small red "algae"

[txmedic1]

any idea what this little red "algae" is? i've had my tank up for 15 years, no new additions in 5 years. seems to be spreading everywhere. crazy as it sounds, i noticed it after feeding my fish some nori sheets. tried google and some other websites and cannot find an answer.

 

[Timfish]

Looks like red planaria or flat worms. They've likely been in your system forever but for some reason have started to proliferate. Have you lost any fish in the last six months or so? Or do you have some wrasses that are getting old?

 

[txmedic1]

Looks like red planaria or flat worms. They've likely been in your system forever but for some reason have started to proliferate. Have you lost any fish in the last six months or so? Or do you have some wrasses that are getting old?

no sir, same fish for almost 7 years. no wrasses ever.

 

[Timfish]

Interesting! Some wrasses help control red planula and I've seen them proliferate when a wrasse dies. I'm curious with the history why they're thriving now. Was there some unusual event 3,4,5,6 months ago? A power or equipment failure? A disruption in maintenance? There are treatments that might kill them but from what I've seen are hit and miss. There are wrasses that will eat them and you can siphon them out easily using straws.