Algae Identification

[Matt W]

I am guessing this is some type of macro algae. I could be totally wrong though. Can anyone identify the plant like brown stuff in the attached picture?

Once identification is done, can you give me an opinion on whether I should leave it in the tank or prune it out?

Thanks!

 

[mogurnda]

Wow! Very cool looking stuff. Macroalgae? Bryozoan? I'd keep it, but I have no idea whether it will become a plague or not.

I have a macroalgae book at home, and will try to remember to look it up when I get home.

Can you put a bigger image on aquatic photos?

 

[Matt W]

Here are some larger photos. I hope they help. I'm not the best photographer .

http://aquaticphotos.com/details.php?image_id=262
http://aquaticphotos.com/details.php?image_id=263
http://aquaticphotos.com/details.php?image_id=264
http://aquaticphotos.com/details.php?image_id=265

I also think it looks cool, but just not where it is. It is competing with the star polyps right now, and I would like to move it. Do you think it would be possible to move this stuff, and if so, how?

 

[mogurnda]

Yeah, I guess any plant is a pest if it's growing in the wrong spot. The closest match I could find was Heterosiphonia gibbessii, which "grows to about 20 cm tall in sunny, wave-protected, shallow waters (less than 6 m deep) on hard substrates." Google didn't have any decent images, but it has the same appearance of tufts at the ends of sparse branches.

In my experience, macroalgae can be hard to transplant, but you might try lodging it in a crack to see if it takes.

It might be worth pm'ing plantbrain. He has been getting seriously into marine macroalgae.

 

[as40]

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow!

Matt, you and I must have star polyps from the same original source!

Or, perhaps more likely, it might be common for this stuff to "grow" with star polyp colonies, for I have some of this same stuff on mine. I was going to post a pic for identification, but don't need to now I guess. It looks like you stuck a camera into my tank and took one.

It's the "little brown, shriveled. . . wisps" I thought might be "old dead parts of the polyps" in a recent post of mine (http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=27129)
I'm considering removing them, whatever they are, as I don't like the look of them and as you said, I think it might be competing with the polyps, now that I know it's living. It's living where polyps once were. :shake:

Please, if you find out anything about this thing, let me know, I'd appreciate it. Until then, take care, and good luck!

 

[Matt W]

as40, I saw your post regarding that and thought it sounded somewhat the same, but I dismissed it as I knew mine were alive and you thought yours was dead matter.

Anyway, thanks mogurnda for the help. I think I will PM plantbrain and direct him this way and see if he has any ideas.