What's on my live rock- please help!

[yakfishin]

I asked this before, and I received a response that it was just a different colored coralline algae, but I now don't think that is what it is. I have a very dark brown growth that is starting to grow in patches on a couple pieces of my live rock. It is hard- not like most algae but similiar to corraline- but has a sort of slimey feel to it where as my purple coralline doesn't have a slimey texture to it. It is perhaps has just a very slight fuzzy appearance to it- sort of like velvet. It seems to be growing on top of the existing coralline because I can with some difficulty scrape a bit off with my fingernail, and underneath I can still see the purple or green coralline that was there before. Any ideas as to what this is growing? It may not really be doing any real damage, but it sure doesn't look very pretty.

 

[sunfish11]

a picture is worth a thousand words...

 

[BurntOutReefer]

sounds like a sponge......pics?...if sponge, then no issue's.....

 

[yakfishin]

hmmm, I'll try to get pictures in the next wife or two- my wife is the one with the camera. I can scrape the stuff off a bit with some difficulty, but a stiff nylon brush didn't even budge it- does that sound like sponge??

 

[J Castellano]

It sounds like plate algea. look on www.melevsreef.com in his photo id section under algeas and see if this is what you have.

 

[J Castellano]

also known as Lobophora which as far as I know is reef safe.

 

[baldeaux]

This stuff has covered over and stumped the growth of my zoanthids. Need to find out how to get rid of them. Nothing would eat it either.