Red algae - how to get rid of it w/o chemicals

[wkopplin]

I seem to have a breakout of that red algae with the air bubbles in it. I had a breakout before in my main tank, but the turbo snails got rid of it pretty fast.

This breakout is in my refugium, which is the best place for it to occur. It is all over the sand and the turbos in there do not seem to want to go after it on the sand, only the glass. Any suggestions as to how to get rid of this without using chemicals? Or is it OK to let this be as it is in the fuge and not the main tank?

I use RO/DI water, just tested TDS and it was 0. Still a new RO/DI system. I added some Phosguard to the media container on my POS Prizm skimmer.

[dan]

red algae or cyno bac? i have a little in my fuge but water flow is slow.i think red algae or cyno bac. likes that.main tank has no sign of it,high water flow :?

[JimD]

Dinoflagellates or Cyano? Sounds more like Dinos. Need to indentify it properly to advise. Pic?

[wkopplin]

I'll get a pic of it. It is the red hairy stuff that captures air bubbles. The Turbos eat it like candy. Tank is fairly new, so it might just be a cycle. If it gets worse, I will worry about it then.

[Instar]

Its the photosynthesis part of the day/night cycle that causes the red cyano or slime algae to manufacture the bubbles. The oxygen bubbles start out small and then get larger and larger before they break off and float away. I wouldn't really worry about it in the fuge. A couple of things happen with algaes and you will have growth of different ones at different times of the year. There is no way to beat those cycles, only to control them with things that eat it. Microblue leg hermits will eat it.

[wkopplin]

I put some phosguard in a media bag and left the lights off for a day and the stuff is almost completely gone.