Please help it’s taking over my tank

[campbell80]

Hi anyone able to identify this & any way to get rid, it’s literally covered every bit of rock in my tank it’s driving me insane!!!!
It has a rubbery texture to it if that helps‍

 

[Subsea]

Hi anyone able to identify this & any way to get rid, it’s literally covered every bit of rock in my tank it’s driving me insane!!!!
It has a rubbery texture to it if that helps‍

And how long did that take to happen?

Have you tried pulling it off the rock?

Marine Plants In The Aquarium: An online guide to the identification and care of marine plants and macroalgae in the aquarium.

An online guide to the identification and care of marine plants and macroalgae in the aquarium.

www.marineplantbook.com

Study on this and You tell us what you have.

 

[campbell80]

Hi thanks for taking the time to reply. I started the tank in February with bleach cured rock & live sand. I started noticing small pieces in may & then all of a sudden within the space of about 4 weeks the whole of my live rock was covered. I scrubbed as much as I can off with a tooth brush but couldn’t get into all the nooks and crannies. It’s taken 3 or 4 weeks for it all to come back again. I’ll have a look at the above later to see if I can identify it.

 

[stewy14]

Hi thanks for taking the time to reply. I started the tank in February with bleach cured rock & live sand. I started noticing small pieces in may & then all of a sudden within the space of about 4 weeks the whole of my live rock was covered. I scrubbed as much as I can off with a tooth brush but couldn’t get into all the nooks and crannies. It’s taken 3 or 4 weeks for it all to come back again. I’ll have a look at the above later to see if I can identify it.

is it hard, or soft? can u pop it(dont try) is it hollow?

 

[campbell80]

is it hard, or soft? can u pop it(dont try) is it hollow?

It’s almost feels like rubber, it will squish between you fingers but not pop. No it’s not hollow.

 

[stewy14]

It’s almost feels like rubber, it will squish between you fingers but not pop. No it’s not hollow.

looks like a sponge to me, might be wrong tho

 

[merkmerk73]

It's definitely some kind of sponge that has taken over

How far along is this tank? Can you restart?

This is a reason why I like to go with dry rock personally - this looks some kind of thing that came from the ocean and filled a niche because it didn't have any competitors

 

[AlyciaMarie Verified Admin]

Weird.. I agree; it may be some kind of sponge, but I am not totally sure. Maybe @ISpeakForTheSeas can help ID.

 

[Gudhjem]

Have an angel fish in the tank? If sponge, good chance it will eat it.

 

[merkmerk73]

Yeah you might have a moorish idol growout tank and you don't even know it

 

[Dread Pirate Dave]

I’ll have a look at the above later to see if I can identify it.

I looked at the linked identification page earlier and I didn't see a match. I thought the closest match in looks was Hydrolithon but it definitely is not what you have there.

 

[Subsea]

Hi anyone able to identify this & any way to get rid, it’s literally covered every bit of rock in my tank it’s driving me insane!!!!
It has a rubbery texture to it if that helps‍

Your picture is not clear to me.
Pull some of it from the rock and lay against white background to better identify.

Hi thanks for taking the time to reply. I started the tank in February with bleach cured rock & live sand. I started noticing small pieces in may & then all of a sudden within the space of about 4 weeks the whole of my live rock was covered. I scrubbed as much as I can off with a tooth brush but couldn’t get into all the nooks and crannies. It’s taken 3 or 4 weeks for it all to come back again. I’ll have a look at the above later to see if I can identify it.

So, you bleached the rock but not the live sand. If your sand was diver collected from the ocean, you may have introduced hitchhikers. However, almost all live sand in bags means only bacteria inoculated as live.

 

[Subsea]

Marine Plants in the Aquarium

macroalgae, marine plants, caulerpa, refugium substrate, marine macroalgae for sale

www.marineplantbook.com

From your description of rubbery texture, I think you may have this Caulerpa. I use it for nutrient export as well as an ornamental seaweed in mixed garden filter feeding invert tank.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Weird.. I agree; it may be some kind of sponge, but I am not totally sure. Maybe @ISpeakForTheSeas can help ID.

Not a sponge in this case - this is a brown macroalgae of some variety; I would guess one from the order Ectocarpales like Encephalophycus tuberculatus or Colpomenia sinuosa, but I haven't learned enough about brown algae yet to easily distinguish the various species.

Some other possibilities (various species from the genera below):

Some things that it could be:
-Asteronema
-Colpomenia
-Leathesia
-Petrospongium
-Sarcinochrysis

 

[Dread Pirate Dave]

Not a sponge in this case - this is a brown macroalgae of some variety; I would guess one from the order Ectocarpales like Encephalophycus tuberculatus or Colpomenia sinuosa, but I haven't learned enough about brown algae yet to easily distinguish the various species.

Some other possibilities (various species from the genera below):

Those seem pretty close to target.

Colpomenia sinuosa - Alchetron, The Free Social Encyclopedia

Colpomenia sinuosa, the oyster thief or sinuous ballweed, is a brown alga species in the genus Colpomenia. It is the type species of its genus. It is found throughout South Africa and is widespread around Australia and overseas. C. sinuosa contains the C6C4C6 phenolic compound colpol. Lee, Kyung M

alchetron.com

Colpomenia tuberculata (Multi-Agency Rocky Intertidal Network ) · iNaturalist

www.inaturalist.org

Now I wonder what eats it.

 

[Subsea]

If iyou want to kill macro algae on your rock, then remove rock and soak for 10 minutes in a 10% solution of 3% peroxide. While out of tank scrub. down with straight peroxide then soak in solution.

 

[Jekyl]

@vetteguy53081 any experience with this one?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Marine Plants in the Aquarium

macroalgae, marine plants, caulerpa, refugium substrate, marine macroalgae for sale

www.marineplantbook.com

From your description of rubbery texture, I think you may have this Caulerpa. I use it for nutrient export as well as an ornamental seaweed in mixed garden filter feeding invert tank.

THE YELLOW ONE APPEARS TO BE SPONGE BUT NEED CLEARER PIC.. . . Oops on Caps lock/
May be Fiji species such as Taveuni or Leucetta

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Now I wonder what eats it.

Haha, I'm not sure - I know some amphipods and the Purple Urchin, Heliocidaris crassispina, will eat Colpomenia, and I've seen speculation that some snails or hermits may eat algae like this as well, but I'm not aware of any large herbivores we commonly keep that confirmedly eat it at the moment.