Should I be careful when removing this algae?

[miston]

This red algae is growing out of my flowerpot coral. A fews weeks after I got it some leafy algae started growing out of it, then I pulled it out, and this red stuff starts growing.

What should I do? What kind of algae is that? I haven't had much problems with algae. Tank is about 8 months old

Any comments, suggestions, and criticisms regarding my full tank shot would be very appreciated.

thanks!

 

[pcardone]

I think I would worry more about those little anenomoies growing on the right

 

[miston]

yea, I don't like them either.

But why should I worry about them? How can I get rid of them?

 

[cindre2000]

They are most likely a species of pest anemone. They are called pest anemones because they spread quite fast, and sting any coral they are around. They are also a pain to get rid of. There are a number of commercial chemicals that you squirt on them to kill them- Joe's Juice, Aptasia Control, etc. You also might want a peppermint shrimp or two to clean up any that you miss.

 

[miston]

oh, those are aptasia's!?!? damn!

Well they are pretty much all on that one rock, I can lift up the GSP rock, which I need to do anyway to keep it from taking over.

So can I just scrub the anenome's off?

Peppermint shrimp? I already have a cleaner shrimp and a randali pistol (which rarely ever see, just hear). Are they compatible?

 

[trido]

So can I just scrub the anenome's off?

NO!! If you do that they will release spores and the problem will get worse. You have to nuke them with joes juice, kalk paste, inject them with boiling lemon juice etc.......


BTW the purple algea coming out of the flower pot coral looks like cyano to me. Suck it out with a turkey baster or something.

 

[miston]

I can lift up that rock of GSP, and then remove that rock.

Could i not scrub it in the sink, then rinse it off in saltwater, then put it back in?

 

[SnowManSnow]

If you scrub apstias, although I don't see any in the pictures, they will spread like wild fire. Majanos, what I DO SEE, will also spread... just not as prolifically. The 2 best ways to get rid of them are 1... preditor. or 2...poision each one individually.

Even if you scrub them outside the tank they WILL still spread.

If you don't believe me try it But I told you so!

The ones you will want to nuke are like the ones in the middle. I don't see any apstias in the pictures, only majanos.... but I may be missing somthing.

oh and i second what the previous poster said.. just suck the algea off with a turkey baster or somthing.

joes juice has always worked great for me.

b

 

[miston]

boiling lemon juice?

I only have a 12 gallon, is that safe in such a small amount of water?

I don't have a decent LFS around here

 

[miston]

and I want to get rid of those brown polyps that are on the same rock as those eagle eye zoas

can I just pull them off?

 

[bleedingthought]

Definitely get rid of the manjanos! It looks like you have more than 10 in there already! I would not scrub them, even if in the sink. They will burrow down once they're touched and like Duane said, it might do more harm than good. I always either bury mine in a thick kalk (pickling lime) paste or burn it with a lighter.

The cyano is easier to get rid of than the green algae (IMO). The green algae looks like a mix between hair algae and caulerpa.

But the tank looks pretty good, though. (That alveopora might not live much longer than a couple of months...)