Algae ID, Help, and Sympathy Please!!!!

[christyf5]

ugh, red "cotton candy" algae. I've heard Mexican Turbo snails eat it, no idea where to get them though. Get your water quality under control, that will likely help.

Good article

[Duffer2]

Thanks folks!!!!

Well, now that this evil has a name, let the battle begin. Mexican Turbo Snails on mass. Any idea's where to get them in Calgary?

[Delphinus]

Red Coral or Big Als actually would be two places I'd check. I'm trying really hard to remember if I saw any at Red Coral on the weekend but I'm drawing a complete blank, sorry.

[Magma]

red coral has some nice big fat ones for a great price, the ones at big als are very small size i have been to both stores within the last few days, call Kevin at red coral just to make sure but he normally has lots of them in stock

[daniella3d]

You have my sympathie! I habe been battling this pest for a long time in my nano 21 gallons and it's VERY persistant. The turbo snails goes on a rock and eat the thing as much as they can but this pest seem to always avoid them in some spots, then it detach and recolonize.

The mexican turbo does eat it though, but you would need to first clear it up a bit because the dend forest that you have right now is no match for turbo snails, unless you put 20 of them maybe? I am not sure they actualy eat it when it's that long either?

I don't know if high magnesium will help with this algae the way it does for bryopsis?

The slightest bit that detach is going to anchor itself somewhere else and grow like weeds

If you can cover some of the rock for light or take them out and give them a good scrub, that would help. YOu seem to not have much coral so maybe you can take out the rocks that have no coral and give them a good scrub with a brush in saltwater at the same salinity as not to kill the good bacterias and that will help.

[reefwars]

Would also suggest a complete blackout , cover your tank and let in no light what so ever.... Before this I wiuld remove all you can manually.

[Duffer2]

Alright... blackout starts today. I'm relocating my clams and a couple corals to the display tanks, but all the Xenia, mushrooms, frogspawn, and zoa's are going to have to suffer. Thoughts on how long? I'm thinking 5-6 days blackout + snails + manual removal.