What is this purple/pink stuff

[waynel]

Is the fluffy pink/purple a type of algae and what will help get rid of it if so? This is my 8-9 week old 125 gallon, live rock and live sand

 

[Flippers4pups]

Looks like cotton candy algae.

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

 

[waynel]

Looks like cotton candy algae.

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

Thank you

 

[najer]

That is funky, me want lol.

 

[waynel]

That is funky, me want lol.

It is pretty, but I can see it quickly taking over if I'm not careful. I've been slow about adding any fish. I'm thinking I need a rabbitfish now.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Also called sponge algae, this Pink Cotton Candy algae is a major pest in some aquariums , and it can cover your live rock, your glass, your power heads, and even your corals. It will even grow between the polyps of Xenia, green star polyps, and zoas, making removal difficult to near impossible.
High nutrients from overfeeding will support this type of algae. It can cover your live rock, glass, power heads, and obviously your corals. The first thing to do is to pull this algae out by hand. Turn off your pump and power heads if you can as removing any algae in high flow increases the chance algae will start growing in another area of the tank. If your fingers can reach a puff, grab it and take it out. The sooner you remove the algae, the better, as you can help stop it from spreading.
To remove, do more and more frequent water changes until the water quality of your aquarium has improved so this algae cannot be supported. Additionally, Mexican Turbo snails are the most widely used method to combat cotton candy algae growth but they don't do well in water warmer than 78 degrees.

 

[vetteguy53081]

It is pretty, but I can see it quickly taking over if I'm not careful. I've been slow about adding any fish. I'm thinking I need a rabbitfish now.

rabbit likely wont touch this stuff. Mexican turbo snails do

 

[najer]

rabbit likely wont touch this stuff. Mexican turbo snails do

Are there any fish that eat it?

 

[waynel]

rabbit likely wont touch this stuff. Mexican turbo snails do

Ok, thanks. I'll get a few mexican turbo snails then.

 

[najer]

It is pretty, but I can see it quickly taking over if I'm not careful. I've been slow about adding any fish. I'm thinking I need a rabbitfish now.

Get one anyway, great fish.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Are there any fish that eat it?

Nope. Too many filaments

 

[najer]

Nope. Too many filaments

Cool thanks.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Ok, thanks. I'll get a few mexican turbo snails then.

With the snails, try to keep tank at 77-78 deg for them

 

[Tailhook]

Try top crown snails. If you want to add a fish I recommend a foxfish.

 

[waynel]

I did add 4 turbo snails do the DT and 2 to my sump (some gha starting to grow in refugium area, so cutting back on the light time - also have some chaeto in there, but my tank may still be too young for it to grow well). They are making a dent in the algae, along with me pulling/vacumming what I can.