A critter or algae on LPS skeleton

[liddojunior]

I have had this acan lord frag for around 2 mouths and these protrusions have slowly been growing since I got the frag.

I would think it’s algae but it grows sooo slow. Doubling in size over a month. So wondering if it’s some sort of burrowing worm and those are feeder tentacles. It kind of catches pods, not sure if the pods are just not that motile or captured. When I stare at it the pods don’t really move and later on it either has more or less pods on it.

Anyone have an idea what it is ? Put photo under white and blue light. It doesn’t really have fluorescent color

 

[steveschuerger]

Algae. Pluck it out carefully

 

[liddojunior]

Algae. Pluck it out carefully

Even tho it grows like a mm a month?
I can probably get the whole thing then if I take it out

 

[Soren]

I have had this acan lord frag for around 2 mouths and these protrusions have slowly been growing since I got the frag.

I would think it’s algae but it grows sooo slow. Doubling in size over a month. So wondering if it’s some sort of burrowing worm and those are feeder tentacles. It kind of catches pods, not sure if the pods are just not that motile or captured. When I stare at it the pods don’t really move and later on it either has more or less pods on it.

Anyone have an idea what it is ? Put photo under white and blue light. It doesn’t really have fluorescent color

That looks like algae root runners, possibly a type of Caulerpa. It looks very similar to what I saw in my work desk tank with my Caulerpa prolifera before I added 2 foxfaces and they ate it down to almost completely nothing. It would spread around the back of the tank by sending out runners like these where new leaves would grow.
Yours seems slow-growing, whereas Caulerpa prolifera is a very fast grower with enough nutrients and light.

 

[dwest]

Looked like caulerpa to me as well.

 

[liddojunior]

Thanks guys. I was wondering if it was burrowing critter than I couldn't just pluck it and thought it would be hard if its dug into the coral skeleton.
If its some caulerpa then I could safely just pluck it!