Facinating occurance

[Paul B]

I have this bubble algae growing in a few places in my tank and in some places it is very heavy. I am not worried about it and kind of like it, but anyway, I noticed that it is just growing on my home made cement rock or the cement on bottles and none of it is growing on any real rock.
It started in my algae trough which is a screen coated in cement. The trough was so filled with this bubble algae that it overflowed and the entire thing fell into the tank from the weight.
I find this extreamly facinating that "rocks" made with cement that have been in the tank for many years, some decades could still leach something into the water to attract or at least allow these forms of algaes to live.
My cement algae trough was so covered in this bubble algae that I removed the screen and threw it away and replaced it with a clean screen with no cement on it but I think that was a mistake. I am going to replace that screen with a cement coated screen for two reasons. I don't want my reef covered in this bubble algae (although I like it in some places) but it "may" be beneficial for the water.
I love this stuff.

 

[TheHoove]

Had some of that growing on one rock for a couple years before 'i moved. Never really spread to any other rocks but for maybe a lone individual here and there. But I always liked the look of it.

 

[evilfrog]

thats strange looking algae lol

 

[doctorgori]

if it grows any further, I have rights to the movie

 

[CyclistMT]

Well that's very interesting Paul. It's a little hard to tell from the pictures but I think that's the same algae I had growing in my last tank. That tank was 100% aragocerte rock except for the rubble that I got to seed it. I assumed the red bubble algae came in from a coral frag (with attached rock) so I never made the connection that cement rock might encourage it.

You've got me thinking now.....

Personally, I don't like it. Hard to get rid of and when you bust a bubble, it's like snot that comes out of it. I imagine lots of spores pouring into the tank when that happens. It's not like green bubble algae where you can remove a bublle intact sometimes. This stuff is nasty.

 

[Paul B]

This stuff is nasty

Yes but interesting, where else can you get snot from a seaweed?