PLease help identify kind of algae

[mrjb]

What kind of critters will eat this. It appears to be a little hairy.
I have a 55g, 25 pounds live rock, live sand, and a protien skimmer.

[sunken3]

hard to tell from it's pick.. likely cynobacter (sp).. aka red slime. it's a bacteria not an algae.. there are products that take it out pretty quickly but they can mess up your water parameters temporarily if you're not careful.

[leebca]

First, it looks like it is on dead, bleached coral. Is this a new tank?

That brown will get worse and eventually subside. It isn't an algae but a bacteria like mentioned above. Products don't get rid of it. Once the tank stabilizes it will reduce in amount and become unnoticeable (but always there).

You can starve it. It needs silica (dissolved) to live. Check source water for silica content.

It can be controlled by a lot of snails that like to eat it, but the coral will turn brown. :eek3: