Strange Stuff in my Refugium

[CastAway]

I've always intended to let whatever happens happen in my refugium. I figure that the namesake. Plus, all kinds of strange things grow in the refugiums in my LFS's, so I figure this is "normal" and safe. But, I'm compelled to ask if anyone can tell me what this is, so I can research a little. Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[CastAway]

Bump.....

 

[Rob.D]

I don't knkw the scientific name but looks like "cotton candy algae"

 

[pickupman66]

its a fog rolling in !!!!

 

[vic67]

I think it's cotton candy algae also. Remove it asap.

 

[birdmandan]

Those are some neat looking macros (minus the cotton candy). What kinds do you have in there?

 

[alohadood]

Pull the fleshy bits it's attached too and toss it all. Invasive algae

 

[Gazog2]

Turn off your pumps, take all everything in your fuge out and put it in a bucket of bleach water then put the bucket in the trash can. Seriously that stuff is a huge problem if it gets into your tank I will guarantee that your going to be taking your tank down to get rid of it. Don't mess with it while your pumps are running cause it will spread every where.

2 years ago I had to have a knee replacement and could not maintain my tank as I would normally do and somehow I got some of that in it and it went crazy and pretty much took over and killed a bunch of coral and I ended up breaking down the tank and have not reset it back up yet. It grows even without food or it seems to, my phosphates were showing as zeros on every test I did and that crap grew like crazy.

 

[Wbrian]

Per reefcleaners.org's nuisance algae page...

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 dont have such an aesthetic appeal, and are a dull red or reddish brown.

Manual Removal is easy if it hasn't taken hold in places your fingers won't fit. Scrape your thumb on the surface it is attached too 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.

 

[Exclusive Corals]

Whatever have that pink hair algae on... trash it.

I used to have a display macroalgae tank, and somehow a little spec of the cotton candy algae found its way in there.. within a few months it took over my entire tank and killed off most of my algae. I tried manual removal / CUC, but nothing worked.

Hope you can get rid of it.

 

[CastAway]

Wow! I'm blown away. I kind of expected it to be benign. Not going to panic though.

Although there is quite a bit of flow through my refugium, there is not a lot of turbulence inside it. This last weekend, doing regular maintenance, I barley disturbed this growth. I was amazed at how delicate it was, and how it just fell apart. It remains in tact however.

I plan to buy a small syphon bulb, the kind with a diaphragm that only pumps in one direction. I hope to use this, and a small tube, to pull all I can out. I'm confident I can get most of it. At this point I won't be doing anything drastic, no bleach, no dismantling. I have no CUC in my refugium (thus the word "refuge"), and for now I'm going to hope and pray that whatever will make it to my display (it's inevitable) will be consumed by the CUC there.

Thanks everyone. Will advise, one way or another...

 

[CastAway]

So, I used this small hand pump I had, and a length of hard tubing and syphoned as much of the growth out as I could. It's been over a week now. Some still remains, but it has not come back very strong, if at all. Hoping for the best.