Can anyone help me ID?

[gowlers321]

I can't find any other algae that looks remotely similar. Has anyone ever seen algae like this?

It grows in long vine like strands along the rock and has spread across all my rocks. Easy enough to remove with tweezers but can never remove all of it.

Thanks.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I can't find any other algae that looks remotely similar. Has anyone ever seen algae like this?

It grows in long vine like strands along the rock and has spread across all my rocks. Easy enough to remove with tweezers but can never remove all of it.

Thanks.

View attachment 3124507

This is a nuisance algae known as Dictyota. It is not often this develops but the key is to stop it bfore it really spreads. Best is to take rock out and place in a container of tank water and use a dental pic or small crochet needle and pull it off as best as you can. Get it gone or as much as you can and add the following to take control:

Pencil urchin
Large astrea snails
Turbo Grazer
Pitho crabs
Chiton snails

 

[Diastro]

It reminds me of caulerpa serrulata.

 

[gowlers321]

It reminds me of caulerpa serrulata.

It looks really similar to that except the leaves are smaller and it seems to attach tighter to the rocks.

 

[Diastro]

Caulerpa serrulata, Marshall Islands

www.underwaterkwaj.com

Looks identical imo. When caulerpa is young is tends to have smaller leaves. Especially in high light. When it starts growing denser it tends to stretch out and change. Or it could be a related species, there's over 190 var of caulerpa. But I'm going to say it's definitely in the family.

It looks very cool imo, If you're local to socal I'll take some off your hands.

 

[vetteguy53081]

It looks really similar to that except the leaves are smaller and it seems to attach tighter to the rocks.

Ive seen dictyota too many times- Had to deal with it at my LFS