Macroalgae and polyp on same rock. Now what?

[alpha123]

I have a macro shoot (maybe Caulerpa) coming out right in a middle of a tiny polyp colony on a tiny rock (2"x2").

1. Can they coexist on the same tiny rock?
2. If not, and since my priority is the macro, would peeling off the polyp damage either one of them? Should I wait until they are more mature to do this?

 

[alpha123]

Anyone can ID this algae? thx.

 

[rxdoc_85]

halimeda?

 

[Grins]

I agree, it looks like halmedia.They won't hurt one another, but the halmedia could cause polyps not to open once it starts to shade them.

 

[rxdoc_85]

i agree with grins. if i were you i'd remove it from the rock, and maybe move it to another place in the tank away from corals. i've also heard of people completely avoiding halimeda in their DT's because it can pop up between corals (just like yours) and crowd them out and shade them. some people just have it in their fuge. but i think it's very nice looking, so i'd lean more toward just removing it from amongst the coral and putting it somewhere else. it's pretty slow growing, so it's not somehting that's going to suddenly take over the tank. personally, i wouldn't mind pruning it out from between corals from time to time, due to the fact that i wouldn't have to do it that often, and the fact that it just looks so neat. and if you decide to keep it in the tank, it requires calcium to grow, so you'll want to be sure that your calcium levels are good. but you should be doing this with corals anyway, so it's probably not an issue...

 

[Catpicklesdog]

I had a whole bunch of the stuff growing amongst my polyps - it soon disappeared. It was either the blenny, tang or crabs!

 

[journey0820]

My crabs have cleaned out my caulerpa population but I'm thinking of buying more. It keeps nitrates down, is pretty, and if it becomes overwhelming...pull it out! I say leave it be or move it to a new place but don't take it out altogether.

 

[journey0820]

Just found this funny myspace page about caulerpa:

http://www.myspace.com/caulerpa

 

[oscar83]

I had a whole bunch of the stuff growing amongst my polyps - it soon disappeared. It was either the blenny, tang or crabs!

i doubt it was the blenny, the tang is a possibility, but its most likely the crabs. what kind of crabs do u have the u suspect ate it b/c my tank is riddled with halimeda and caulerpa and i hate it!

 

[Catpicklesdog]

I know the blenny had a go at it, he's helped clear it from a rock. I have a mixture of red legs, blue legs and striped crabs there's also snails as well. I actually quite liked it but it wasn't meant to be!