red wooly algae

[4angel]

I have had my tank up for a while now approximately two years. I noticed about six months ago that a red wooly algae had started growing. I didn’t think much of it at the time however I have found myself vacuuming it out more and more often only to curb its growth. It seems to be spreading. Anyone out there know what it is or how to get rid of it. Ive posted this on a few boards to no avail. Any help out there.
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Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Forum

 

[zibnata]

Do you mean red slime algea ?If so use red slime remover by ultra lfe. Works great and doesn't harm anything I have used it with corals,snails,hermits,shrimp,fish.It went away in a day and months later still gone. Check out http://saltaquarium.about.com/library/w ... 092800.htm
http://www.ultralifedirect.com/water_additives.htm

 

[4angel]

Thanks for the reply However the stuff that I have is like wool. very fine thredy and clumpy almost like cotton.
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life during the great depression

 

[liquid]

Can you post a picture of it? I have a feeling I know what it might be but I'd like to see what it looks like before I say one way or another...

Shane

 

[Entacmaea]

4Angel, I'm really sorry. This !#$*#%! stuff took over my tank. I tried everything, and finally had to take all the LR out and scrub it. It still came back. ANY little peice will regrow. It is more persistent than anything I have ever seen. I'm sure it is the same stuff I had, red and wooly is a perfect description. It started in my fuge, and one tiny piece made it down into my main tank, then it was over. I couldn't find anything to eat it either. And my bulbs were new, so it wasn't spectrum related.

I wish I had more than gloom to share with ya. Try cranking up the skimmer. Nutrient control is the only thing I imagine could work...

 

[kipreefer]

Find Mexican Turbo snails they eat it. Sometimes Rabbit fish will eat it also. Good luck.

 

[ChrisRD]

You've got some company Angel...

I noticed this stuff starting in my fuge when I tried using vinegar in my kalkwasser a few months ago (could be unrelated coincidence - I dunno...)

I gutted the fuge at one point to get rid of it, but it came back. Now it's made it's way into the main tank too.

So far nothing touches it and it's extremely persistent...

 

[investigator1]

It's a species of cladophora:

This hair algae is not a very tank friendly algae. Not very many inverts like to eat it. I have found out that there is a snail that will eat it. It is called a Mexican turbo grazer.

 

[alienzx]

The stuff grows like crazy. I'm running 2 10K Halides on a 55gal. What I did was unplug the Halides for a week. Luckily there's nothing in the tank that couldn't survive some darkness, and by the second day most of the red tuft was gone.

I'm slowly starting up the lights again, 3 hours a day and I'll add time unless I start to see it coming back.

It was extremely annoying, and I think it might've killed off some snails :

Best of luck.

 

[wade1]

commonly called "cotton candy algae"


I have little patches, but its kept in check by either my bluespot rabbit fish or by the couple of mexican turbos that I have. I'm guessing rabbit.

Wade

 

[liquid]

Wade: Is it the same stuff Sanjay had and that Joy had at one time?

Shane

 

[4angel]

I wish I didnt have to add any live stock to keep this in check. I would like to know the type of skimming folks that have had this prob. used with regaurd to tank size and stock of course. I know for sure that my coral home could stand an upgrade in the skimming dept. I have a pretty decent stock of corals three small fish and LR. in a 40 brd. with a CPR back pac. I would say that I pull out some decent amount of stuff on a daily and change 3 gal. of H.2.O weekly with RC salt. Lighting 175MH W/55W actinic.
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Honda CT series

 

[UnderGrad]

I've got the same problem as you guys. I made the big mistake of trying to rip it off the rock, but the stuff really grips the rock well. So I tried to scrape off the remainder with my fingernails and it ended up sending little pieces everywhere. Because my tank is skimmerless, its now got a hold on almost every piece of rock I have. I've let one patch of it grow as thick as it wants and interestingly enough, the patch has sort of "lifted" off the rock -- seems the base of the growth underneath didn't get enough light, I'm suspecting, and died off. I've been thinking of making something to shade certain areas of the rock where the growth is completely unacceptable. But I'm sure it will be a few weeks before I see any difference. Oh, BTW, my tank is a 10g hex with 175w MH and this stuff just loves all that light!

-AM-

 

[Anonymous]

I had a tank over run with it. I used a toth brush two or three times and increased the current in the tank and it went away rather quickly.

 

[Lurshy]

4angel,

Any luck getting this under control? If so, what did you do.

I believe the red growths I'm seeing is this stuff. Grows on top of the corraline. Really hard to scrap off. If I let it go it will start getting fuzzy patches of red. Defintely not cyano.

 

[4angel]

No luck in getting rid of this stuff completly. Its kept pretty much in check by syphoning weekly. I had a lot of this (*&^%&(*) crap in my tank. I try not to use my hands only because the stuff breaks apart and finds other rocks to attach itself.
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BMW V12 LMR

 

[Anonymous]

I think the cotton candy stuff is impossible to control by removing it, etc. At least it was for me. Mexican turbos really work, get some of them.