrapping off the algae and then re-glue the zoa's onto something else.

EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal · May 16, 2023

RainbowManatee said:
Hi everyone,
I've had this C-137 zoa frag for a few months and it came with this algae on it that I have been unable to ID. Can anyone help with ID and how to control it? Is this bryopsis? It's starting to grow more because I've put the frag higher up in my tank hoping the zoas would grow more.

I've tried plucking the individual strands, but it really ticks off the zoas and they close up for several days, only for it to come back. It's almost as if some of the algae has grown into the zoas themselves. I've also tried using peroxide several times but it was unaffected and it did nothing to kill the algae.

I'd love to get a tuxedo urchin for my tank, but my rockwork isn't the most stable and I don't want to re-aquascape until after I move in a few months. I've read that emerald crabs can be good and help fight many types of algae, but I'm hesitant to get an emerald crab because I have an up-coming trip to Australia for several weeks and won't be able to monitor the situation and I've read they can eat corals if they aren't fed often enough. What about red-legged crabs? I only have 1 blue-legged crab right now because he's a jerk and has killed all the other crabs.

Any help with ID and suggestions on how to get rid of this algae are appreciated. This is the last time I am buying zoas online. Thanks!

Can you post a picture under white lights?

RainbowManatee · May 16, 2023

ocnbrze said:
not sure what kind of macro algae that is. maybe take the plug out and with a fragging tool cut the plug up scrapping off the algae and then re-glue the zoa's onto something else.

I might try that. Seems like a huge pain, but I bet it would work. Hopefully low risk of damaging the zoas too. I've got a dissecting microscope that could make it easier to get rid of the individual filaments once the frag plug is broken.