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That is a great image and I have found the same with other corals and I have nothing but anecdote here but it seems those that have generally poor competitive abilities or that tend to form anything other than solid moving accretions as they grow are prime for the runners on this alga. I find the algae to grow right up against the growing margins of Porites or Montipora, almost encircling it. As you know, Montipora often produces little folds and raised areas at its margins as it grows and you can find nudibranch refuge there. My thought is that this alga probably forms a physical and possible chemical barricade to growth in these types and the coral either doesn't grow past it or tries to grow over the top of it -and often can't - and this raising of growth pattern is what allows for things like we see in the images below. Many excavating/bioeroding species have similar effects and what seems like hard substrate the coral is growing on is actually carbonate in various stages of pulverization (also normally being filled with sponges, endolithic algae, fungi, etc.).
With Porites, the algae can even grow right over the living tissue, putting down holdfasts into living coral and then either chemical or mechanical abrasion and shading kills the tissue below it, allowing for more takeover by the alga.
Thanks for those images. I look forward to the other thread.
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Eric Borneman
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| Here is a photo of the snails I have that will eat red algae to some extent, there are 3 of them and they are 1 1/2". I believe they are Trochus snails but I may be wrong. I was going to remove them when they got so big because I was afraid they would become bulldozers, but they are really gentle on the corals and have proven to be more of an asset than liability. I rarely see them except in darkness. I do have a half dozen or so Margarita snails but they only eat microalgae. 
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And here are the large snails of mine that will eat it if corralled or put into the proper place - they look the same, mine also are most active at night, and some are big enough to eat already - HUGE! And, I agree, they are not really bulldozers at all.
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Eric Borneman
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a bit off topic. is that your Bare Bottom tank Eric? if so do you vacuum the debris from the bottom?
in the other photo i love the diversity of the snail, macroalgae, sponge and bristle worm all in a small area.
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We are all stardust
Sun powered reef
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The one photo is a snail climbing up the coralline covered side partition between the two tanks - both taken in the same tank. All the other huge ones were on the back wall and corals were blocking the shots. In the other photo, its actually seagrass, Halophila, not macroalgae, and thanks.
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Eric Borneman
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Hey all, I am trying to figure out if the reg algae that I have in my tank is the same scourge that is affecting yours. It seems like it might be the same, it just looks a bit different. Mine is sort of scraggly, it is really tough and its holdfasts are almost impossible to remove.
The first photo shows what it "normally" looks like with sort of skinny long individual "leaves". The second shows a new form... somewhat of a bushy form.
The only way that I have been able to sort of control it is to take out the piece of rock, scrape off what I can, then go "scorched earth" on the remaining holdfasts with a butane lighter! The second image is what grew back after scorched earth treatment!
My WIFE loves me! She bought me a nano!
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It certainly looks to be the same or similar. I can't be sure because of the reasons stated in the thread re: identification issues, but your description, the photos and the tenacity sure indicate the same alga.
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Eric Borneman
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Not to justify any replies, and have not read above in all replies , but with my experience of what has grown from red algae, sometimes I see the same thing. And hoping my cleaner crews with take care of busniess. But at the begining stages of growth. The algae will produce on dark purple pink sections of coraline algae. And maybe the mix of the two is throughing us off. I kind of thought at one time was some sort of sponge, we havn't researched as marine biologist yet. But I do know though my experience, as we learn when moving a tank or completley reduing a tank. This is a fighting battle from the get go. I just recentley moved, and paid $400.00 to have tank moved, and told mover to please not remove sand bottom. Well he said couldn't guarentee tank breaking with all that weight. Well maybe with some tanks. But I moved tank before with 40 lbs of sand bottom and still around 30lbs of LR and didn't have a problem. Well I had to go to store while he was moving tank. When got back he did remove sand bottom, and have been fighting red algae ever since.  . Now I've just about got under control, with adding more clearner crews, and using phos reactor with SeaChem Phos Guard. And too ChemPure Elite. Thats why I've just orderd more filter socks from Marine Depot. The high flow in tank to also help battle is working the socks to death. Anyway, Good luck everybody in the battle of the oceans norm.See ya
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OH yeah, this may be old news, but I've also seen a difference when not using frozen food. See alot of frozen food has jel-O-ten in the mix to get it to freeze in blocks. And I've haven't done a phos test afterwards to claim that this is true. But supposely will raise the phosphates in our tanks. but we all know what will happens then See ya
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 Posted 6/7/2008 7:34:00 AM |
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