Red Velvet Algae

[rehctelf69]

Hey need some advice on how to get rid of Red Velvet Algae, I had the problem before in my 55 and i used chemi-clean, it worked great, now I have the same problem in my 180 and Chemi- clean is just not doing the job, I have turned off everything like I am suppose too. So is there any other way to get rid of the stuff, like any type of sea animals that work, please let me know all of the different things I can try. thanks so much

[easttn]

Mexican turbo snails and new bulbs.

[Herbert T. Kornfeld]

Turbos wont eat it unless its the only thing left. A tuxedo urchin will make short work of all that crap algae. Trust me, I have suggested them before, as well as used them myself. They deliver better than you can imagine...you have to see it to believe.

[rehctelf69]

what the heck is a tuxedo urchin, I have never heard of it, plus how many would I need for a 180 tank.

[Herbert T. Kornfeld]

Mespilia globulus, aka Blue Velvet or Pincushion Urchin. Just google it or do a search here. You might need a few for a 180. I cant say how many without knowing how much algae you have...and what else is eating it...but I would start with one per every 50gallons and go from there.

[duncanjc]

As previously mentioned, how old are your bulbs? Compacts tend to start shifting spectrum after about 6 months and MH at around a year, according to the last I read from the manufacturers. Might do the trick.

*edit*

A google on Mespilia globulus indicates that it may eat corals. I have leathers, SPS, and LPS corals. Which one is going to be lunch?

[Herbert T. Kornfeld]

I think they might go after some polyps. I had mine with SPS, LPS, zoos, even mushrooms and xenia...never noticed a problem.

[sean48183]

Nothing eats it my friend. Don't buy into that stuff. Use EM tablets with recommended dosage. Will be gone in a week.

[easttn]

Originally posted by sean48183
Nothing eats it my friend. Don't buy into that stuff. Use EM tablets with recommended dosage. Will be gone in a week.
Untrue, Mexican turbos do eat it, they decimated mine. Don't put pills in your tank, use natural preditation.

[sean48183]

Tried turbos never touched it. Went around it. Use EM. You won't regret it.

[easttn]

Sean, what is EM - just curious?

[sean48183]

Eurthromyacyn. I hope I spelled it right. It is sold at any pet store for around 3.99. It is an anti-biotic. Kills bacteria/Cyno. Do just as the package says and you will be cyno free. Trust me. Been there and done that.

[Herbert T. Kornfeld]

Urchins love it. I started with a mat of it in my fuge, then I added a tuxedo urchin. It would sit on one rock a day, and keep going back and forth on it until it was picked clean. Rocks that were covered in red were turned bare overnight. Granted, they tend to work on one rock at a time, but they do a deep cleaning and sick it dry like a vacuum.

[duncanjc]

Originally posted by Herbert T. Kornfeld
I think they might go after some polyps. I had mine with SPS, LPS, zoos, even mushrooms and xenia...never noticed a problem.

Polyps getting eaten would not be so bad :)

[Savatage]

SEAN: Would this Eurtromyacyn work on any Hair Algae? If so, E-Mail me. I have so many posts I answer a day, it's hard to keep track of them all. E-Mail would be easier.

[sean48183]

No this will not work on HA since it is algae and not bacteria. HA is a whole different and brutal scourge.

[Herbert T. Kornfeld]

A tux will go after it. If its chlorophyllish, its toast.

[Savatage]

Cool! I'm going to Foster and Smiths today. I'll see if they have a tux or not. If they do, I'll get one and repost letting everyone know if it worked or not. I'm just a little worried for my corals. They have been known to eat some.

[cyberpanther]

Eurthromyacyn. I hope I spelled it right. It is sold at any pet store for around 3.99. It is an anti-biotic. Kills bacteria/Cyno. Do just as the package says and you will be cyno free. Trust me. Been there and done that.


I would NEVER add that to my reef:rolleyes: . To many unknowns.

[Savatage]

Yeah. I worry about adding any chemicals to my reef system also. I do know one thing for sure though. One thing that I have tried on my tank and it worked great and never effected any of my corals. Well, my toad stool stayed closed for a few days, but that's all. Here it is.
I had a bad case of ICK in my reek system. At the time, I had several, several corals and about 13 fish. Yes 13.
I used a product call Prevent-Ich. It's claimed to be 100% organic. It's made by Kordon Aqua Herbals. This, along with garlic extract in my shrimp brine helped a little, but it seemed too late. I started losing fish. Then I found something else.
It's called Ich-Attack by Kordon Aqua Herbals. Both of these products garante safety in reef systems. I put the dosage in and watched my fish come back to perfect health within a week to 1 1/2 weeks. Never hurt my reef at all.
So, I put in a UV sterilizer and run that constantly. The Ich is gone and I've never had a problem since, but this is what I do.
When adding anything new, I put 1/2 the dose of Prevent-Ich in my tank. I continue to feed with the garlic extract always. And with the UV added, everything seems perfect for my fish. The Ich never came back. I back this product and it's use 100%. Not because it sasy so, but because I used it and I watched it work without effecting my corals or inverts. Even my Red star, Brittle star, Choc star, and Spiny Urchin pulled through just fine.
So if anyone ever has Ich, no hospital tank, and has corals, go ahead and use this proceedure. It will work!!!