ID this Algae Please

[PCIALF]

 

[Curtswearing]

It looks like juvenile Padina. It encrusts and it has the hairy holdfasts like Padina spp. Does anything every try to grow out of it that looks like a potato chip?

 

[PCIALF]

It just started I tried scraping as you can see. I am worried about a tank issue should I remove the LR with it?

 

[Curtswearing]

I'm not one for algaes in a display tank. The two exceptions would be Halimeda and Padina. I think both are kind of neat looking when mature. Both of these utilize Calcium and carbonates primarily rather than nitrates or phosphates for growth.

Here's what it looks like when mature.

If you don't like the looks of it, I would take that rock out and break off the piece with a screwdriver and a hammer. Then you could let the algae encrusted portion dried out. You will be able to reuse that for rubble after a while.

 

[NaH2O]

The algae pictured resembles Lobophora to me...prior to growing out to the wafer edges. We'll see what Anthony thinks...

 

[PCIALF]

As I said above I tried scraping (that is the scratches in it) it was totally uniformed. A LFS has this is one tank and has completely covered his LR That is the concern also does anything eat this without spreading it?

 

[NaH2O]

I have something like that in my tank, and as it grew it eventually wafered out a bit (not much). The only thing that touched it was my long spined urchin. The rabbitfish nibbled at it, but never really went to town eating it. From what I understand Naso tangs will eat it, but the Naso tang wouldn't go well with my system, so I didn't try it. I had an accident with my tank recently and had to tear it apart, move it temporarily, and move it back. I lost the urchin in the process despite my best efforts to keep everything stress-free (beautiful and very large urchin) and I'm seeing a come-back to this algae. It grows really flat at first, like a coating on the rock (at least in my tank). It could be a different type of algae than what I posted before, but that is what I called it . Manual removal may be your best bet by taking the rock out, or siphoning as you scrape away. I will defer to Anthony's suggestions.

 

[Anthony Calfo]

I agree with Nikki... Lobophora. A long term nuisance if so.

Do take that genus name and do a google image search (see the link for images above the search field on the index page)... see if any of the pics ring a strong bell.

 

[loohunter]

anthony, i have been trying to Id the fish in your avatar it is very cool looking. what kind of fish is it and do you own it. is it a grouper of some sort?

 

[gato]

I have some algae that looks very similiar (probably the same) and my Emerald crab eats it. Just a suggestion.

 

[PCIALF]

Well I found one real close
http://images.google.com/imgres?img...&hl=en&lr=&rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-21,GGLG:en&sa=N

what do I do? Remove the LR that is infected, cover the area from light, is it already in the water column

 

[NaH2O]

anthony, i have been trying to Id the fish in your avatar it is very cool looking. what kind of fish is it and do you own it. is it a grouper of some sort?

Its a Giant Hawkfish: Cirrhitus rivulatus

 

[loohunter]

thanks for the fish id nikki, your the best