Help! Red Valonia Outbreak

KevinM83 · 11/25/2013, 04:21 PM

Outbreak is an understatement. I've been having an issue for some time with a single rock and spreading algae, but the birth of my first child has taken priority over dealing with it. Needless to say, I put it off, and now there is a lot of it in the tank. Hundreds of spores and it is now on multiple rocks.

I removed a lot of the affected rock two weeks ago and manually removed most of the spores then rinsed in tank water before replacing. That seemed to work at first, but now I think I have more spores than before.

I have cut back on feeding and light schedules, but it hasn't done anything.

What do I do? Hydrogen peroxide dip the rocks? Additives? Scrub again? I also have a small rock with a torch coral frag on it and the bubbles are starting to overtake. How should I remedy to make sure it isn't hurt? Coral RX?

I'm a beginner and struggling here! Thanks for any help!

29gal biocube
2 Ocellaris Clownfish
1 Torch coral
Green Star Polyp patch
Snails and Blue Leg Hermit Crabs

sneeyatch · 11/25/2013, 04:51 PM

Red bubble algae isn't part of the valonia family, it's something different. It's actually a stemmed plant and you need to remove the stem / root of it in order to get rid of it. Best way is to break or cut the rock and remove a portion of the rock with the plant.

And yeah - it will spread like wildfire if you pop it as you already know.

KevinM83 · 11/25/2013, 05:11 PM

Removing the portion of the rock is not an option. It's spread out across the surface.... Is there a sip to kill the roots or some other way? Am I replacing my rocks?

sneeyatch · 11/25/2013, 09:48 PM

Given the size of your tank, I would say no - but you can try urchins. They're pretty nondiscriminant as to what they eat, so the may help.

A lot of large herbivorous fish like tangs and fox face will eat it and keep it under control. I used to grow it in my sump and feed it to my tangs back in the day. They loved it.

KevinM83 · 11/26/2013, 10:55 AM

I only have a 29 gallon so tang is not an option.

I may try to removethe rocks manually, rinse and peroxide dip it. My coral is hurting.....

11/25/2013, 04:21 PM	#1
KevinM83 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 7	Help! Red Valonia Outbreak Outbreak is an understatement. I've been having an issue for some time with a single rock and spreading algae, but the birth of my first child has taken priority over dealing with it. Needless to say, I put it off, and now there is a lot of it in the tank. Hundreds of spores and it is now on multiple rocks. I removed a lot of the affected rock two weeks ago and manually removed most of the spores then rinsed in tank water before replacing. That seemed to work at first, but now I think I have more spores than before. I have cut back on feeding and light schedules, but it hasn't done anything. What do I do? Hydrogen peroxide dip the rocks? Additives? Scrub again? I also have a small rock with a torch coral frag on it and the bubbles are starting to overtake. How should I remedy to make sure it isn't hurt? Coral RX? I'm a beginner and struggling here! Thanks for any help! 29gal biocube 2 Ocellaris Clownfish 1 Torch coral Green Star Polyp patch Snails and Blue Leg Hermit Crabs

11/25/2013, 04:51 PM	#2
sneeyatch Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Virginia Beach, VA Posts: 1,312	Red bubble algae isn't part of the valonia family, it's something different. It's actually a stemmed plant and you need to remove the stem / root of it in order to get rid of it. Best way is to break or cut the rock and remove a portion of the rock with the plant. And yeah - it will spread like wildfire if you pop it as you already know. __________________ - Todd It's often the saddest of us working our hardest to make everyone laugh Current Tank Info: Tankless

11/25/2013, 09:48 PM	#4
sneeyatch Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Virginia Beach, VA Posts: 1,312	Given the size of your tank, I would say no - but you can try urchins. They're pretty nondiscriminant as to what they eat, so the may help. A lot of large herbivorous fish like tangs and fox face will eat it and keep it under control. I used to grow it in my sump and feed it to my tangs back in the day. They loved it. __________________ - Todd It's often the saddest of us working our hardest to make everyone laugh Current Tank Info: Tankless

11/25/2013, 05:11 PM	#3
KevinM83 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 7	Removing the portion of the rock is not an option. It's spread out across the surface.... Is there a sip to kill the roots or some other way? Am I replacing my rocks?

11/26/2013, 10:55 AM	#5
KevinM83 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 7	I only have a 29 gallon so tang is not an option. I may try to removethe rocks manually, rinse and peroxide dip it. My coral is hurting.....