Plant ID

[Reefmack]

I've had this on my live rock for about 3 months, and it has grown only a small bit in that time. It's only about 1/2 - 3/4 inches across. Any ideas on what type of macroalgae?

Thanks

 

[Reefmack]

anyone?

 

[Steveabg]

That looks like another codium to me. It's pretty small, but the shape is very similar to the one in this thread.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1145693

 

[Reefmack]

Thanks Steveabg - it does indeed look like the codium, on a smaller scale. Mine's a very slow growing algae. I'll just leave it be and see what happens with it.

 

[Steveabg]

I got a copy of this book:

http://www.amazon.com/MARINE-PLANTS...3496715?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1182528712&sr=8-2

For codium repens, it says that it clings close to the rock and spreads across it, rather than out, so yours would seem to fit that description of repens better than that one in the other thread, i guess. Getting a 100% positive ID on algae seems pretty impossible sometimes, but we can at least narrow it down to genus sometimes.

 

[Reefmack]

Definitely does resemble codium repens. Looks like small green coral branches. Lots of hots on a search, but mostly scientific papers. I did find these two with some pictures, and what I have does look very similar:


http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/03mex/background/seaweeds/media/fig4_dive2563.html

http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/htmls/expl0530.htm

If not the right species it does seem to be the right genus.