Help with ID

[docforestal]

Hi, I have a 4 month 55 gallon tank, mostly dry rock but some rock that was “cooked” at pacific aquaculture, and I have had some gracillia and chaeto in a reactor ( so unknown where the seeds of this came from.)
I have 3 patches of this. Any help with ID? Thanks

 

[AlgaeBarn]

Hey Dan, this is super interesting. I'm trying to get to the bottom of this myself. Is it hard or soft?

 

[ScubaFish802]

@ISpeakForTheSeas

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

In addition to AlgaeBarn's question, do you think you could get clearer pics with more white and less blue light? (I'm struggling to see if there's a pattern on this thing like you can see on Halymenia malaysiana or H. dilatata.)

 

[docforestal]

you bet, when i get home tonite will put just white light , use my wife's better iphone and give it a rub - i have spent most of my time pulling hair algae

 

[docforestal]

the feel of this is not quite leathery- stiff but not calcium hard
under full white and some green/red - the whitish haze on it started after i was messing with the sand - i wonder if i bleached some? the other patches are solid maroon
still not the best pic - if needed i can pull some out and photo under room light and magnifyer - long day and having dinner first

 

[fishguy242]

Plating sponge ??

 

[Cichlid Dad]

What ever it is I like it.

 

[docforestal]

me too,
also if it is significant I did seed the tank with pods and had a jar of macroalgae in the Hob filter for a while from Algae barn - was chaeto and gracilia i think but didnt know if a different growth form due to flow? however,it is in medium and low flow areas and looks similar

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

if needed i can pull some out and photo under room light and magnifyer

I'd do that and see. Macroalgae isn't my strong point, but hopefully we'll be able to figure this out for you.

 

[Goaway]

Could it be gracilaria curtissiae?

 

[AlgaeBarn]

I think @Goaway is right! I'd still love to see some close-up shots but to me, Gracilaria Curtissiae seems most likely. My team all agrees as well!

 

[docforestal]

I'll see if i can do that tonite

 

[docforestal]

here we go, pulled off a tuft and tried to spread it out a little

 

[Subsea]

the feel of this is not quite leathery- stiff but not calcium hard
under full white and some green/red - the whitish haze on it started after i was messing with the sand - i wonder if i bleached some? the other patches are solid maroon
still not the best pic - if needed i can pull some out and photo under room light and magnifyer - long day and having dinner first

I have Gracilaria Hayi that grows that way.

Marine Plants in the Aquarium

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here we go, pulled off a tuft and tried to spread it out a little

A beautiful species of Gracilaria featuring rigid, flame shaped branches that form a tight symmetrical bush. It is lightly calcified so the addition of calcium is recommended. In shallow water it is often found in very large clumps covered in colonial tunicates or encrusted with epiphytic bryozoans. The coloration varies between deep crimson red to bright orange depending on the amount of light provided. It features a small holdfast that can be attached to rocks or left as a free floating specimen if desired. Overall it is undemanding and will grow well under a variety of conditions even in low flow environments. Due to its lightly calcified branches it is not known to be very palatable to fish or invertebrates.

 

[docforestal]

Awesome info, thanks @Subsea

 

[docforestal]

So it must have taken root so to speak and just different growth form than the bushy stuff that escaped the filter

 

[Subsea]

“Hi, I have a 4 month 55 gallon tank, mostly dry rock but some rock that was “cooked” at pacific aquaculture”

I don’t think your PacificAquaculture rock was “cooked” too much. Not sure what cooked means to you?

I suggest you talk with customer service at PacificAquaculture to identify that macro.

 

[Subsea]

So it must have taken root so to speak and just different growth form than the bushy stuff that escaped the filter

Is red macro attached to rock? Is gracilaria in your macro algae reactor slightly calcified?

 

[docforestal]

When I say cooked, they have dead rock that sits in their systems for a while, mostly bacteria and coralline is what I expect, rather than fully dead rock,I saw no hitchers.
I don’t have gracillia in my reactor just chaeto, but I had gracillia in my hob filter chamber as a mini fuge the first few months (no Refugium)
I got the gracillia from algae barn
Unfortunately. My camera skills aren’t the best but hoping this video shows it well enough.