Can anyone help me ID this?

[SalineSerenity]

Newbie here..So I was stirring the sand a bit today and this blob presented itself from deep in the sand bed.. It doesn’t seem to have much in the way of structure- just blob/mass, though fairly well formed. Be gentle if this is stupid..

 

[Mikey Maroon]

It looks similar to the way algae tends to bind the sand particles together when it takes hold of a region of sand. I've seen similar things in my tank when agitating sand that has algae growing on it.

 

[SalineSerenity]

It looks similar to the way algae tends to bind the sand particles together when it takes hold of a region of sand. I've seen similar things in my tank when agitating sand that has algae growing on it.

So it sounds like I should just scoop it out and carry on?

 

[SalineSerenity]

Thank you!

 

[GHOSTLY]

Same thing happens when I get too much algae

 

[Mikey Maroon]

So it sounds like I should just scoop it out and carry on?

Personally, I just break it up and use a siphon vacuum to get some of the algae out, but I don't like the idea of slowly removing sand from my tank over a period of time. I just monitor the balance of different algae I have in the display and sump area and adjust frequency of feeding while maintaining a strict weekly 18% water change regimen and that seems to keep everything from getting out of control. I don't mind seeing a rainbow of red, purple, brown and green, hairy or coralline algae in my system. I'm of the "biodiverse" philosophy of reef keeping. The algae isn't unsightly to me as long as it isn't overtaking corals. When the balance is right, my LPS seem to have their own way of repelling algae incursions (ie., the algae simply doesn't grow on the coral skeletal structure or seem to irritate the polyp).