Beginner Reefer...New frag...is that algae?

[sagarpatel]

I have a newly acquired war coral frag from premier aquatics. It’s been sitting at the sand bed acclimating for a week or so now and I noticed this brown spot at the top of the coral with what looks like hair algae flowing from it. The rest of the coral seems to be doing fine with the sweepers extended and all. Is my suspicion correct is this some form of algae and if so what’s the best way to remove it without damaging the coral. Thank you!


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[dball711]

It could be but hard to see it clearly with all the blue light.

 

[sagarpatel]

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[bigd]

what’s the best way to remove it without damaging the coral.

Definitely algae...

Scoop a small bowl or cup of water out of the tank. Put the coral in the bowl/cup, then scrub the algae spot with a cheap toothbrush. After it’s all removed, put it back in the display. Put the toothbrush in with your cleaning supplies, they come in very handy. They're also great for cleaning overflow grates and pump parts.


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[jcook54]

Have you got any blue legs? It does look like algae and when I have a frag like that or a frag plug that has a lot of algae on it I take a small bowl and put a few blue legs in it along with the offending frag. Blue legs are great at eliminating hair algae but aren't the more focused critters around. I even made a container specifically for doing this since I resort to it so often. If you don't want to go this route, suggest cleaning up the spot the best you can with a hummingbird feeder cleaning brush (I find these indispensable) and letting it be. The coral will grow and cover it up without issue.

 

[sagarpatel]

I don’t have any blue legs just scarlets, but I definitely look into carefully cleaning it with a brush. Thank you guys so much for the advice!


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