Please help me ID this algea

Katsura

New member
I have 2 colonies of this algea growing in my tank, the colour is blue/green to purple, bushy.

I've not seen them before on any pictures, they have grown from a few small strands to size of open palm in 5 months, very nice to look at tho.

post-3-1105320028.jpg


Thank you!
 
Is it beneficial? it's start to spread quite rapid in my 30 gallon tank and I'm tempted to frag it for trade.

It is blocking some water flow and lights to my SPS, so they need to be pruned sooner or later.

please let me knwo if they should go into the bin or be traded. Thanks!
 
Hi Alex, thanks for the pictures, Laurencia look somewhat different to my purple ones, are there different shape morph?

P.S. I am trying to ID the purple one heh, The Halimeda is completing for space with this species but is slowly loosing their ground.

The structure of the purple algea is very delicate and fragile, doesn't seem to have high calcium contents like Halimeda, the broken frags are easily attached to any live rock and will start regrow fromt eh new spot, a quite prolific speices, but not quite malicious like caulerpa. The branches are of a very deep purple colour, the branches are thin and have many sub branches, they end up in sharp tips, differnt from Laurencia's rounded tips.

it's currently under 150W 10K MH lighting with Actinic Blue secondary.

Any other sugestions?

Thanks :D
 
Thank you very much everyone! You've nailed it!
Hypnea pannosa is the closest match. But I can be certain it is in the family Hypnea.

Henn, thanks for the great pics, they look exact like the ones I have structually but with a different colour.

I wish I have some like that florocent(?) green one like yours, If I pull a strand out from deep in the layer, it's colour is a more delicate green and somes times red.

Could you tell me a little more about this species? Is it malicious or harmless? I've heard they are great Tang food? :D I've no Tang in my tank tho.

Cheers.
 
Back
Top