Can you help identify this growth on my rocks? *pic*

[SCIronMike]

I am pretty stumped. It is growing all over my tank, and I have no idea if it is good or bad. Thanks

 

[King Jason]

Maybe some kind of sponge?

What type of light are these “things” getting? Direct, indirect, shade, etc?

 

[SCIronMike]

It's growing ALL over the rocks throughout the tank. In indirect light, in direct light... everywhere.

 

[Anonymous]

is it hard and calcareous, or soft and filmy?

 

[investigator1]

Looks like brown fruit rollups to me. Got any kids???

ok sorry I have no clue.

 

[SCIronMike]

is it hard and calcareous, or soft and filmy?

Rock hard. I just put my arm in the tank and felt it

 

[SCIronMike]

Looks like brown fruit rollups to me. Got any kids???

ok sorry I have no clue.

Thank goodness no

 

[Anonymous]

my first guess is a type of calcareous algae-possibly even a species of coralline

 

[Carpentersreef]

Lobophora maybe?
(wafer algae)

If so, it's not harmful.

Mitch

 

[SCIronMike]

This just concerns me because I like purple coralline algae and this stuff is growing over the purple at a pretty rapid rate.

 

[SnoopDog]

Rocking ! Thats neat, just think you will be different than your fellow reefer ! Everyone will be envious and want some of your new algae. Remember different is good.

 

[Will C1]

that is a button polyp, just kidding. it looks like an algea, does it have any filtration holes in it? what kind of lighting is on the tank? im just curious mabe its fueling the fire.

 

[SCIronMike]

that is a button polyp, just kidding. it looks like an algea, does it have any filtration holes in it? what kind of lighting is on the tank? im just curious mabe its fueling the fire.

Hmmmmmm...... I'm not sure about filtration holes. I'll take a closer look when I get back home to my tank Monday night. The lighting is a Hamilton Reefstar 150 watt MH 20k. 29 gallon glass tank with a Remora and a MJ1200 and a Hagen 401 for circulation.

 

[madrefkepr]

I don't have that much, but I have some. I'm pretty sure, judging from some pictures I have seen in a few books, that it is type of coralline. I don't have the books anymore, they were borrowed, so I can't tell you much more than that.

 

[THEFishHead]

Dear Iron Mike,

You are the first aquarist that I have heard of who has wondered whether a stony coral growing all over his rocks is a problem!

The mystery growths in your photos is the stony coral Psammocora. The best expanation is that the majority of the rock in your tank was "dead" and coralline encrusted Psammocora, and that there was just a bit of live tissue on it here and there inside the skeleton. This is well known for several coral genera. The re-establishment of live tissue on the surface is a way that coral recover after an environmental disturbance that almost kills them.

Julian Sprung

 

[Anonymous]

Julian said:

You are the first aquarist that I have heard of who has wondered whether a stony coral growing all over his rocks is a problem!

:lol:

Louey

 

[Carpentersreef]

Wow. I never would have guessed that! (judging by the small patches forming)
If you ever observe more polyp extension from the coral(s), it would be great if you could post a closer pic! I think that if I look close enough now, it may be polyps that are around some edges....not sure that's what I'm seeing though.

Thanks,
Mitch

 

[SCIronMike]

Cool! Thanks for the help The live rock had been in this tank for 6 months before this stuff started growing. Sweet!

 

[wombat1]

Lucky you

 

[Anonymous]

Lobophora maybe?
(wafer algae)

And it's waffer thin!!!!!!!