Please help ID

[dblanton]

<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i309/dorinda_pat/CopyofPictureorVideo029.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"></a>

Does anyone know what this pink plant is? It's getting big fast.

[elkinsda]

a type of algae?

[dblanton]

lol, I figured that much, does anyone know if it's good or bad?

[Radioheed]

I have the same stuff (and 3 other types of red macro)




I would love to hear what this kind is...

[Shooter7]

Looks like cotton candy algae. Have heard success in controlling it by using, I believe, mexican turbo snails and possibly some rabbitfish. Supposed to be kind of bad as it can spread rapidly.

[dblanton]

It's already moving to another rock close by. My turbos don't touch it. My blenny swims in it looking for pods, but other than that no one touches it. Can I pluck it? I don't want it to spread like crazy. Is it bad because it takes over or is it like cyano?

[Shooter7]

I would imagine you could remove it by hand. Would visit your water tests and see if there are any parameters that need tending, like nitrates and phosphates. Unfortunately, I've seen pics on here before of people with huge globs of this stuff. Tried doing a search for a good reference thread, but I'm at work and don't have a lot of time to filter through them all. If you search for "cotton candy" in some of the forums, you'll get hits on it though.

[dblanton]

Thank you. I tested the water at about midnight lastnight. Everything is good. We only have 2 false percs, two damsels, one skunk cleaner shrimp and one blenny. Along with the clean up crew and the live rock. We haven't started the reef part of it yet. My bio load is not very big. I check my water at night two to three times a week. Depending on when I get paranoid something is wrong. lol. I worry about everything. :-)

[dblanton]

bump

[bertoni]

I'd just pull it out by hand. If it reappears, a bit of lime paste can help kill the last trace. If you use lime paste, do small doses and watch the tank's pH. The lime will increase pH, alkalinity, and calcium in the tank. It'll also kill most anything that it hits, so be careful!