Red agae problem i cant kick

CavamaroZ28 · Feb 5, 2022

I have this weird fuzzy red algae taking over my tank. I think its red hair algae or maybe cotton candy algae? Its scrubs off easy with a brush and my fish constantly graze it but never get it completely. I just can't get it to go away. I can't pull the rock out to scrub it. It's very heavily stocked with coral.
60g mixed reef
Alk 8.4 sailfert & trident
CA 435 sailfert & trident
MG 1290 sailfert
Nitrate 5ppm sailfert
Phosphate .03 ppm sailfert
(Hanna Phosphorus ulr 2ppb x 3.066 / 1000= .006ppm...? very confused by that, tested twice)

Fish, I have a purple tang, fox face, blue hippo, and a long nose hawk.
Cleanup I have about 5 hermits and 7 snails (3 different kind. Don't know names. I know i dont have mexican turbo snails and i probably should. I have alot of corals stuffed in this thing and i know those snails will make a mess of everything so i kinda want to stay away from that.

Subsea · Feb 5, 2022

Tooooo much rainbow colors, Use white light for identification. How about a full tank shot to see how extensive is “taking over”.

consider getting a uv sterilizer because Cotton Candy spreads by fragments and spores.

Reef Cleaners

A good guide to identify most of the nuisance algae that plagues the hobby. Complete with pictures and suggested treatments

www.reefcleaners.org

Cotton Candy Algae

Algae under this heading usually appear as a light pink fuzz. Closer examination will show it is made up of many branches with even more branchlets. The plants are very small, lose form out of the water and sway in the current. Each plant forms from a single holdfast. Callithamnion species and the sporophyte stage of Asparagopsis taxiformis are usual suspects. The pictured specimen is quite good looking, they usually don't have such an aesthetic appeal, and are a dull red or reddish brown.

Manual Removal: Easy if it hasn't taken hold in places your fingers won't fit. Scrape your thumb on the surface it is attached to, while holding the algae like a pencil as you remove it. This helps you get the small holdfast.

Clean Up Crew members include urchins, sea hares, large turbos, emerald crabs and most hermit crabs.

This algae isn't particularly common, but has the ability to grow rapidly from fragments.