Algae ID pleae

[Dante]

I've been looking all over for an ID on this stuff but I can't find a reference. It looks like pink cotton candy. I can suck it out at water changes but it grows back pretty fast. Any idea what it is?

 

[Anonymous]

It's not an algae, it's Cyanobacteria a photosynthetic bacteria.

mario

 

[SnowManSnow]

new tank?

 

[trido]

It's not an algae, it's Cyanobacteria a photosynthetic bacteria.

mario

Really? I had this growing in my fuge for three months when my tank was young and considered it to be some sort of red hair algea. During that time I had a long winded bout of sheet cyano in the display tank. It only went away after putting several trochus and a few small nassarius snails in the fuge.

Regardless, I pulled it out by hand when it became unsightly, kept up the water quality and it went away.

 

[Anonymous]

It is a red algae, a particularly difficult one to eradicate. Not cyanobacteria.

Asparagopsis taxiformis.

 

[Dante]

new tank?

My tank has been up about a year. This stuff started showing up about 3 months ago. It is now the dominant algae. I have no other algae to speak of but I pull and suction this stuff out like crazy. My Foxface picks at it but he doesn't make a dent. Any idea what eats it?

 

[Anonymous]

Possibly a Diadema urchin. It's tough to fight.

 

[ChrisRD]

I've had large Mexican Turbos (T. fluctuosa) that would eat it.