Fauchea · also called Purple Fauchea, Rusty Ribbon, Gloiocladia
Fauchea is the hobby name for rubbery, branching red macroalgae in colors from red and orange to a true reddish purple. Mature plants can pick up a blue-violet shimmer. WoRMS and AlgaeBase now treat the genus as a synonym of Gloiocladia. Keepers have little experience with it.
Educational only. Some KinStation entries are reviewed by licensed veterinarians, but none can replace an in-person exam. Always consult a licensed veterinarian or board-certified specialist for diagnosis, treatment, or any decision affecting your pet's health.
Quick facts
Category
Marine & Algae
Family
Faucheaceae
Native origin
Mainly warm-temperate, subtropical and tropical seas
Care difficulty
Intermediate
Light
Medium light
Pet toxicity
Toxicity unknown
Light
Full-spectrum reef lighting at a moderate level is a sensible start, and the blue-violet shimmer of Purple Fauchea develops as plants mature under that kind of light. The shimmer takes time, so a young plant without it is not a problem. Keepers have little data here, so change lighting gradually.
Water
Standard reef parameters: 23-27 C (74-80 F), salinity ~1.025 SG, pH 8.1-8.4. No specific nutrient or trace element needs are recorded. As with other soft red macroalgae, stable salinity and temperature are the priority, and measurable nitrate and phosphate help more than very clean water. Change conditions slowly.
Soil & potting
Treat it as an attached alga that grows on hard surfaces rather than rooting into sand. Keepers have little recorded detail, so tie a piece to rock or rubble with line and avoid burying the base. Let it grip the surface on its own before moving it again.
Environment — humidity, temperature, placement
The group occurs mainly in warm-temperate to tropical water, so standard reef temperature, 23-27 C (74-80 F), is reasonable. Moderate, steady flow in a lit display or macroalgae tank is a cautious starting point. Keep it away from dead spots where debris collects.
Propagation
Keepers have little record of how it spreads. The likely route is trimming a healthy branch and tying it to fresh rubble, leaving most of the parent plant intact. The shimmer on Purple Fauchea comes with age, so young cuttings may look plainer than the plant they came from.
Toxicity detail
No toxicity data for tank animals was found, so the rating stays unknown. No grazing deterrent is recorded, so assume herbivores may eat it. It is not known to smother corals or to release anything harmful, though data on this group in aquariums is thin. Remove dying tissue.
Varieties & cultivars
Natural forms are the wild species; cultivars are selectively-bred colour or variegation forms of the same plant.
Natural forms2
Purple Fauchea
Fauchea sp. A reddish-purple alga with rubbery, branching growth. Mature plants pick up a blue-violet shimmer when lit with full-spectrum light, and it is among the few truly purple algae kept by hobbyists.
Full-spectrum lighting brings out the shimmer, which develops with age.
Rusty Ribbon
Fauchea sp. A rubbery, branching red alga that comes in red, purple or orange. The name points to its rust-toned ribbons.
Little is recorded about its care, so keep conditions stable and change lighting gradually.
KinStation
Medium light
Full-spectrum lighting brings out the shimmer, which develops with age.