Algae ID / Control / Elimination

[thesassyindian]

Hello folks,
The last coral deaths have sparked an algae bloom in my tank.
Can someone please help me identify the algae and the method to control / eliminate it?

The algae holds its structure when taken out of the water.

Thanks!

 

[ashburn2k]

GHA, green hair algae

 

[Corallus]

To me it looks like some kind of turf algae

 

[RandyC]

Turf algae. You might get lucky with an urchin or emerald crab. Otherwise, manual removal. If you can remove rock, hydrogen peroxide treatment should work after pulling off what you can.

 

[thesassyindian]

It’s definitely not GHA, since it maintains its structure when removed from the water.

Emerald is a risk since they sometimes eat LPS. And tank is too small for an urchin.

The rockwork is the main arch in the tank, with multiple coral on it, so removal will be extremely tricky.

 

[PjFish]

Grab a sea hair from @under_water_ninja then PIF when it eaten all the algae. One of those smaller UV sterilizers temporary may help as well. Just remember what the sea hair eats it comes out the other end as heavy pellets and may need to remove with turkey baster if the flow isn’t picking up
Paul

 

[Coral reefer]

It’s definitely not GHA, since it maintains its structure when removed from the water.

Emerald is a risk since they sometimes eat LPS. And tank is too small for an urchin.

The rockwork is the main arch in the tank, with multiple coral on it, so removal will be extremely tricky.

Not too small for a tiny tuxedo urchin imo

 

[Darkxerox]

Manual removal, maybe 10% muriatic acid, swap out rock if needed and put it in a dark area to "cure/cook", then add a small tank raised tuxedo like Mike mentioned. Nothing is going to eat it when it's long, only when it's short or just starting to grow. Rich's talk details the best methods:

 

[Patio]

I agree that an Urchin's first preference wont or might not be the long tough algae.

In my recent experience, I noticed the urchins had no choice but to eat my long algae, it seems it was all I had. They would eat a section of the only long offering then go back and forth from the long algae and back to -the area they cleared days prior- fresh new soft algae growth. Then back to the long algae, then back to the fresh growth that took the long's place. Eventually, maybe 50 days or so and with help of a tang and an emerald crab, cleared the long algae. With all of that, I believe our algae are not the same. I just wanted to give some credit to the two hard working, long, tough-algae-eating urchins I have experience with. I now occasionally offer nori sheets at the bottom of the tank for urchins and emerald.

 

[Marcus H]

I think I have the same one as TSI (but not as much). I believe it's a turf algae, when you pull it off it it a bunch of strands from one small "stem"?.

If you knock it down manually turbos or big trochus seem to eat the nubs.

I'm hopefully getting a rabbitfish later this week for general eating of green stuff, will see if he helps also.