Dark Red Encrusting Algae Killing Zoas

jshafer81 · Apr 4, 2014

I have what I thought was dark red coralline growing on a lot of the rock in my tank. All colors of coralline seem to expand rapidly in my tank lately, so I didn't think anything of this color. However, over the last week I've noticed that it's grown onto a few zoa colonies and now they are not opening, so I'm a bit worried. It's the exact color of cyano, but seems to be encrusting just like a coralline. It feels slightly slick to touch and is fairly difficult to scrape off, though with a fingernail I can scrape a bit, unlike purple coralline which won't budge. It appears to be growing mostly in high light, high flow parts of my tank. Parameters are all normal with low nutrient levels. Any ideas what this might be and how to combat it? I've tried a few days of lights out like I would with a cyano outbreak, but no apparent effect. May try a peroxide dip or even Red Slime Remove next (though have had bad luck with it once before so hate to even consider it). Any advice is appreciated.

Justin

jshafer81 · Apr 4, 2014

chrissreef · Apr 4, 2014

It's super hard to tell from the picture what it looks like. I have different color coraline and unfortunately red seems to take over the pink on the rock (somewhat slimy) and the pink seems to own the glass. I think it's a coraline - but I don't know. I've often used fresh water or HOT freshwater to rid myself of these things (aiptasia, green star polyps, daisy polyps). Maybe try on a small piece and see if it kills it. Try 1 minute running under the faucet and see.

Long term - change lights and watch water parameters (phosphate). I "think" there was a decrease around the time I changed my lights (t5's every ~8 months)

chrissreef · Apr 4, 2014

I've had a harder time getting rid of red turf algae. Mexican turbo snails has helped a lot. A torch/flame works but I'm not going to go rock by rock torching everything...

Fragzilla · Sep 18, 2016

Old thread but I know what that algae is. It's called Lobophora.

I don't know how to rid it though.

In just throwing my findings out there as I've seen a lot of this turning up on frags and in lots of local shops.

Macdaddynick1 · Sep 18, 2016

That's not lobophora , but there is a super easy way to get rid of it, tuxedo urchin.

Fragzilla said:
Old thread but I know what that algae is. It's called Lobophora

I don't know how to rid it though.

In just throwing my findings out there as I've seen a lot of this turning up on frags and in lots of local shops.

Fragzilla · Sep 18, 2016

Macdaddynick1 said:
That's not lobophora , but there is a super easy way to get rid of it, tuxedo urchin.

Won't get into the cracks in the rock though

Fragzilla · Sep 18, 2016

Macdaddynick1 said:
That's not lobophora , but there is a super easy way to get rid of it, tuxedo urchin.

What is it then?

They described their algae as same colour as cyano, encrusting like coralline and slippery to the touch??

Macdaddynick1 · Sep 19, 2016

Fragzilla said:
What is it then?

They described their algae as same colour as cyano, encrusting like coralline and slippery to the touch??

No idea , and that's what I know it as , the only problem I've had with it is it's impossible to glue things to the rock it's on , otherwise it's a beautiful purple color . And urchin took care of 80 % of it.

Fragzilla · Sep 19, 2016

It might be beautiful to some but it's very invasive and releases toxic compounds into the water and zoas do not like it one bit. If your zoas do like it then you haven't got lobophora.

Macdaddynick1 · Sep 19, 2016

Fragzilla said:
It might be beautiful to some but it's very invasive and releases toxic compounds into the water and zoas do not like it one bit. If your zoas do like it then you haven't got lobophora.

It's not lobophora though, because all lobophora plates , and this one just encrusts like coraline . Unless it's some different species of lobophora. Also I've never heard anyone say that it adversely effects zoas . Mine do just fine also. But that's good info I might pick up another urchin then.

Fragzilla · Sep 19, 2016

Macdaddynick1 said:
It's not lobophora though, because all lobophora plates , and this one just encrusts like coraline . Unless it's some different species of lobophora. Also I've never heard anyone say that it adversely effects zoas . Mine do just fine also. But that's good info I might pick up another urchin then.

If it's growing on a Zoa plug the zoas migrate off the plug.

It starts off looking like dark red encrusting coralline, then it starts plating.

If it's red, encrusting, slippery to touch and not easy to remove from the substrate then IMO it is lobophora.

There has been studies done on natural reefs and when this stuff gets in the area the corals die and all that is left is lobophora algae.

It's quite well known that it's bad, it's nothing new, a quick google search will show that.

I think there is more than 1 strain of lobophora, some photos ice seen it looks green, orange but the stuff I've seen in aquariums is Crimson red. They all have the same characteristics though - highly allopathic and Invasive.

If it's not lobophora that the op has what could it possibly be?

Macdaddynick1 · Sep 19, 2016

Fragzilla said:
If it's growing on a Zoa plug the zoas migrate off the plug.

It starts off looking like dark red encrusting coralline, then it starts plating.

If it's red, encrusting, slippery to touch and not easy to remove from the substrate then IMO it is lobophora.

There has been studies done on natural reefs and when this stuff gets in the area the corals die and all that is left is lobophora algae.

It's quite well known that it's bad, it's nothing new, a quick google search will show that.

I think there is more than 1 strain of lobophora, some photos ice seen it looks green, orange but the stuff I've seen in aquariums is Crimson red. They all have the same characteristics though - highly allopathic and Invasive.

If it's not lobophora that the op has what could it possibly be?

Just because they look similar, does not mean it's the same thing though . Here... It's called peysonellia,
http://species-identification.org/species.php?species_group=caribbean_diving_guide&id=483 there are 10+ species of this algae and not all of them are plating.

Fragzilla · Sep 21, 2016

The characteristics of that algae are not the same as the op described.

I never was comparing it to how it looks, you can't even make it out from the photo.

He said its deep red, plating and slick to touch = lobophora IMO