Progress on Red Turf Algae

Here's the reason I threw in the red towel and just decided not to fight it in my Aquapod. Here is a pic of the rock on top with all the corals on it:

As you can see the green zoas in the middle are spreading like crazy! and no red turf algae is slowing them down >_<!

 

Urchin eating Red Turf Algae but last choice

I put a RTA covered chunk of rock in a 5G bucket with heat and flow. Acclimated the urchin into the bucket. There is little or nothing to eat in there except the RTA. Only after about 2 weeks did I notice he is starting to eat the RTA --slowly but surely. The next thing to determine is will the urchin eat RTA when he is back in the main tank with other, perhaps more palatable, things to eat.

I got this idea from the scientists in Hawaii who are training urchins to eat an invasive seaweed that is covering the reefs out there.

 

Urchins have preferences and RTA is not one of them. He seems to eat some RTA since I put him him back into the my main tank but not so much.

Putting flow directly down on the rock will definitely cause the RTA to grow fast. Since turning the nozzles away from the rock, its spread has become more easy to control.

 

It was a nice attempt anyway Sen.

 

I don't know if it is practical for Ultra and others, but taking sen5241b's advice, I used the Stop Aptasia. I took a rock at a time out of the tank into a bucket with tank water. I put an Ott light overhead and dabbed on the treatment for 20 - 30 minutes. Then I would remove all I could, swish the rock in the bucket and return to the tank (or different tank). By the next morning, the cleanup crew had stripped all the dead RHA off! I have done this with rocks containing Acan, musrhoom and candy cane corals. I got a little on the mushroom, but it recovered within a couple of days.

I first tried it on base rock that had a little. I noticed that after 10 minutes, the slurry would start to float away (landed on my mushroom!), so I was happy to do it in a bucket. I used as small a bucket as would contain the piece.

I wouldn't give up! I have it far worse than you! Just do potions of that rock at a time, you might beat it!

 

Glad to hear you are having some success. I took some large pieces of rock out this past weekend and saturated them with Chem Marin's "Stop Aptasia". I was able to kill a lot.

 

Break-through!

I put 2 emerald crabs in my tank last night and both of them are eating the stuff!!

I observed them eating very carefully with a magnifying glass to be sure. As previously discussed, RTA is pretty tough and does not scrub off nor can it be pulled off so the Emerald crabs have to sometimes grab a piece of the RTA with both claws to rip it off --but they are eating it. It remains to be seen how much they will eat and I may just add more of them. Emeralds are not terribly expensive.

I think I have reached a point where I can say definitively that although RTA cannot be eradicated, it can be controlled and what RTA you have to live with is really not so unattractive. Controlling it is, however, extra work.

 

Great news, Sen

 

You had not tried emerald crabs yet? Those guys are such picky eaters, in my experience.

 

Re: Progress on Red Turf Algae --DAY OF MOUNRING

Somehow this $h1t has spread to me 20G! Must of transferred a single spore many months ago before I realized what it was.

I'm thinking of putting a hundred emeralds in there.

 

Large turbos seem to be eating it.

Read this: https://www.livingreefs.com/red-turf-algae-battle-breakthrough-t34790.html

 

Just to be clear. The link in my previous post may just solve the problem of controlling RTA.

 

Note: You can save money by using kalk wasser instead of AptasiaX or Stop Aptasia. Siphon out the kalk after you kill the RTA.

 

Hey sen!
How's the algae problem? My Turbo is still king of the tank, I haven't put anything in there. All my corals save a little ricordea and gsp covered rock are in the 65 gallon. BTW, of the rocks I moved over to the 65g, no RTA to date...

 

My RTA is still under control thanks to my 2 inch Turbo.

 

spraying or dipping RTA in hydrogen peroxide for about three minutes kills RTA quite effectively. Corals will be okay if you take the rock out of the water for about three minutes and that is long enough to kill the algae

 

Hey sen,
That's good to know. That's also a helluva lot cheaper than using the 'Stop Aptasia'. I have a problem with Colonial Hydroids, might give that a whirl. Might start a thread about it when I get some pics up.

 

peroxide as a spot treatment saved my reefbowl.
red turf algae is the bane of its existence, but no longer. peroxide is the only thing I have seen work effectively with no side effects to the tank when used as a spot treatment directly on the algae, not added to the tank (although some have done that too its a little more risky)

 

be aware that the effects take about 5 days to register. take out the target rock, drip/drop/apply 3% peroxide from a new bottle (to ensure strength) right on the target algae. wait a few mins, rinse, reinstall, take photographs to prove it to doubters. it will hardly do anything while its being treated. its not a mass fizzle like a human cut (bacteria on this particular substrate are not catalase producers so you get no bubbles) but make no mistake the red algae is being over oxidized to its dang death.

the tips will turn hot pink in about 2 days. then the whole plant, day 5 mostly gone/dead where it can be removed.

Ironically, your clean up crew will love the algae in this state. We don't know why this is, everything from snails to tangs etc start to TEAR UP peroxide treated salads lol its true
B

 

LOL, the same is true using the 'Stop Aptasia' remedy, which is an herbal blend. I notice an overwhelming cilantro aroma, which makes ME hungry when using (anybody have some tortilla chips?!). When I return the rock to the tank after this treatment, the hermits and snails immediately respond to the open salad bar and devour the remains after the salsa verde treatment!