Brown bubble algae?!

[Mihai]

I have these things that look terribly close to Valonia, but they're reddish-brown (the color is real, I adjusted the white ballance). Is there such a thing as brown Valonia? Who eats it (for the green ones I have emeralds that sleep on the job).

Thanks,
Mihai

 

[Anonymous]

Can't tell from those pictures.
There are red bubble-algae, green bubble-algae, dark green bubble-algae and black bubble-algae, depending where your rock is from it could be many species, Take a gander at this article:

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-02/hcj/feature/

Regards,
David Mohr

 

[Mihai]

They look quite a bit like Botryocladia skottsbergii, I'll be watching for the branches.

I don't think they came with the rock, but rather with some other plants I got from the coast of NC (see the "botanical survey" to which John referred to ). The rock in question was in my main tank for 6 months without any sign of those algae.

Thanks,
M.

 

[wade1]

I have some of this myself, it never branches, but stays as a form of bubble algae. No big deal.