Algae ID

[NanoNewbie]

Can anyone identify this algae? It is dark red and looks just like a fern lol.

[mps9506]

Kind of hard to see from the picture but most likely Caulerpa sp.
Most likely Caulerpa taxifolia or Caulerpa sertularioides.
Would need a clearer picture of the fronds and branchlets to tell for sure. But no matter both are fast growers and can become a nuisance, or food for tangs.

[NanoNewbie]

It doesnt grow like caulerpa. This grows from single clump and caulerp grows from rhizome runners. This is only about inch or so tall and is stiff. I have couple types of caulerpa in my tank already and trying to keep it under control lol

[mps9506]

Ahh... k see know. My thinking is Bryopsis sp. then. which can be very difficult to get rid off. Apparently not very yummy to many species. Will have to be battled with good nutrient control. Maybe even resort to live rock cooking (bacterial cooking, no boiling water )

[Boomer]

I agree with Mike Bryo.

[johnmaloney]

Yank it out now, pull out the rock and chip it back if you can. Don't let that stuff spread. Rip it out after the rock is out. Looks a lot like byropsis plumosa. (spelling probably off)

[mps9506]

Originally Posted by johnmaloney

Yank it out now, pull out the rock and chip it back if you can. Don't let that stuff spread. Rip it out after the rock is out. Looks a lot like byropsis plumosa. (spelling probably off)

hmmm.... sounds like the words of a bryopsis warrior..
I've been lucky enough not to be plagued by the stuff....

[johnmaloney]

Helped people beat it back a bunch of times. My cleaners won't eat it, so this is the way to go. If you can touch the rock for whatever reason, here is how to kill it:

1. Manually remove all of it you can.
2. Place competition algae in the area it came from, that will shade it. Nothing says go away like a clump of chaeto covering the entire area where it originally popped up.
3. Make sure nutrients are very low in the tank.
4. Shade that area of the tank, by placing a piece of cutout plastic between the light source and the area it grows from, creating a shaded area. The chaeto can handle a little shade, but if you see it dying, then you know you are getting at it.
5. Repeat step 1. try to remove the substrate it came from as well, when you do this.(In your case this means chip the rock back if you can)
6. When you think you got it taken care of, throw out the chaeto, to make sure it doesn't have any spores on it.

[johnmaloney]

We had some in a test tank, and this worked well. The cleaners would pick at it, but not finish it off. We got it cleaned when we overcrowded the tank with cleaners once, but that really isn't a good option for most people. (I mean really overcrowded it).

[mps9506]

I'm a rock cooker personally 2-3 months in the dark does wonders.

[hma]

Originally Posted by NanoNewbie

Can anyone identify this algae? It is dark red and looks just like a fern lol.

Bryopsis pennata

Bryopsis species are potentially invasive. Like the troublesome Caulerpa taxifolia, the genus produces chemical defenses that are toxic to most herbivorous organisms and easily reproduces vegetatively from the smallest fragments. Therefore, if environmental conditions occur that support fast growth of this species, it may become more competitive and possibly dominant. Bryopsis is a well-known pest alga species . Often referred to as Sea Ferns, the soft feathery algae are usually introduced to aquariums on live rock. The nutrient rich water in aquariums provides the perfect habitat for the fast growth of Bryopsis, and control in the aquarium habitat is a constant challenge.

Various sacoglossans (Elysia ornata, Elysia rufescens etc.) have been reported to feed on Bryopsis as well as also Sea hares. My experience with Bryopsis feeders, however, is that they consume the alga so fast that it is difficult to supply them with adequate food so they would soon starve to death.

[rlcline76]

Makes some sense. When I put up my fuge I had a small bryopsis outbreak (luckily somewhat contained in the fuge). The chaeto went nuts and the bryopsis really didn't do a whole heck of a lot. Without chaeto, I feel I would have been experiencing something a lot less user friendly.

[johnmaloney]

Caulerpa taxifolia is in the same genus as byropsis? I thought one was Caulerpa sp. and the other Byropsis sp.?

We tried a sea hare against it in our experiment, both a common and a spotted sea hare and no luck.

[hma]

Originally Posted by johnmaloney

Caulerpa taxifolia is in the same genus as byropsis? I thought one was Caulerpa sp. and the other Byropsis sp.?

We tried a sea hare against it in our experiment, both a common and a spotted sea hare and no luck.

No, l didn't say that.. They have merely the same bad qualities - Invasive Properties, Reproduction and Nutrient Dynamics.

Genus Caulerpa = Order Bryopsidales - Family Caulerpaceae

Genus Bryopsis = Order Lepidoptera - Family Noctuidae

[hma]

Originally Posted by johnmaloney

Caulerpa taxifolia is in the same genus as byropsis? I thought one was Caulerpa sp. and the other Byropsis sp.?

We tried a sea hare against it in our experiment, both a common and a spotted sea hare and no luck.

Try Elysia ornata from the Caribbean or Elysia marginata a very similarly coloured species from the Indo Pacifik, they feeds on Bryopsis in both the Caribbean and the Indo West Pacific.