What is this?

[Highside]

These came on my rock, they are the brightest green color in my tank and they are usually the first thing that people ask about. They are growing and leaving behind a calcium base. Just looks like bright green fuzz on the tip.

 

[danieljames]

Calcareous macro algae

 

[Fishboy42]

I've seen a lot of these in my tanks and while diving, so I looked it up in my Marine Plants of the Caribbean book (I know, I'm a geek just for *having* this!).

Neomeris annulata "Dickie"

"A distinctive, small, erect, cylindrical, fingerlike plant (less than 3cm tall) that is found as solitary individuals or in dense clusters. Close examination shows that distinct calcified rings or bands encircle the entire upright. Whitish toward the base (because of calcification), with a green fuzzy top (formed by whorls of fine hairs), individuals are easily recognized and occur abundantly on shaded mangrove roots, coral fragments, or rocks in shallow, sandy areas, from the intertidal zone to as deep as 30m."

Hope this helps, pretty cool to see all the things that pop up in our tanks

Matt

 

[Highside]

Thanks! I have about four of them, I guess I will let them grow.

 

[Highside]

This months reefkeeping magazine has an article on macroalgae. One of the first pics of the article shows a rock covered in these. Weird that I ran across it now.

 

[rcmike]

Just be careful who you tell that you have a small, erect "Dickie".

 

[saltycreefer]

you beat me to it rcmike.

 

[Fishboy42]

Should have called that one; the first half-dozen words of the description make me wonder what I'm reading about, although I don't think it would have lasted 6 hours in ETRC without a comment, let alone that many days

 

[rcmike]

Well, it actually hit me when you first posted it but I let it slide. After the topic came back up I couldn't help it.