Identification of algae please

Tony Williams

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Please follow the link to my YouTube video of my 100 litre reef tank. I need to identify the purple 'thing'(!) that's growing out of my live rock to the left of the Branching Octopus coral.
I keep cutting it out but it returns. It is slow growing and feels semi-hard to the touch.
All my levels are within spec (I think!). Does this need to be removed completely or is it a benign growth?

TIA

Tony
 

brandon429

why did you put a reef in that
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I saw it, unable to ID but you have something better in its place...testing outcomes and knowing something about it’s rebound ability. You can see that if it ever becomes a problem, current removal methods won’t work

Red algae invasions where they do occur are not from nutrients issues, they’re from import and inaction. If it was my tank, since it’s not a nano with easy access I would kill it out and not risk. Remove the rock from the water and use a knife tip to dig scrape it off, not a brush. Nick the substrate anchors as you clear it. Put peroxide on the cleaned areas let sit a minute, then rinse off and try that. If it fragments in your tank it could be bad, not worth the risk imo since you didn’t buy it as a valued frag or growth.
 
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Tony Williams

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Thanks for the answer Brandon. Other forums say that this is a macro algae and is to be encouraged - even shared! My local supplier is of the opinion that anything red ought to be removed but some reefers say keep it as it adds to the natural look of the tank.
Don't know what to do now!
 

brandon429

why did you put a reef in that
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I can see how many like to keep it. In my opinion just watch it for other rocks

If it spreads nuke it out altogether via knifing, external work outside the tank and peroxide. In my peroxide threads which are about 200 pages combined we have full tank invasions from unidentified rhodophyta algae, but you are in the early assessment phase. If it stays local, keeps :)
 
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