Is this Red Turf Algae and can I keep it?

• Oct 30, 2012

• #1

B

BowFront

The Turf Tanker

This is my first thread on LR and I am newb to the Marine world... I have a 36g tank that has been up about 7 weeks and plan to do FOWLR for awhile. So... I got these rocks from a guy on craigslist at an unbelievable price and he said they were covered in corraline algae. After some deep reading I believe it is actually Red Turf Algae. It is a velvety texture and scrapes off fairly easy with my fingernail. It dies and falls off if I turn it over out of the light.
I actually really like the way it looks on my rocks and was wondering if someone could verify and also tell me the problems with keeping it in my tank?
Thanks!

 

Attachments

• 
  DSC06200.webp

  43.9 KB · Views: 4,240
• 
  DSC06196.webp

  26.1 KB · Views: 3,202

• Oct 30, 2012

• #2

bobby

I like to do bad things.

It is turf. Very hard to remove from the tank. Could bother coral, but if you plan on FOWLR and you ike it then I promise it wont be hard to keep. lo Wont bother fish and some will eat it.

 

• Oct 30, 2012

• #3

Kizmar

#derpface

Hey I have some of that in my tank. Didn't know that's what it's called. It seems to appear and disappear in different spots.

 

• Oct 30, 2012

• #4

bobby

I like to do bad things.

Kizmar if it changes location you could have cyno which is normal in new tanks or tanks with low flow. Cyno is kinda gooy and can be blown off of rocks by a swift wave of you hand. Turf wont be removed unless you scrape it off, and it comes right back. One of the hardest to get rid of in my opinion.

 

• Oct 30, 2012

• #5

FishyReef

Broke Reefer!

Read through this thread and it might answer some of your questions!

https://www.livingreefs.com/progress-red-turf-algae-t29510.html

And welcome to LR :)

 

• Oct 31, 2012

• #6

B

BowFront

The Turf Tanker

Thanks for the help... I think I will just rock a "Turf Tank" for now and turn it into an experiment when I decide to add corals. Just. A couple more questions I didn't find an answer to on the other threads...

Will the turf grow on glass or sand or stay confined to the rocks? I have some reddish brown stuff on my sandbed, glass and powerhead but I'm guessing its cyano or diatoms and not the rta?

 

• Oct 31, 2012

• #7

yote

In Memoriam

The reddish brown is probably diatoms. They'll go away on their own.
Turf tends to stick to the rock and plastic stuff like powerheads.

 

• Oct 31, 2012

• #8

yote

In Memoriam

The reddish brown is probably diatoms. They'll go away on their own.
Turf tends to stick to the rock and plastic stuff like powerheads.

 

• Oct 31, 2012

• #9

little_fish

Reef pro

That is cyano, its actually very hard to scrape off red turf algae.

 

• Oct 31, 2012

• #10

NanoReefer

Reefing newb

yeah thats not rta, i have it, and am completely dismantling my 37 because of that sh*t

 

• Oct 31, 2012

• #11

Kizmar

#derpface

I definitely have RTA but my purple/pink colored urchin seems to pick at it here and there. It's on several rocks. So far it doesn't seem out of control. Should I be concerned?

 

• Oct 31, 2012

• #12

NanoReefer

Reefing newb

yes.... mexican red turbos are known to eat it, you can kill it with aiptasia x. make sure to take care of that before it spreads

 

• Nov 5, 2012

• #13

B

BowFront

The Turf Tanker

I'm actually quite sure now that this is red turf algae, my lawnmower blenny and emerald crab are both munching on it. It seems there are a lot of people who have a hard time verifying what rta is and there's not much fact based info anywhere on the web? I may have been misleading to say "it scrapes off fairly easy" I just meant it is not hard like coralline or slimy like cyano. It will not blow off and I can only get small chunks to scrape off, its nearly impossible to actually clear a large area off. It does seem to only affect the rocks though.
Is this a new or more recent problem in aquariums? I can't seem to find much older information on this stuff but its all over the forums in the last few years?

 

• Nov 9, 2012

• #14

H

hazelsdad

Reefing newb

get a turkey baster and see if you can suck it up. I tend to have issues with cyno due to not enough water movement in tank. You can blow it off your live rock and suck it up. piles of Detritus will feed the cyno. It will grow and feed right over it. especially if something dies. It is a pain to get completely out, meds and lights out for a few days helps. Along with good water movement. The pics you posted dont look like cyno. Looks like turf. Agree with previous poster. Turf doesnt come off easy.
Here is a pic of some out of hand cyno when i first started.

 

Attachments

• 
  photo.webp

  26.6 KB · Views: 1,143

Last edited: Nov 9, 2012