help identify brown / red slime algae - photo and microscope images

[saltyfish24]

I have a mix of this red algae on the sand and brown slime algae covering rocks/pump nozzle and growing on macro.

Here's a video of the sand's red sheets of algae. I thought it was cyano, but it didn't go away with chemiclean. I took a microscope image and video of brown slime algae and the red-ish sand algae, maybe that'll help with ID?

The microscope video shows a matted mess of brown segmented threads, interspersed with clumps of red colonies of cells and some green colonies.

 

[Subsea]

While I can’t help with identification, I can ask you about your sandbed maintenance because you need to vacume out the nuisance algae from sandbed.

 

[saltyfish24]

While I can’t help with identification, I can ask you about your sandbed maintenance because you need to vacume out the nuisance algae from sandbed.

haha, so true. I've been vacuuming it out every week for a few weeks now. I have a 30 gallon, and I've been taking out 5 gallons a week. The cyano-looking algae on the sand bed comes off in mats really easily when I vacuum it up. I lose a bit of sand every time I do that because the top layer sand comes up with the algae.

 

[EnterName]

Your microscopy recordings show cyanobacteria which matches the dark purple slime on your substrate.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/microscopy-thread.1138845/post-14401969 (Post #52, page 3, 12th post on page 3 if you are using the app)

The second image shows some encrusting red algae which is harmless and not the issue (probably coralline algae). The "spirals" are the problem.

(compare https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/microscopy-thread.1138845/post-14401969)

(compare last video in post https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/microscopy-thread.1138845/post-14453182)​

 

[saltyfish24]

Your microscopy recordings show cyanobacteria which matches the dark purple slime on your substrate.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/microscopy-thread.1138845/post-14401969 (Post #52, page 3, 12th post on page 3 if you are using the app)

The second image shows some encrusting red algae which is harmless and not the issue (probably coralline algae). The "spirals" are the problem.

Thank you so much of the markups. That's super useful microscopy thread.