Massive Marine Macro Mugshot thread

[piercho]

Old and new penicillus "shaving brush'
Shaving brush shoot
Neptune's shaving brush, probably Penicillus dumetosus. Comments with the mug shots. Penicillus, of course, from the Greek for "silly penis" Just kidding, but the image should keep you from forgetting the the genus name. :mixed:

 

[Plantbrain]

The mystery Caulpera is Batophora.
The other red fuzzy, Wangellia likely, the scrub pad, Laurancia, the barrel shaped red likely a Champia.
I'm out and about so I'm not certain, but those look like it.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[piercho]

Sargassum

Sargassum

Sargassum in refugia
Sargassum stalk detail
2 pics of an indo pacific Sargassum, species not known. Stalks can reach over 2' in length, and in the past I've let it grow all the way from the bottom up to float across part of the top of my lagoonal tank. This plant is probably pretty noxious, Diadema won't graze it, and it is impervious to filamentous algae overgrowth. I've been trying to establish less-noxious algaes for export, and will probably eliminate all but a little of the Sargassum when I do.

My opinion is that Sargassum is a good ornamental plant for lagoonal tanks. It grows up into the water column instead of out across the substate, making it simply to control. It rarely fragments, and the fragments float, making them easy to remove. Even if a fragment does wedge in rock, it takes it a long time to develop holdfasts. The dense leaf structure provides a local refuge for small invertebrates.

It is widely believed that Sargassum will die back in mature tanks because they are not nutrient-rich enough. IME, Sargassum dies back if you don't do major water changes occasionally, regardless of the level of available N and P. Major, for me, is >50% at a time, 3 or 4 times a year. And I use NSW for exchanges. My opinion is it's growth becomes limited by something else besides N, P, or Fe - at least that is what I percieve in my tank. I can't tell if I influences its growth, I dosed Iodide for a few months, but never percieved any benefit from it.

 

[mellen]

That Rhodo macro was mentioned in an EPA study on soluble (speciation) metal ion absorption by macros, if I am recognizing it properly ... Probably is dependent on trace element renewal via water changes, and if upping iron and magnesium dosage within reason won't do for it, just consider it's massive scale in the wild - like a macro shark in your 'fuge - no way to keep it happy without the equivalent in concentrated trace doses to emmulate the huge water volume availability of same elements in the sea...and how can one do THAT safely in a little bitty box of water? Plus there's no orca, sealion or otter poop to feed it? ... Still would be a great water quality control device for very large private and public sized aquaria...or as an RO/DI bio-equivalent toxin filter in a sizeable storage tank for treating straight tap water-made SW for future WCs (2-3 weeks, with competent diligent testing, of course). Would probably burn out in a few months in that app. without prev. mentioned ammonia sources. But, hey, there are smaller scale seaweeds to work with!

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-04/rhf/feature/index.htm

Scroll down to subsection, "Export of Metals: Macroalgae Growth and Harvesting"

Whole article is very interesting regardless, especially with knowledge of arcane aspects of marine botany.

EPA and other studies on both fresh water and salt water "indicator" protista and microalgae/ macroalgae species that choke up polluted areas are very interesting in light of aquaria, if we can find a way to adapt these weeds to filtration of closed loop microcosms like our tanks...and know their reproduction spurs, competetive toxin release spurs, etc.

:rollface:

 

[armygreen11]

Wow! Thanks for this thread! I have lots of different fauna (that's the word, right? fauna?) of macro alga, and didn't know what most of it was. I do have a problem algae right now though, and from this thread, it looks like Dictoya. Is that right? It's on the bottom left of this pic. It's all over my tank, and nothing is eating it. I have a LMB, Kole Tang, blue and red hermits, different kinds of snails, two lettuce nudi's and six emerald crabs as my algae controllers. I have a sump full of Chaeto, and a clump of red grape (Botryocladia) about the size of a basketball in my 75G tank, as well as smaller clumps of other different alga. Aside from emerald crabs, the only thing I've read that eats this stuff are Sea Hare's from blowfish aquatics. Are there any nudibranch species that eat this stuff maybe?

 

[piercho]

that's the word, right? fauna?

Flora

it looks like Dictoya

A brown algae, yes, looks like Dictyota.

Are there any nudibranch species that eat this stuff maybe?

Probably, but I'm not aware of any available to the reef hobby.

