Pest Algae ID please - red, softish and plating

[Fragzilla]

Hi,

I was hoping someone could put a definite ID on this Algae and also possibly suggest a way to beat it.

It starts off looking like coralline, then it starts plating and as you can see from the photo it is smothering my corals.

It's slick / soft to touch but quite ridged.

I thought it was lobophora but I'm not sure now after looking at various other species.

Please please help

 

[Fragzilla]

Another

 

[Fragzilla]

Last photo

 

[saltnewb]

Any pics of what it looks like in water?

 

[Fragzilla]

Any pics of what it looks like in water?

Hi saltnewb,

Here it is

 

[ReeferMadnessfragandco]

Looks like cyano... grab some chemi clean??

 

[Fragzilla]

Looks like cyano... grab some chemi clean??

Since when did cyano encrust and plate live rock?

 

[Fragzilla]

Can anyone help me with this please?

I don't think it's that uncommon of an algae, I seem to see it about in other peoples tanks quite often.

I would really like to get rid of it

 

[Fragzilla]

Any pics of what it looks like in water?

Have you got any clues then mate?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Can we assume its not calcareous? Does it snap off or tear when you break it off the mother colony.

How many approx ,what kind of snails crabs and cuc do you have?

 

[Fragzilla]

Had Trochus, Turban, cerith and Mexican Turbo snails in there and none of them touched it, neither did the cowri.

Only crabs i have are a couple of hermits and a hitchhiker crab that I can never catch. I don't trust crabs, they eat my zoas.

Yellow tang won't touch it either

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Had Trochus, Turban, cerith and Mexican Turbo snails in there and none of them touched it, neither did the cowri.

Only crabs i have are a couple of hermits and a hitchhiker crab that I can never catch. I don't trust crabs, they eat my zoas.

Yellow tang won't touch it either

got it, what about this?
Can we assume its not calcareous? Does it snap off or tear when you break it off the mother colony.

 

[Fragzilla]

got it, what about this?
Can we assume its not calcareous? Does it snap off or tear when you break it off the mother colony.

Its not calcerous, i.e it is not a type of coralline. Whether or not it has a calcium demand is anyone's guess as I know of macro algae that looks like normal seaweed that has a calcium demand.

The plating parts tear off. The encrusting parts are welded to the rock though. Needs to be hacked / scrapped away with a knife etc taking the surface of the rock away to remove it. Little bits break off though and can seed more areas of growth.

When you touch it, it feels smooth / slick, like kelp. But has a certain rigidity to it, a bit like paper machet (sp?)

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Got it. Lemmie take a look.

Ultimately it'll probably be a matter of experimenting with clean up crew members. Urchin. Chition, cowrie and possibly elephant slug come to mind first.
Or a an in tank "chemical" like VIbrant.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Peyssonnelia sp Perhaps.
http://www.aphotomarine.com/encrusting_algae_peyssonnelia_sp_07-11-14.html
Also called burgundy crust algae and from the Carribean if you happen to have Florida live rock.

Was similar to Martian rose scroll algae but I saw little verigation in the leaves in your samples and much less scrolling.
https://www.pinterest.com/salmankia45/macroalgae/

 

[Fragzilla]

Got it. Lemmie take a look.

Ultimately it'll probably be a matter of experimenting with clean up crew members. Urchin. Chition, cowrie and possibly elephant slug come to mind first.
Or a an in tank "chemical" like VIbrant.

Peyssonnelia sp Perhaps.
http://www.aphotomarine.com/encrusting_algae_peyssonnelia_sp_07-11-14.html
Also called burgundy crust algae and from the Carribean if you happen to have Florida live rock.

Was similar to Martian rose scroll algae but I saw little verigation in the leaves in your samples and much less scrolling.
https://www.pinterest.com/salmankia45/macroalgae/

Yes that's the only other one i found that looks similar but not exactly the same.

I've tried Vibrant in my frag tank but it browned out all my polyps so I've stopped dosing it now.

 

[TritonsGarden]

It almost looks like a type of sponge?

http://www.liveaquaria.com/diversden/ItemDisplay.cfm?c=2733+5&ddid=358377