Plastic Sheeting that cuts off ALL light?

[sen5241b]

No one has been able to identify this red macro-algae. It is slow growing and darn near impossible to scrub it off the rock. I soaked a rock with it in bleach for hours and then I had to scrub it hard with a brush before it finally came off. Its like to trying to scrub pavement off a highway with a sponge.

 

I'm trying to find plastic sheeting that cuts off ALL light and wrap the algae with it. I tried double wrapping it with trash bag plastic (see pic) but the light came through.

 

Where can I find plastic sheeting that will cut-off ALL light????

 

 

 

[Incredible Corals]

Don't know about plastic sheets. But, I had that same stuff come in on a rock with yellow polyps and my tang ate it all up. He went nuts for it.

[ctenophore]

Agreed, that stuff will grow everywhere my tangs aren't. I can peel it off the inside of my overflows, toss a mat of it in the tank, and it's gone in seconds. I don't think you will be able to get rid of it by trying to light starve it. herbivores are your best bet.

[flowerseller]

Agreed, that stuff will grow everywhere my tangs aren't. I can peel it off the inside of my overflows, toss a mat of it in the tank, and it's gone in seconds. I don't think you will be able to get rid of it by trying to light starve it. herbivores are your best bet.

 

 

agreed. My yellow tang does an excellent job.

[rioreef]

T - A - N - G - s

[zygote2k]

It is one of 2 species of red algae-

Hypnea or Gelidiopsis both of which are palatable to many types of herbivorous fish. I have also found that elevated magnesium levels wiped it out in an sps dominated tank, but high levels of magnesium have other associated problems like snail, hermit, and starfish mortality.

[sen5241b]

I cannot put a tang in my 29G that already has 4 fish in it. I'm thinking a small Urchin. maybe?

[rocko918]

If you can wrap the rock in that plastic i would think you can remove those rocks? If so lend them to someone with a tang. When i had that stuff in my frag tank i added a scopas and he ate it up in less than a day.

[sen5241b]

Yeah the rock might be removed but that would be a huge headache. Changin rock around (at least for me) is like messing with a Rubick's cube. One I switch it around, it very hard to get it back just the way I had it.

 

Elevating Mag could kill my cheato also.

 

 

Also, my 'trates are not even measurable. Understand the red algae is a macro-algae. Its feeding them same way my cheato does. This is not a nitrate/phosphate reduction issue at all. Removing rock and scrubbing it is not an option. I cannot put a Tang or Scopa in a 29G. I must find something small that will eat it or starve it for light.

[BowieReefer84]

why not do a 48 or 36 hour period with your lights off and tape a black trashbag to your tank or something??? Worth a shot.

 

 

[sen5241b]

why not do a 48 or 36 hour period with your lights off and tape a black trashbag to your tank or something??? Worth a shot.

 

I double-wrapped it already with trash bag plastic for 10 days and there was a tiny bit of die-off. This red macro-algae is very unlike cheato, hair algae, bubble algae or other common tank algae that will all will die off in a few days.

[ctenophore]

An urchin will eat it, but IME may also munch (or simply knock over) corals. You might try a few of those short spine black ones that come from tampa bay gulf rock and the FL keys.

[zygote2k]

why don't you just buy/borrow a small tang? If the tang police bust you, you'll at least have a reason.

[Integral9]

I have had that stuff in my tank as well. In my experience, it will run it's coarse and die off when it's food supply is diminished... I've tried blennys (both a two spot and a bi-color) but non of them touched the stuff. I've pulled dead frags out of my tank with it growing on it and even after a bleaching with pool-grade chlorine it was still on the coral skeleton. All of my other cleanup crews seemed to just clean it rather than eat it. It's really hard stuff to get rid of. In the end, I just let it be and it killed itself off. That took about a year and I had to keep blowing cyano off of it as it was acting as a detritus trap with it's very thick growth. You can see a pick of it in my tank here (around the tooth coral) before it died off:

 

 

I believe I was able to identify it as an algae that lives mostly in high current / surf regions of the reef. So without an exceptional amount of flow over it, it should die off. You just have to keep up w/ your turkey baster and blast off the cyano / detritus that builds up on it.

 

If you absolutely have to get rid of it I would try a small long spine urchin like this one:

http://www.saltwater...of-2_p_393.html

 

I have one and ime, it will eat your coraline, it will knock over anything not secured... even well secured and it is hard to move them manually. The one I have has been known to crawl over dividers in my sump, down drain lines from an HOB fuge and even hole up right next to a Mag-7. It has a very strong grip so removing it from even flat glass can be difficult.

