Caulerpa verticillata - or a variation .. please ID

[dhraako]

http://www.gettysburg.edu/~rcavalie/bda_i/073.html

check this picture out..now the one I have is like a ground creeper..it creeps along the rocks but has the EXACT same look to it...each extending peice looks the same (with the feathery look) but is around 1 cm tall..and the whole plant is connected together with a thin branchy streemer system (think starberries)...the look similar to the leaf less brach on the right side of the picture....does anyone know if there is a variantion of this species and if it is dangerous to my reef tank...it is growing basically everywhere that its other branches or feather parts have floated too...once there (usually on hair algea colonies) .. it over grows and kills the hair algae and then slowly increases its colony size..no clue what it feeds on (considdering my hair algae is stagnant do to low phosphates..nitrates..etc) ... but its confusing

any help would be welcome.

thanks

 

[dhraako]

anyone?

 

[dhraako]

on a personal update, the form of algae I linked is the type I have....did some more research and found some pictures exactly like the type I have..not to sure where I got it...but anywho I'm still looking for if its good or not in my tank (apparently its not in California or the Mediteranian..plaque like growth)....I havn't been able to find any specific info on the bad or good with verticillata so any help would be welcome.

thanks

 

[kmk2307]

dhraako,

That is very interesting. I have never seen a Caulerpa like that before. As a precaution you might want to keep the individual "plants" small in case it decides to "go sexual."

Kevin

 

[dhraako]

not to sure if this one goes sexual

it grows like straw berries via streemers....the way it gets around the tank is that it actually detaches a stem or two and where those stems land is where a new colony grows..

I just recently purchased 3 inch by inch turbos and a trochu snail...see what the think of it and the hair algae

 

[dhraako]

pics

 

[dhraako]

2

 

[dhraako]

3

 

[dhraako]

anyone know anything about this macro?

 

[ctreefer]

dhraako,

I've had this macro unfortunately for over 1 year. Yes, I believe its verticillata and its one of the macros listed on the illegal list in the state of CA. Now understand, I think I have an issue with phosphate leaching from either my DSB or its in my LR so I have to take care of this before I can get rid of this algae, but IME this has been one PIA. It is very hard to rip off the rock since the runners are so thin and I've tried foxface, other varieties of tangs and urchins but none can keep up with the growth. I've finally ripped out all my LR and plan on removing my DSB and hope to reincorporate my LR into the tank after a couple months in another system with no lights. That along with keeping the phosphate out I'm hoping will eliminate what has been a problem for myself.

On a side note I've found some people able to maintain this species on a rock without becoming invasive so again I think its more an issue with my tank parameters.