Bryopsis???

[ShawnSaucier]

I’m away from home and the wife sent me this picture. Also in two other spots in my tank. Both frags from the same store.
Without seeing in person, not totally sure. What do you think?
Also getting random strands of Chaeto growing in the tank. Tuxedo urchin has a wig as well…
Gone for one more month….

 

[mcarroll]

Maybe.

IMO identification is well down on the ladder of importance vs removing it by hand ASAP. Waiting always plays to the algae's favor.

Use fingers if possible or tweezers (or scraper, etc) if needed to pull it off the rock. Consider spot treating with hydrogen peroxide if there are any bits that you can't get removed. (Don't count on peroxide to kill it off – that involves more waiting. Remove, then peroxide if needed.

There's a chance your cleanup crew is weak as well if it's popping up around the tank. More herbivores. (eg. Turbos, astreas, trochus.) Up to 2 Turbo snails (or equivalent) per can can be needed in a tank with a lot of algae growth. Yours isn't that bad, but it's a number to keep in mind for perspective. IMO, add 2-4 more Turbo's (or equivalent) and see how it goes for another few weeks. Add more if you still think they aren't keeping the whole tank clean...slowly like that up to the 2/gallon number. (Unlikely you will actually need 2 per gallon.)

If you can deploy UV and/or micron filtration, they can remove the algae swarmers from the water/sterilize them and stop the algae from spreading further until you get it under control.