 

All that said, I love my urchin, the little bugger will eat just about anything and is very hardy.

[sen5241b]

I have had that stuff in my tank as well. In my experience, it will run it's coarse and die off when it's food supply is diminished... I've tried blennys (both a two spot and a bi-color) but non of them touched the stuff. I've pulled dead frags out of my tank with it growing on it and even after a bleaching with pool-grade chlorine it was still on the coral skeleton. All of my other cleanup crews seemed to just clean it rather than eat it. It's really hard stuff to get rid of. In the end, I just let it be and it killed itself off. That took about a year and I had to keep blowing cyano off of it as it was acting as a detritus trap with it's very thick growth. You can see a pick of it in my tank here (around the tooth coral) before it died off:

 

 

I believe I was able to identify it as an algae that lives mostly in high current / surf regions of the reef. So without an exceptional amount of flow over it, it should die off. You just have to keep up w/ your turkey baster and blast off the cyano / detritus that builds up on it.

 

If you absolutely have to get rid of it I would try a small long spine urchin like this one:

http://www.saltwater...of-2_p_393.html

 

I have one and ime, it will eat your coraline, it will knock over anything not secured... even well secured and it is hard to move them manually. The one I have has been known to crawl over dividers in my sump, down drain lines from an HOB fuge and even hole up right next to a Mag-7. It has a very strong grip so removing it from even flat glass can be difficult.

 

All that said, I love my urchin, the little bugger will eat just about anything and is very hardy.

 

I was beginning to think I was the only one with this stuff. I have been blasting it with a turkey baster. It does tend to collect a lot of detritus. Its too bad my cheato won't out compete it.

[Incredible Corals]

You can borrow my tuxedo urchin and see if it works or you can buy him for $10.

[ctenophore]

I was beginning to think I was the only one with this stuff. I have been blasting it with a turkey baster. It does tend to collect a lot of detritus. Its too bad my cheato won't out compete it.

I've never had a tank without this stuff (at least where tangs couldn't reach). I consider it a normal progression of any high light reef tank. Honestly a very small yellow or scopas tang will be fine in a 29, at least until it gets 2.5"+. Could take a year or more to grow +1" depending on how much protein you supplement its diet with. They can be tricky to find small like that but I've seen them at BRK & Aquarium 1 several times. IME the tiny hippo tangs don't really eat it though. Needs to be Zebrasoma sp. (or Acanthurus sp but they are not suitable for 29g at all).

[sen5241b]

I found a long and involved thread about dealing with "red turf algae" and many people including reefing expert Eric Bourneman were resorting to taking the rock out and using a blow torch on it!

 

red turf algae

[zygote2k]

careful if you decide to 'cook' it off- you might end up with a case of Outlaw Stew.

[truestelf]

why don't you just buy/borrow a small tang? If the tang police bust you, you'll at least have a reason.

 

 

 

lol

[sen5241b]

I've taken some rock out of my tank and put it a 5G bucket with heat, pump, air and no light. I'm going to wrap my tank-rock with plastic sheeting. I'm also going to try to find something to eat at. I've read many, many posts about this algae and the use of Tangs is hit or miss. My advice to anyone who sees this is to deal with immediately. Its slow growing BUT like any algae it spreads exponentially!

Edited July 28, 2010 by sen5241b

[sen5241b]

Blow torch it is!

[sen5241b]

I tested the blow torching in a 5G bucket I have with rock, heat and flow. The next day the tank stank of charred seaweed and there was huge 'trate spike. Integral9 you were right --it definitely grows much more in high flow areas.

 

Instead I used this drill attachment to scrape most of the algae off:

 

[Integral9]

... is there any rock left?

[Jon Lazar]

I tested the blow torching in a 5G bucket I have with rock, heat and flow. The next day the tank stank of charred seaweed and there was huge 'trate spike. Integral9 you were right --it definitely grows much more in high flow areas.

 

Instead I used this drill attachment to scrape most of the algae off:

 

 

 

Like most nuisance algae, manual removal (or power tool removal) will only knock the algae back, not eradicate it completely.

 

Your best long-term solution is to find an herbivore that eats the stuff and make her part of your display. Or starta second tank and move the fist into the display when needed.

 

Good luck!