Red Hair Algae

I've had this stuff growing in my tank for a while.
It's been growing particularly in places of high flow.
It feels like corase cotton and even grows on my chaetomorpha.

How the hell do i get rid of it?!?!?!
I've been using a phosphate sponge with no luck.
I'm not having any other problems with green/blue-green algae either.

Here's what the stuff looks like; it's got a pretty color but thats about all i can say for it...

 

It looks like red turf alge this comes in green or red. I found a pretty decent article on the stuff. I've had the green before but never the red variety.

Patience by Sandra Shoup - Reefkeeping.com

 

After hurricane Ivan came through and we couldn't return to the house for over a week the 75 corner reef pretty much turned into a soupy mush. Suprisingly though a few corals did survive. After 6 months the tank was fully restocked, but algae was a big problem. Diatom, red and green hair and a red fuzz in patches here and there. I used this product and I kid you not, within 2 weeks the algae was gone and within 6 months this was the tank.Algae Magic
I don't know exactly how it worked, but it did.

 

Wow thats a beautiful tank ya got rebuilt very nice

 

Your tank is beautiful- and consider yourself lucky- Hurricane Katrina completely wiped out my livestock- I really like your aquascape and your use of colors in your reef-nice job Apollo'sowner

 

These alga's like lower lighting and cooler K values of the spectrum. The reason they are red is they have a different pigment inside rather then chlorophyll that is found in more light demanding alga's and plants that make them the green or blue colors. Now as to how to control them is pretty much the same as any other , water parameters and proper lighting. All plants need and have one thing in common they require lighting and food and temps to grow.
Might want to check up on the feedings and cut them in half and run some good carbon and crank the skimmer up as high as you can .. replace the bulbs if they are close to the end of their life span and get the parameters all in the correct range , I'd look at the DK and Ca levels as well and the PO4's and maybe more aeration and lower temp's will help out some. As for fish that feed on it ? A Sailfin tang may help as will a foxface or rabbit fish Maybe ???

I find most people feed their tanks to death and cause many problems with nuisance alga's with all the frozen meat even flake food's they seem to feel are needed. Not saying you are or do feed these, just a place to start looking.

Might want to test all the parameters and post them and note the temp's that would help with finding the cause . Good luck.

 

Here is a good run on thread with the red algae.
Reef Central Online Community - Nightmare Red Cotton Algae: Took over my tank

 

Some Mexican turbo snails (Turbo fluctuosa) will take care of it. The Astrea snails that you are in your pictures won't touch that but are excellent at eating diatoms. I like to keep a mix of both in my tanks.
BTW, great looking tank!

 

Here is somemore on your red alage

Look for
Volume 20 - issue 3 2003. The first thrre pages on that Vol

. . : : R é c i f F r a n c e : : . .

 

How's the algae war going? Hope you are winning.