Need help ... Red Puffy Macroalgae?

[StevieK]

OK,

i have been around the block ... but this one has got me stumped. I have looked through the algae web page to no avail.

any of you smart guys figure out what this red puffy macroalgae is? it is soft and the description i gave is the best i can do.

http://www.aquariumpros.ca/photopost/data/500/thumbs/d_007.jpg (http://www.aquariumpros.ca/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=6457)

[ksalt]

Is this it? Gibsmithia hawaiiensis - Rhodophyta, Red Algae just a wild guess,lol
http://www.tolweb.org/tree/ToLimages/redtitle2a.jpg
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[corpusse]

I don't know the name of this "cotton candy" algae but it can be a real pain. I never had it in my display but it really took off in my sump. Mexican Turbos are the only snail I know of that eats them.

Manual removal or mexican turbos are about you're only safe bets.

[StevieK]

thanks guys ... indeed it is cotton candy algae. thanks for all your help. It is interesting to note, i now can find thousands of threads on this algae, when for the last 3 days (looking under red, red puffy and every other variation), i could not find a single hit on google.

thanks again.

[StevieK]

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-12/nftt/index.php

well it seems it doesnt have a name.

[Old Yeller Tang]

In Sprung's book Algae: A Problem Solver Guide, it is identified as Asparagopsis. It has two different stages that it goes through. The cotton candy stage is called the sporophyte stage.

As corpusse mentioned, Mexicans (turbo snails, that is) love the stuff. Get one in there before the algae goes nuts and takes over your fuge

[corpusse]

As long as you keep it out of your display I don't think its a big deal. I had some in my frag tank but once I removed it ALL (manually) it never came back. The spores don't seem to travel far. I know Zach has it in his fuge too and but his display is also void of it.

[saltintheeyes]

Be careful. Asparagopsis can blow up real quick. Trust me, I know! This is the reason why I buy mexican turbo snails regularly. They are the only thing I know that will eat the stuff. Unfortunately they tend to have a short lifespan, at least in my tank (only about 4-6 months), whereas I have redband turbos and trochus that have been around since I set up the tank 18 months ago (plus my collonistas have no problem reproducing). Maybe my tank is too warm (80F).

It only takes a short drop in water quality to get this nuisance spreading like mad.

[tankies]

Be careful. Asparagopsis can blow up real quick. Trust me, I know! This is the reason why I buy mexican turbo snails regularly. They are the only thing I know that will eat the stuff. Unfortunately they tend to have a short lifespan, at least in my tank (only about 4-6 months), whereas I have redband turbos and trochus that have been around since I set up the tank 18 months ago (plus my collonistas have no problem reproducing). Maybe my tank is too warm (80F).

It only takes a short drop in water quality to get this nuisance spreading like mad.

yup...setting at 80 is warm for the mex turbos(jm2c)...i have mine for more than 1 yr now and still growing...they r of course my 2 biggest snails in the tank.(tank temp set maxed at 78.5).

[StevieK]

thanks again guys and also for the proper name. I threw out all my cheato and manually removed as much as i could this morning. i will buy myself a pacific mexican turbo and stick him in my sump. I have since read that Pacific Turbos are the ones and now Mexican Turbos.

now if i can only find a Pacific Mexican Turbo i am laughing!

[saltintheeyes]

now if i can only find a Pacific Mexican Turbo i am laughing!


I'm sure that has to be a punchline to a joke somewhere...:D

It may take awhile for the snail to start in on the asparagopsis (I find my snails like to explore the tank menu options first and then after 'appetizers' move in on the fuzzies). But once they get going... I've seen one large specimen dispatch a golf ball size patch overnight.

[brs]

now if i can only find a Pacific Mexican Turbo i am laughing![/quote]

John has them.http://www.aquariumpros.ca/forums/images/icons/icon11.gif

[StevieK]

now if i can only find a Pacific Mexican Turbo i am laughing!

John has them.http://www.aquariumpros.ca/forums/images/icons/icon11.gif[/quote]

John probably has jumbo shrimp as well.

[tankies]

thats where i bought mine. and what a perfect timing..part of the reef custodian grp buy.