Algae ID

happyhourhero · May 1, 2017

I moved a little over a month ago and when I re-setup my tank one of my rocks is upside down from how it had been for the last year or so. This really short and really wiry deep red algae has started growing in the cracks. It is slow growing and I am not too worried about it right now but wanted to make this thread to see if I need to be. My Kole and other CUC members eat on it.

I know these pics are not focused on the algae but it is all I have at present and it gives you the idea.

Bunnee911 · May 1, 2017

Red turf maybe.

happyhourhero · May 2, 2017

Bunnee911 said:
Red turf maybe.

Its really wiry and course though.

At least no one has chimed in and said to nuke the tank. I guess ill just keep an eye on it.

Scorpius · May 2, 2017

Fluconazole that stuff before it becomes Feed Me Seymour.

happyhourhero · Jun 20, 2017

An interesting thing about this algae is that I have seen 3 different acros and a rainbow monti kill it and then encrust where it was. It turns bright pink after they zap it and then its gone. Didnt expect that when I made this thread.

saltyfilmfolks · Jun 20, 2017

I'd like to see another picture of the algae only. That's really werid. Makes sense in a way though.

happyhourhero · Jun 20, 2017

saltyfilmfolks said:
I'd like to see another picture of the algae only. That's really werid. Makes sense in a way though.

I will get one asap. Might not be today bc I had my hands in tank a bunch mounting corals but soon.

brandon429 · Jun 20, 2017

the ideal way to handle this algae is to make a single test rock comply as algae free and not the whole tank. your grazers like it and its not ugly, its in balance as it should be. it is an invasive variant its your grazers keeping it in check, as they should. good balance.

you need to have the ability to command the tank free of it though, we've covered prob 10+ tanks with before and after pics of this algae in the peroxide threads and regular peroxide doesn't work well on it, it likes 35% which is more work to come by and signifies strong invasion potential as 3% w beat most invaders.

If you find that no matter what you do you cant keep 1 single rock totally free of it, then start large scale tank work and switch tangs to alts

the way I would beat it is w 3% first, use metal tool to scrape it out of all corners first, all external work outside the tank so things can rinse clear, only physical actions like a dentist would use on plaque. apply 3% to all scraped surfaces as clean up, rinse, install rock see if it grows back. if the test rock grows back, take a meaner action and document for us what it takes to consistently keep 1 rock free of it.

If one rock worked over just once stays free n clear for months, then sit back and enjoy the natural feed balance, rather rare...low potential invasion is revealed in that kind of test rock response.

saltyfilmfolks · Jun 20, 2017

happyhourhero said:
I will get one asap. Might not be today bc I had my hands in tank a bunch mounting corals but soon.

No worries

happyhourhero · Jun 20, 2017

saltyfilmfolks said:
No worries

saltyfilmfolks · Jun 20, 2017

That's a trip. I've never seen or heard of coral stinging algae.

happyhourhero · Jul 2, 2017

@saltyfilmfolks

This sucks because just my blues are on but I wanted to take the pics in case when the whites turn on the event is over.

The hot pink is a small tuft of this algae that has been stung by a monti that is about to grow over it. There is a filament extending from the coral onto the algae and i believe this is the mechanism for killing the algae. When the algae has been stung, it turns pink before it goes away.

Here is a shot of a tuft of this algae that has not been stung so you can see it is not hot pink. Pic is just blue but it's the same as one of the above pics. I will try and get some daylight shots of this later.