Red Turf Algae.

reeftank21 · 04/17/2008, 11:33 AM

Not sure if this is the right forum for this but what causes red turf algae. I don't have much of it but seems to be getting greater. Little tufts of red cotton balls. Its hard to remove manually and nothing seems to be eating it.

Is there something in my water that allows for it generally. My Po4 shows 0 from salifert but my nitrates are somewhere around 5. I have no other problems with algae except wiping the glass. The tank has only been running for about 6 months but sand and live rock came out of other tanks. Tank is 240 gallons with sump.

Are temperature fluctuations causing this? Ph swings? Temperature swings from about 78 to 80 and Ph 8.0 to 8.3.

thanks

m2434 · 04/17/2008, 12:01 PM

IIRC Mexican Turbo snails may help. Reducing Po4 may also help, as undetectale levels can still be enough.

bertoni · 04/17/2008, 02:46 PM

Moved to New to the Hobby for more views.

I have beaten this alga by nutrient control, along with a bit of hand-pruning. Growing and harvesting a macroalga can help, as can better skimming. You might want to check your feeding levels, too.

BeesGoneWild · 04/17/2008, 02:49 PM

As bertoni said nutrient control thats the name of the game when it comes to algae, Even though you may not find any detectable nitrate or phosphate doesnt mean that its not there. Some algae will eat it as soon as its introduced to the water. Click my red house for 14 tips on battling algae.

04/17/2008, 11:33 AM	#1
reeftank21 Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Illinois Posts: 215	Red Turf Algae. Not sure if this is the right forum for this but what causes red turf algae. I don't have much of it but seems to be getting greater. Little tufts of red cotton balls. Its hard to remove manually and nothing seems to be eating it. Is there something in my water that allows for it generally. My Po4 shows 0 from salifert but my nitrates are somewhere around 5. I have no other problems with algae except wiping the glass. The tank has only been running for about 6 months but sand and live rock came out of other tanks. Tank is 240 gallons with sump. Are temperature fluctuations causing this? Ph swings? Temperature swings from about 78 to 80 and Ph 8.0 to 8.3. thanks __________________ What a mess. Current Tank Info: 240 gallon mixed reef

04/17/2008, 12:01 PM	#2
m2434 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 2,171	IIRC Mexican Turbo snails may help. Reducing Po4 may also help, as undetectale levels can still be enough. __________________ Our imagination is stretched to the utmost, not, as in fiction, to imagine things which are not really there, but just to comprehend those things which are there. ~Richard Feynman

04/17/2008, 02:46 PM	#3
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	Moved to New to the Hobby for more views. I have beaten this alga by nutrient control, along with a bit of hand-pruning. Growing and harvesting a macroalga can help, as can better skimming. You might want to check your feeding levels, too. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

04/17/2008, 02:49 PM	#4
BeesGoneWild Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: North Eastern Pennsylvannia Posts: 1,064	As bertoni said nutrient control thats the name of the game when it comes to algae, Even though you may not find any detectable nitrate or phosphate doesnt mean that its not there. Some algae will eat it as soon as its introduced to the water. Click my red house for 14 tips on battling algae.