Red Algae
Staghorn Algae
Compsopogon sp. (commonly associated)
A coarse branching red algae that resembles little antlers on plant edges, décor, and equipment.
Quick facts
- Category
- Red Algae
- Organism group
- Red Algae
- Growth form
- Branching
- Primary color
- Gray Green
- Secondary color
- Gray
- Attachment
- Strong
- Removal difficulty
- Hard
Identification
Gray, whitish-green, or dark branching filaments that look stiff and antler-like.
- Growth form: Branching
- Primary color: Gray Green
- Secondary color: Gray
Looks like: Often confused with BBA, but staghorn looks more forked and horn-like instead of dense black brushes.
Where it appears
Typical affected areas
- On Plants
- On Hardscape
- On Glass
Common contexts
- Low Flow
- Nutrient Imbalance
Causes
Staghorn commonly shows up on leaf edges, equipment, and hardscape when a tank is unstable and red algae gains an opening.
Most common triggers
- Red Algae Often Intensified By Iron Overdosing
- General Instability
- Low Grazer Preference And Strong Attachment Make It Persistent
Root cause note: Like BBA, staghorn is a red algae problem and usually does not disappear through cosmetic cleaning alone.
Nutrient relevance
Balance relevance: High
Related nutrient issues
- Iron Excess Can Intensify Red Algae
- General Imbalance
If red algae accelerates after dosing changes, review micronutrient intensity and overall stability together.
Correction hint: Stabilize the system rather than trying to starve the algae with random large parameter swings.
Treatment
Quick action: Prune badly affected leaves and clean obvious colonies from equipment and hardscape.
Manual removal plus stability work is core; red algae often responds to careful targeted follow-up treatment on nonliving surfaces.
Manual removal: Removing the worst affected leaves is often faster than trying to save every edge-coated leaf.
Difficulty: Hard
Prevention
Avoid neglected maintenance, unstable dosing, and overpowered light on a tank with weak plant response.
This page is designed to help with visual identification first, then causes, treatment, and prevention. Actual algae pressure can vary depending on maintenance, livestock, plant mass, light, flow, and nutrient consistency.