Can anyone ID this please?

r98

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Hi, can anyone help ID this red algae please?
It is on my wavemaker

38EC9E4F-D962-409C-A432-F78FFE6DF110.jpeg
 
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r98

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Yeah the green hair algae has recently broke out, but I’ve had these small red balls for a while now…
 

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There are red hair algae types. There is also one called red cotton algae. Hard to tell until it grows out more.
That was going to be next guess red cotton algae.
this is what reefcleaners says about it.

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 don't have such an aesthetic appeal, and are a dull red or reddish brown.

Manual Removal: Easy if it hasn't taken hold in places your fingers won't fit. Scrape your thumb on the surface it is attached to, 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.
 
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r98

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Thanks everyone, I will try manual removal again (didn’t really work last time) and I will also buy an emerald crab
 
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r98

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Update:

Friday I scrubbed the wavemaker; removed the grass algae and majority of the cotton algae. Most of it has come off but there’s still an odd piece.

I also scrubbed my arch where the grass algae has blown onto, but I then realised that the cotton algae had spread onto that as well. Under closer inspection of my other rock, it had also spread in extremely tiny pieces…

I did a 50% water change and on Saturday I bought two Emerald crabs; one only has one pincer which I think is cool! I will attach comparison photos of the cotton algae taken on Saturday when I bought the crabs and on Sunday morning. They seem to be doing a good job so I’m planning on just leaving them to it!
 
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r98

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Comparison pics
 

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Close up comparison
 

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r98

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Meet the crabs… they don’t have names yet!

The one with only one pincer is great, the other one doesn’t seem to like it when I go close to the tank!
 

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