Battle with red hair algae

[nadzo]

Hi guys, I’m new to the forum. I am from South Africa and have been reefing for the better part of 5 years.
I’ve run into some issues and would like some advice.
I have some red hair algae that I have been battling. I assume it was a bit of negligence on my side and throwing in some high tds water into the tank. (Neglected the ro)
Anyway. I’ve been battling to get rid of it. I have scraped it off and I don’t see it returning but it’s gotten into deep spots on the rock which I can’t reallt get to. With a brush even.
My avenues are:
keep doing what I’m doing and hope it dies? Which doesn’t seem like it but it doesn’t spread.
Use peroxide and try and kill it?
Or use flucanozole. I was hoping someone could give me some insight to using it? And will it work? I have read through the thread on it and there’s mention of it, with someone saying it’s worked and another saying it has no effect on red algae? Can anyone please help me make a decision with regard to this.

Attached is the pictures for reference and maybe an ID on the algae.

Thanks I’m advance

 

[RJinPV]

Welcome aboard!!

I have never really run across this type of algae. Maybe someone else has. Here is a link that might help ID it: https://www.reefcleaners.org/nuisance-algae-id-guide
It looks like it might be cotton candy algae.

 

[RJinPV]

Deleted a duplicate response

 

[nadzo]

I also thought cotton candy. But the color is dark red.. and it doesn’t grow in patches, very hard to remove. U cannot pull it off. It simply tears. And it remains on the rock..
the brushing helped but it’s way too difficult to get into the crevices of the rock.. so they remain.

 

[nadzo]

Oh and I’ve been through that thread too! Thanks for replying.
I was just hoping someone could push me in the direction of a treatment. Maybe it has similar cell structure to gha and briopsis then I’ll go with the fluc treatment. Otherwise I’ll just try peroxide.. but was hoping for something without getting my hands in the tank.. I just got in some fish and would like them to settle in nicely..

 

[nadzo]

Anyone with some advice?

 

[brandon429]

This is how to use peroxide to fix it, external work not adding it to the tank

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/is-this-lyngbya.338909/page-3#post-6144874

 

[nadzo]

Thank you for the reply. Do you think the algae I have is lyngbya?

 

[nadzo]

Thank you for the reply. Do you think the algae I am dealing with is lyngbya?

 

[brandon429]

No but the outcome is the same across any anchored invader ID not required
Not much will survive being lifted out of tank, being knife scraped clean, then peroxide put on the cleaned parts (not the invaded ones, rasping clean comes first)

Take pics we w use your test rock pics or work pics if you do. The winning action is on the rocks directly out of water, not dosed to the water.

Steve J work:

After external work

 

[brandon429]

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/id-request-red-plants-and-spikey-plant.205051/page-2#post-2358589

Here’s one with red growth. All the ones for green hair algae, same outcome

Water probs or nutrient issues didn’t cause any of the invasions, any strain of rhodophyta will grow wherever it hitchhikes into. That’s why we just direct kill it or any other invasion lifted out of the tank. Only big tanks have to work through the water, be invaded, ID, test, respond. Spend $$

A nano tank or an open scape tank can just dispatch the invader and be done.

 

[nadzo]

ThAnk you. I also wasn’t sure where it came from. I suspected it being due to me being a bit negligent with my ro machine. Didn’t change the filters when they were due.
I will try a test piece of rock that is lose. The issue I have with outside treatment is most of my rock is actually glued down. So it’s a complete tear down of the tank. Which I was hoping to avoid. But if needs be I guess it will have to be done..

 

[nadzo]

Also, my nitrate and phosphate readings are undetectable. I have done it with jbl test kits as well as salifert. Both had the same outcome. I thought it was mainly due to the algae eating up all the nutrients. I have been starving the nutrients in my tank as a last ditch effort and it seems to be working. Very little to no growth and some parts getting lighter with them reducing in size. I would just like to speed up the process slightly and help it along the way. Hence my thread with regard to peroxide and fluc.
Have u ever used flucanazole? Do you think that will be a good idea if the peroxide doesn’t work?

 

[brandon429]

The peroxide works for sure, I don't use fluc, not sure on that. Peroxide has all the before and after pics for rhodophyta

After the test, don't forget the drain and treat, it's what I use. My reef was packed, didn't want to take apart so I drained water down to access vs taking apart

You could drain your water into a brute container, spot treat w peroxide the affected areas, refill

Leave enough room for fish to swim, but taking it apart is the best option if the tank is accessible. You are able to clean the sandbed when it's taken apart, it's a forced interval you could clean out the bed too. Any clouding waste from fish in the bed is feeding this and future invasions. It's not that sandbeds can't isolate the fish waste away from the testable water params for years, they can. But if you already have it taken apart, and if the tank isn't too big, you could easily reset its age and lifespan just by cleaning out sandbed detritus too.


We don't use nitrate or phosphate readings in our threads only bc the invader will grow in both high and low nutrient conditions, tank params don't cause rhodophyta invasions, they're merely hitchhikers who find a way

If you transport your algae rock into any non infected tank here, it grows. The benefit of that detail is you can now control it independently of measured tank params.

 

[nadzo]

That would make so much sense to do that. I can drain the tank as much as possible. I don’t have so many fish so that’s a plus. I’ve been holding back on acquisitions of live stock till I sorted the problem.
So tell me, how much peroxide can I use when using this method? I wouldn’t want to affect the ph of the tank..

Thank you. That made my life a bit easier. I was struggling to understand why it would grow in low nutrient environments. My corals haven’t been doing the greatest with me dropping it to undetectable levels. I will continue removing and when the algae is trimmed as much as possible I will use the peroxide. Thank you for your replies. It’s much appreciated.

If I do have any information with regard to fluc I would definitely pass on to you.

 

[Jose Mayo]

Or use flucanozole. I was hoping someone could give me some insight to using it? And will it work? I have read through the thread on it and there’s mention of it, with someone saying it’s worked and another saying it has no effect on red algae? Can anyone please help me make a decision with regard to this.

Red algae are structurally different from green and brown algae; the structural lipid of its cell walls is mostly cholesterol, not ergosterol. Fluconazole inhibits the synthesis of ergosterol, and therefore kills some species of green and brown algae, but does not reach red algae.

Regards

 

[brandon429]

In the above threads we never ever added peroxide to the tank water. the work was done outside the tank never though the water be sure n copy what they did it will work. If you want to rinse the sand wo killing the system here's a free work thread on that too

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/t...ead-aka-one-against-many.230281/#post-2681445

 

[nadzo]

Jose, thank you for the response. I was hoping for a different outcome with regard to the red algae. Was hoping I could get a ID on the type of algae I have. Do you have any idea?
Brandon has been kind enough to help me figure out a fix, and from his chats I gather this red algae is rodophyta.
I think my best bet is the peroxide treatment. I have introduced some Mexican turbo snails and they haven’t made much of an effect to my situation. But, I’ve only got 3 and they not easy to come by in South Africa. I guess the algae is stronger than the 3.
But I am going to try the peroxide route and post my results

 

[Jose Mayo]

Jose, thank you for the response. I was hoping for a different outcome with regard to the red algae. Was hoping I could get a ID on the type of algae I have. Do you have any idea?

The appearance of the photos corresponds to the genus Bangia sp., Common in South Africa.

Regards

 

[nadzo]

Thank you It definitely looks like that. Do you think mexican turbo snails eat it? Any other critters that would put a dent in it? I’m going to go with the peroxide route but hopefully I can get something to help me along.