HELP Red Turf Algae

Nuch · Mar 10, 2017

So I have a bad (not excessive) case of red turf algae. It's on live rock and power head and also my back overflow. I have a 45 gallon cube, run gfo, carbon, and cheato reactors. Chinese led from ebay about 1yr old. I use RO water. I do 5 gallon water change every week. parameters pretty good (every test kit is different) everything I've read is back from like 2012, so please if someone is going to post a link I don't mind it being old but the last post is even old. I've read turbo snails help and they don't. Read tuxedo urchin help and they don't. yellow tangs (have one) help and they don't. Lawnmower blenny? Read taking out rock and using peroxide then leaving rock out of the water for 2 mins, but pretty much every piece of rock has coral on it. By the way corals growing like crazy. and awesome colors. Even had some acans totally bleach out (I mean white) and they came back with all there colors. Even have some sps thrive! None of it is on the sand. I've heard it will take over everything. Also have purple coraline but would rather more where the turf is.
So has anyone had success with it or good advice? Was thinking about next week placing order for urchin and turbos. figured I give it all weekend for advice before order.
Will take pics with white lights tomorrow. Will post pic of it on my gyre (probably come out sideways lol) below with the blue lights.
Also heard this stuff thrives in pristine water condition! Really! Don't we want that kind of water quality?
TIA

Salty1962 · Mar 10, 2017

Try some Vibrant, it has helped keep mine under control. I to haven't found a natural was of getting rid of.

brandon429 · Mar 10, 2017

here are some approaches that you can use for a test run, don't do the whole tank. make a test rock comply first, and chart it over a week or two to prove no growback. find the best rep example rock and remove it from the tank, use a water mister of saltwater to spray on corals as you work outside the tank. a kids squirt gun worked for me

take a metal tool, knife preferably, and score it off the rock as a dentist would work the metal scraper exacting on our plaque, that can be painful sometimes because they're not playing around, they're rasping our teeth by force

mimic that and you can beat red turf easily, I eradicated it in my tank fully and the only way it gets in is by direct hitchhiker import, snail shells/frags/hard surface transfers from tanks past

nutrients are not factored in the threads we kill it, we rasp it out.

when that surface is scraped assertively and the organism is washed off, use peroxide direct on the spots that were former red algae, put peroxide where the invader was forced out, not on the invader for a clinch win. try one test rock you w like it

I cant see any turf algae, that looks like cyano. same method of removal by hand but cyano needs no rasping as its not anchored. wherever the red turf is, that metal knifing is best

brandon429 · Mar 10, 2017

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

kevlow · Mar 10, 2017

I have not completely eradicated it but made great strides.
I used some of Brandon's method of scraping and scratching with a blade. This removed some but not all.

At the same time, I bought a bunch of turbo snails. My thinking was to start a competition for the food available. In the day I never saw the snails eating the red turf algae but each day there was noticeably less. I do not know if they were consuming the food that was feeding the algae, or if the snails were directly eating the algae. Regardless, My problem has been reduced greatly.

kevlow · Mar 10, 2017

I will also say that I tried many things that did not work. I bought two species of urchins that were supposed to do the job, but they showed now interest. I tried lowering nutrients to slow or reduce the Red Turf. Not happening. The corals paled out without ever slowing down the turf. Bought a Foxface to eat it but he could care less. Tried plucking but that stuff does not want to be plucked.

Knife blade and an army of turbos.

Nuch · Mar 10, 2017

Definitely gonna try knife and scrape like Brandon said and get turbos. Gonna be slow but i will give it a couple weeks. Will let ya know how it goes. Will start tonight.

Nuch · Mar 10, 2017

Pic

Nuch · Mar 10, 2017

Pic of it on rocks

kevlow · Mar 11, 2017

Nuch said:
Pic of it on rocks

I can not tell from the pics. Is that Red/Burgundy Turf Algae or is it splotches of Red Coraline Algae?.

Nuch · Mar 11, 2017

Not sure

brandon429 · Mar 11, 2017

Not the red algae from my link

What you have looks nice :) if you reach in a finger does it feel slippery or come off? I cannot ID what that is but it's not the evil stuff yay

I wouldn't knife it just yet

Let's see how it feels and looks if you can get a small sample somehow in the bottom of a cup for closer pics

Does it fall into shreds in the cup or break apart

What color does the cup sample turn after peroxide is added to test cup etc

kevlow · Mar 11, 2017

I would follow Brandon's advice and hold off on cutting and scraping. That circular splotch pattern looks like red coraline. Red Turf would look and feel like velvet or felt.
It is hard to tell in the pics if that is hard and flat or raised and soft.

Nuch · Mar 11, 2017

Ok brandon will try and get a piece in a cup when i get home from work. But as far as the feel, it is slippery and does not come off if i try to scratch it with my finger nail.
I hope it the good stuff!

Nuch · Mar 13, 2017

So i let a rock soak in 50/50 cvs brand peroxide and water for 24 hrs. Pic on left is before soak anf right is after.

brandon429 · Mar 13, 2017

also try one rock of straight peroxide just poured on it, no scrubbing at all, let rock sit on counter for 2 mins after you poured peroxide across it and then rinse and put back in. from this test you can have some idea about dilution amounts and how that ties into sustained kill of the target. many people wouldn't do anything at all, just let things mature but if you want to test killing it that's a simple way.

these test rock options are better than doing something to the whole tank before we know what to expect. these are harmless noncommittal moves to just give an indication about a given target. I have no idea what that is regarding identification of the target, can't tell if its plant, diatom or moneran (bacterial)

Nuch · Mar 14, 2017

This was a smaller piece. Same as the bigger piece 24 hr soak but in 100% peroxide, then 24 hr dry. Is it the bad algae? Sould i put in my sump to see if the red comes back?

Nuch · Mar 14, 2017

Here the first piece after 24 hr dry. No red what so ever on it. I can take out a couple pieces and treat the same but alot have coral on the . Is it worth breaking around coral and chipping coral off and soak or just f... it, it's not that bad?