ID:Odd brown are on edge of sacrophyton

[KenFitz]

There is this smal brown patch on the edge. Looks as though it extends onto the nearby rock - it appears to be growing all be it slowly. So...

What is it? and do I need to remove it? How?

Image (hopefully) attached

 

[MartinE]

I looks like an algae. IMO remove it from the base of your Sarcophyton, as algae can smother leathers.

 

[KenFitz]

Thanks for the info Martin,

I looks like an algae. IMO remove it from the base of your Sarcophyton, as algae can smother leathers.

Sorry to be a pain but......

How would I remove the algea?

 

[MartinE]

No problem. I would just get some tweezers and peal it off, or scrape it off, just be careful not to damage the leathers tissue.

 

[KenFitz]

Man.... your fast.

I had only just posted the Q. Refreshed the list and your Ans was there.

Thanks..

I'll get some long SS tweezers and gently peel it off. Hopefully without causing to much damage to the leather.

 

[FragMaster]

Diddo on what Martin said.
That stuff is VERY slippery though. I had a bunch of that crap all over a piece of live rock a while back. It was very slick and velvety looking, like a deep chocholate brown. It also grew in like a plating form for the most part. I couldnt pluck it off with tweezers though. I had to scrape it off.
One day it just all started died off, I have no idea how i got rid of it either! LOL!
I was told it was a form of coraline but I dont think it is.

 

[KenFitz]

Yep.... That's the stuff - dark brown - looks a bit velvety.

So edge of tweezers and scrape it off. I'll try and scrub it off the LR as well or atleast try to create a margin between it and the leather.

Thanks for the info.

 

[KenFitz]

Ok... Tweezers wouldn't touch it. 8O

So.... I used the edge of a glass scrapper pad - that moved it.

It has left the flesh white but I scrubbed as lightly as I could. Some bits remain - so I may need to do it again. But I'll wait a while.

Hope the white just means i've removed a top layer where the algae was attached - if not I hope i've not hurt it too much.

 

[Anonymous]

See if they have a pic of lobophora in the hitchhiker guide. I bet you have some variant of it. Not harmful in my experience just kind of ugly.

 

[clydescove]

Isnt it called 'slime algae'? I had it bad years ago and like ya'll suggest i was peeling it off the rock by hand.