ID Help - Blue/Green Macroalgae

[klvinci]

I'm wondering if anyone can help ID this - I don't even know where to start.

Its a green macroalgae, but the LFS didn't know what it was either. He tried it in his home tank and it didn't make it, but at the store tanks it was doing fine.

(Sorry the pics aren't better. )
From the side, and from the top looking down. The "clump" is about 5 inches long, to give an idea of scale.

The photo also doesn't do justice to the colour. Its an iridescent/pearlescent almost metallic-looking dark blue or green, depending on the angle you view it.


Any help much appreciated!
Thanks,

-Ke

 

[graveyardworm]

Does it contain many small bubbles? Almost like a sac of fish eggs.

 

[klvinci]

Thanks for looking.

Alas, no bubbles. I'd guess its more like belt leather, but not as pliable. I haven't wiggled it much, but I'm thinking about the tensile strength of celery?

 

[graveyardworm]

What lighting is the picture taken under?

 

[klvinci]

The nano has 24-watt 50/50 CF, but my camera has trouble with those, so theres a standard digital flash fill on those.

To the eye, the colours are a deep aquamarine or an emerald green (think metallic custom auto paint shades) , depending on the angle you view it from.

 

[graveyardworm]

Any chance you could get a photo of it under something around 6500k ( daylight spectrum )without a flash?

 

[graveyardworm]

Hopefully someone else will chime in, I'm thinking possibly a type of codium, but its a big guess.

 

[graveyardworm]

Okay I did alittle looking through my links and found this.

http://saltcorner.com/sections/guest/algaepage/Green/calcareousalgae/Cintertextum.htm

Here's what I was talking about with the tiny bubble fish egg appearance.

http://saltcorner.com/sections/guest/algaepage/Green/bubblealgae/Dcavernosa.htm

 

[klvinci]

Yes! The codium looks very close.
I looked up a few others (besides the intertextum) and there are some varieties with a darlish and/or bluish look to them, as well as several hoving that odd shaping.

Codium lucasii subsp. capense
http://www.algaebase.org/speciesdetail.lasso?species_id=3435
and
Codium spongiosum Harvey
http://www.algaebase.org/speciesdetail.lasso?species_id=3600

have the similar shaping, and

Codium setchellii
http://www.seaweedsofalaska.com/species.asp?SeaweedID=145

Codium adhaerens C. Agardh
http://www.algaebase.org/speciesDetail.lasso?species_id=241

seem to have a darker colouration.
Thanks much, this at least give me some idea of what it is.

 

[klvinci]

Oh, and I'll work on getting it under better lighting so I can come up with clearer non-flash pics. I never have trouble getting pics from the bigger tank, so maybe I can move it over there for a bit and get a better snap.

Thanks!