2 points. 1st, Dictyota is well-defended by chemicals and is not grazed preferentially by most general grazers. It won't be grazed by a Kole tang (a detrivore) or most snails. I'd be suprised to see crabs eat it. I doubt even a Diadema urchin would graze it preferentially - if at all. I believe that there are species of surgeonfish in the Acanthurus genus that preferentially graze brown algaes, but these are generally large fish.
2nd, the Dictyota is locking up nutrients that could be showing up as something even less desirable - like filamentous algae. If the algae is controlled by grazing, the majority of those nutrients will become available in the tank again.

My advise would be to remove the Dictyota by hand for now. That accomplishes export of the nutrients locked in the Dictyota. Over time and with competition from other alga, you can hope that the Dictyota will spread more slowly, and may eventually go away on it's own.

 

[armygreen11]

Thanks for the correction. I knew it atarted with an 'F'.

And thanks for the advice. Right now, the Dictyota is is winning in the nutrient wars. My chaeto isn't really growing much anymore since this stuff took off. I'll take out as much as I can again tonight. It's everywhere though.

 

[piercho]

A Diadema urchin may eat it. It will eat most plants that it encounters. Mine never went for Sargassum (a similar brown algae), but that may be because it found plenty of other graze in my tank. Be forewarned that Diadema are fond of calcerous algaes like coralines. Diadema grow large quickly. They can also graze rock completely down to bare, white, calcium carbonate - these are not woosey grazers.

I got the genus wrong for surgeonfish that may eat brown algaes preferentially. It is Naso, like Naso lituratus (Lipstick tang) These are big honking fish.

Sorry not to offer you much encouragement or easy options. If the tank is fairly young, you may see a succession of algaes over time. It is possible that the growth rate of the Dictyota will slow down as the tank matures.

 

[armygreen11]

Yeah, the tank has only been going since the beginning of April. I've had two micro algae blooms so far. After the second one, my corraline algae started to take off. I'm going to prune the dictyota in a few minutes.

 

[6-line]

I am a keeper of that dreaded batophora. I'm warning everyone: Don't let this stuff get into your systems. If it's in the fuge pull it out!

Frick--have you seen any creatures eat the stuff? My yellow tang won't touch it and I had a Lettuce Slug that ignored it as well. This macro is taking over my system...

 

[armygreen11]

Just an update with the Dictyota.... After trying everything short of a diadema urchin (emerald crabs, naso tang) to no avail, I just pulled as much of it out as I could, and then just left the tank alone, and it eventually withered away. Now I only have dead traces of what was left. The leaves that are left have spots of corraline algae growing on them, so I know it isn't going to be long before it's gone completely. Thanks for all the advice everyone!

 

[cabin]

help identify red macroalga

help identify red macroalga

Can anyone identify this alga? Purchased from a dealer, believed to be Pacific in origin. Note that there is some extraneous red bubble algae in the photo, but that did not come from this new plant, it is from my botryocladia. The new alga has no bubbles, just fairly thick stems.

 

[kmk2307]

cabin,

Do you think that red algae is calcified or is it soft? Try looking up the genus Chondrophycus. The algae in your picture looks just like C. parvipapillatus as pictured in South Pacific Reef Plants by Littler and Littler.

HTH,
Kevin

 

[adrinal]

What is the one Frick calls

My classic red dish scrubby

and how the heck can I get rid of it?

 

[kmk2307]

adrinal,

Try looking up Gelidopsis. I'm not sure how to tell you to get rid of it. Diadema urchins eat pretty much any algae they can crawl on.

GL,
Kevin

 

[adrinal]

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=447745&highlight=Gelidopsis

Thanks kevin.

Unfortunatly, there are only 2 other threads that mention it by name. But, this one had a pic for confirmation at least.

Has any one else got rid of this stuff with anything other than Mexican turbos?

 

[mesocosm]

Greetings All !

Irritating though it generally is, sometimes Dictylota can be fun ...

 

[mesocosm]

You know, I really miss the old attachment function ... sorry about that everyone ... I think I'll just go out and shoot myself now ... so much for the value of a college degree ... one last time:

 

[armygreen11]

Yeah... keep an eye on that Dictyota. It'll take over if you don't watch it. Trust me. Nice color though.

 

[adrinal]

so the green stuff is the leaves and the red/brown stuff are the roots... or whatever you want to call it... its one plant?

and what will eat it, please?