RED TURF ALGAE/What will eat it?

VIC · 06-01-2001, 12:45 PM

Can anyone tell me what fish will eat red turf algae?
Does anyone know if a tang will munch on it? I don't want to use urchines as I have alot of coraline growing.
Thanks for the help.
Vic

inwall75 · 10-09-2005, 01:33 PM

I know long-spined urchins will. I have heard anecdotally that emerald crabs will as well.

**Ninong** · 10-09-2005, 05:50 PM

Ah, a topic near and dear to my heart. Not!

This almost drove me insane for months. My problem completely disappeared after I added a few large Mexican turbo snails (Turbo fluctuosus) to my system. The red turf algae was completely gone within about four months.

I'm attaching a picture of what my particular red turf algae looked like. I'm sorry but I don't have any recent pictures to post as an "after" view.

jiggly75 · 10-09-2005, 06:12 PM

Our problem ended the same way as Ninong's. We got a better skimmer and 4 mexican turbo snails and watched it slowly go away. We are still trying to prune it out of the refugium. Good luck!!!

inwall75 · 10-10-2005, 11:05 AM

AAAGGGHHH....Anotrichum barbatum

That stuff stinks. It's darn near impossible to starve out because it is one of the few algaes that can grow on non-eutrophic reefs.

**Ninong** · 10-10-2005, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by inwall75

AAAGGGHHH....Anotrichum barbatum

That stuff stinks. It's darn near impossible to starve out because it is one of the few algaes that can grow on non-eutrophic reefs.

You wouldn't happen to have any links to pics of Anotrichum barbatum, would you? I have been trying to ID my dearly departed alga for months without success. I gave up the search after my problem went away but I'm still curious. All of my original tentative identifications were incorrect. None of them matched what I was seeing with my own eyes.

My alga was a bright wine-red, it spread by pinnate runners that were flat against the surface of the rock and it's maximum height was probably no more than 7 mm. This is just an estimate because my Foxface Rabbitfish grazed on it constantly. He just didn't eat it all the way down to the surface. He simply kept it neatly mowed.

It was virtually impossible to manually remove from the surface of the live rock. Brushing it with a new, stiff toothbrush would not remove it. Within a few weeks after it first appeared, it was everywhere in my tank, including the surfaces of equipment.

I added three large Mexican turbo snails and within a couple of weeks I noticed that it was slowing going away. Within about four months, it was nowhere to be seen.

Here are a few more pics of what my red alga looked like:

inwall75 · 10-10-2005, 12:02 PM

I have a link for it somewhere...I'll try to dig it up.

*Papa Doug* · 10-10-2005, 12:54 PM

Diadema urchins fixed both mine and a couple of friends. However I have not tried the turbo,s mentioned above.

Since giving the urchins away, some of the red turf algae is back.

inwall75 · 10-10-2005, 01:21 PM

I cannot find my link. It must have been on the computer that died. It was also on an Adobe Acrobat file which isn't Googlable. I also had quite a few links at universities and the links are no longer good. You would think that they would archive the work that graduate students do rather than discard it when they graduate. Sorry. I've seen pictures of it on RC before but I cannot ever use their search engine.

The picture makes it look stiff and wirey and you've already stated that it is darn near impossible to remove manually. As a result, my first guess would be a good option. If it was softer and could be scraped off, then my guess would be Gelidium pussilum. It appears too close (nor pinate enough) to the rock to be Galaxaura spp. and doesn't look feathery enough to be Wrightiella spp. nor Polysiphonia spp.

Here's a couple rather rare red algaes. http://www.coralreefnetwork.com/marl...s/seaweeds.htm

inwall75 · 10-10-2005, 03:38 PM

I found a link for you.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...hreadid=585144

**Ninong** · 10-10-2005, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by inwall75

I found a link for you.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...hreadid=585144

Thanks! Mine is (was) the same as that pictured in Joe Burger's tank -- picture of blue tort.

06-01-2001, 12:45 PM	#1
VIC Citizen Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Elmwood Park, N.J. U.S.A Posts: 134	RED TURF ALGAE/What will eat it? Can anyone tell me what fish will eat red turf algae? Does anyone know if a tang will munch on it? I don't want to use urchines as I have alot of coraline growing. Thanks for the help. Vic

10-09-2005, 05:50 PM	#3
Ninong Moderator Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Louisiana Posts: 19,736	Ah, a topic near and dear to my heart. Not! This almost drove me insane for months. My problem completely disappeared after I added a few large Mexican turbo snails (Turbo fluctuosus) to my system. The red turf algae was completely gone within about four months. I'm attaching a picture of what my particular red turf algae looked like. I'm sorry but I don't have any recent pictures to post as an "after" view. Attached Thumbnails __________________ Ninong

10-10-2005, 12:54 PM	#8
Papa Doug Gallery Team Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Manitoba, Canada Posts: 795	Diadema urchins fixed both mine and a couple of friends. However I have not tried the turbo,s mentioned above. Since giving the urchins away, some of the red turf algae is back. __________________ Doug Missing my friend Kia

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10-09-2005, 01:33 PM	#2
inwall75 Tenant Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: St. Louis & Washington DC Posts: 95	I know long-spined urchins will. I have heard anecdotally that emerald crabs will as well.

10-09-2005, 06:12 PM	#4
jiggly75 Council Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: ohio Posts: 345	Our problem ended the same way as Ninong's. We got a better skimmer and 4 mexican turbo snails and watched it slowly go away. We are still trying to prune it out of the refugium. Good luck!!!

10-10-2005, 11:05 AM	#5
inwall75 Tenant Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: St. Louis & Washington DC Posts: 95	AAAGGGHHH....Anotrichum barbatum That stuff stinks. It's darn near impossible to starve out because it is one of the few algaes that can grow on non-eutrophic reefs.

10-10-2005, 12:02 PM	#7
inwall75 Tenant Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: St. Louis & Washington DC Posts: 95	I have a link for it somewhere...I'll try to dig it up.

10-10-2005, 01:21 PM	#9
inwall75 Tenant Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: St. Louis & Washington DC Posts: 95	I cannot find my link. It must have been on the computer that died. It was also on an Adobe Acrobat file which isn't Googlable. I also had quite a few links at universities and the links are no longer good. You would think that they would archive the work that graduate students do rather than discard it when they graduate. Sorry. I've seen pictures of it on RC before but I cannot ever use their search engine. The picture makes it look stiff and wirey and you've already stated that it is darn near impossible to remove manually. As a result, my first guess would be a good option. If it was softer and could be scraped off, then my guess would be Gelidium pussilum. It appears too close (nor pinate enough) to the rock to be Galaxaura spp. and doesn't look feathery enough to be Wrightiella spp. nor Polysiphonia spp. Here's a couple rather rare red algaes. http://www.coralreefnetwork.com/marl...s/seaweeds.htm

10-10-2005, 03:38 PM	#10
inwall75 Tenant Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: St. Louis & Washington DC Posts: 95	I found a link for you. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...hreadid=585144

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