HELP!!! Macro Id

[fast94m]

I've talked to several ppl and they couldnt help me id this macroalgae that is slowly taking over all of my live rock and driving me nuts. Heres a couple pics:

I know the pix arent the greatest, but its the best my camera could do. Can anyone id these pics? the leaves are pointed at the edges of them and the algae is like a vine that spreads all over the rock and is tough to pull off. I cant keep up w/ it and my kole tang has no interest in eating it along w/ my lawnmower blenny and snails. Does anybody know anything that will eat/remove it? I dont know what else to do, any suggestions are MUCH appreciated. Thank you

 

[ClamIAm]

It's almost definitely some kind of caulerpa but the pic isn't clear enough to get a species.

 

[fast94m]

I can try pruning it some more and laying it on a table to get a better pic for you. If it is indeed some kind of caulerpa, any idea of how to reduce it besides pruning which seems to be a losing battle. I have a refugium btw that houses cheatomorpha but it doesnt seem to be out competing the in tank caulerpa very well. Also have a phosban reactor to hopefully reduce the phosphates it might be using as food.

 

[Samala]

Looks like C. serrulata to me honestly. Sawtooth caulerpa.

 

[Chad Vossen]

please get a much better picture, is there any kind of patern to the leaf? maybe a snake skin patern.

does the leaf spread flat with the new growth pointing outwards? and the underside of the leaf attaching to the rock with threadlike structures?

i think you have what i have. my infestation started with a tiny leaf growing from my ricordia rock. i took a syphon and had a filter sock on the other end. put it in my sump and started sucking. i scrapped at the rock with my finger nails and broke off most of the leaf parts. you can get rid of most of it but after awile it will come back.. the leaves that come off collect in the filter sock and doesnt seem to spread this way.

my pencil urchin seems to not eat this stuff and my turbo snail and other snails dont bother it either. its only a 10 gallon tank so i cant try out tangs.

 

[Chad Vossen]

i put together a bunch of pictures to show what im talking about. i will also make a new thread for myself.

 

[graveyardworm]

Odd the same pictures in two different threads with two different starters. Same answer.

Appears to be dictyota, see here

edit: Sorry now I get it.

Not sure on fast 94s though.

 

[graveyardworm]

Here's some of what I beleive to be C. Serrulata only got one opinion in another thread I started. Does yours look like this?

 

[fast94m]

mine does not look like the above pics at it. It may be that sawtooth stuff though i dunno. It looks like the blade of a chainsaw, long, thin, with point teeth looking edges. Its spreading everywhere, would an urchin be worth a shot? Astrea and cerith snails have no interest in mine.

 

[Samala]

Chainsaw, long, thin, pointy teeth.. definitely sounds like Caulerpa serrulata. Urchins might be an option.. but if you have anything delectable in the tank other than this (coralline, red macros, other non-Caulerpa greens, browns, etc) they'll likely choose them over the less palatable Caulerpa.

Since you're in Philly, ask over at the ECA shop for the guys to look for the nudibranchs in their large mud refugium system. I have received, on two occassions, nudibranchs from the Elysia genus (green with little purple antennae and spotted leafy-ish bodies) that were strict Caulerpa predators. Once they've eaten all the Caulerpa they'll need to be returned though or they'll expire in your system. That is the number one best shot since they're likely to be available. Then I would consider a rabbitfish. But perhaps just a loaner from the local club considering your tank (not sure on their volume needs honestly).

>Sarah

 

[fast94m]

Cool, i'll definitely look into them, thank you for the id and suggestions, any more are mucho appreciated. I cant seem to grow any coraline and have no other algae other then a small amount of bubble so as long as they dont eat corals i dont care what i have to put in there to rid my tank of this stuff.

 

[graveyardworm]

Coraline, requires stable calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium. All at the appropriate levels, low phosphates. Seems to prefer moderate lighting with good actinic/white balance. Lighting example: coralline grows best for me in the tank with T5 lights two 10K, and two actinic. Only grows okay in my tank with 14K MH.

 

[graveyardworm]

Here's another pic of C. Serrulata with a different growth form than mine.

http://saltcorner.com/sections/guest/algaepage/Green/caulerpa/Cserrulata.htm

Not sure if that link allows you to open the whole site, so here's a link to the site so you can browse all the pics.

http://saltcorner.com/sections/guest/algaepage/algaepage.htm

 

[fast94m]

after looking at those links, it def looks like C. serrulata. now i have to just get rid of it. I'll try reposting a better pic