Help identify a new life form

[dmlowe]

Hi everyone,

Was hoping someone could help me identify this relatively new inhabitant of my 75g reef tank. It showed up a few weeks ago although I have not made any additions in the last few months. Seems to be growing, but slowly. My tank's been up for about a year now and contains about 40 lb LR, 2 inch sand bed, a clown, 3 chromis, a kole tang, 3 shrimp, 1/2 dz soft coral, bristle star, 3 emerald crabs, bunch of snails and hermits. Water parameters all normal. I use a Sea Clone 100 skimmer, 2 powerheads and a Fluval 403 for mechanical filtration. Lights include 2 96W full spectrum and 1 93W blue. I've attached the picture and I hope it makes it through. Thanks for your help.

David

[icebear]

odd looking thing... my guess is some red type of bubble algae....

[drsyme]

Probably the saccate form of colpomenia bullosa

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/guide/brown11.html

[tdwyatt]

uhhh...

more likely to be one of these, most likely Botryocladia sonderi P.C. Silva :


Botryocladia leptopoda

Botryocladia botryoides (Wulfen) Feldmann

Botryocladia sonderi P.C. Silva


This is one of the three more than likely if the rock came from the Indo-Pacific, the actual ID will be dependant on small morphological differences between the three listed. I have this in my displa 180 and the Kole tang does not touch it, thinking of getting either a sailfin or a naso to eat the stuff.

Seems to like high flow areas if it has a lot of light, but low flow areas if there isn't much light, although they could be two different species with very similar morphology...


HTH