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I did a google image search on it and none of the photos I saw were very good. I can scan a good image later. I doubt those snails can or will touch it. Large Trochus, maybe. A rabbitfish, maybe.
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Eric Borneman
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| I took some out, very tough stuff, and actually only 1 mm wide branches. Also, I have a bicolor blenny who doesn't eat it either. Large Trochus sounds like a possibility. How about emerald crab? Was going to add a Centropyge argi - for some bristleworm control - might also eat the algae?
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Here is the image from Littler and Littler, South Pacific Reef Plants, and the description was in my previous post.
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Eric Borneman
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| That looks to be the stuff, at least to genus. It often has pinnate branching, not so "fan-like". But otherwise close. Tough and wiry. I chopped it back with clippers, as it seemed to be affecting the Pocillopora. An older, small Montipora digitata frag appeared looking OK from underneath! I had forgotten about that little piece and had written it off. Also added large banded Trochus, and an emerald crab, neither of which appear too interested as yet. I'm hoping the damage will allow herbivores to attack, as happened with some Halimeda. I like to think of these weeds as opportunities rather than problems so much, as long as they can be kept in check enough to allow the coral to grow. Quite a food web developing: Aiptasia -> Lysmata Various algae -> crabs, snails, blenny, tuxedo urchin Bristleworms -> pom pom crab (eats some of them, was also thinking of adding a Centropyge argi to eat some more, as there are so many in there!)
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| Got some better pictures. The Gelidiopsis I have been letting go more or less, a little lawn mowing sometimes, and it doesn't seem to be affecting corals too bad after all. There is also a cotton candy red filamentous algae, very thin and highly branched, and a red bubble algae, with flattened sacks filled with a clear gel, held in groups by a tough cartilaginous holdfast. These last two seem to overgrow things rather more than the Gelidiopsis. (Anyone have names on these?) So far, what doesn't seem to eat these: Astraea, Nerites, banded Trochus, bicolor blenny, emerald crab, tuxedo urchin. I think what's left to try is the Diadema, large Turbos, and possibly sea hares and cowries if available. 46 gallon, too small for rabbitfish or tangs I believe.
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I responded to this twice now, and the post didn't show up twice.
Trying again:
The top one looks like the red alga I have mentioned in the stickied thread, but are you sure that the long-bladed and short-bladed are the same? I can imagine since in lower water flow the thalli become longer, but I can tell from the photo. It seems, by appearance (not a good indicator) they are different. Possibility is Geilidiopsis, or others, but Gelidiopsis is generally well-grazed.
The second is Botryocladia - I get rid of this manually in areas without grazers, and seems to be grazed in other tanks though I have not noticed by what.
The third could be Wrangelia or a specific life phase of Asparagopsis. Lots of threads on the latter here and on other forums.
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Eric Borneman
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| I think all of that cf. Gelidiopsis is the same. Tough, wiry stuff with variable branching patterns. Interesting - the Botryocladia and Asparagopsis are not doing well on rocks moved over into the new tank, which is perhaps nutrient poor. Some nutrient limitation tactics could help. The Asparagopsis came with some Chaetomorpha I bought a couple of months ago for the refugium, and then it spread all over.
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| Updates: Heightened water circulation might be helping in the new tank, rather than nutrient limitation. Also, found a herbivore for the Asparagopsis. Turbo fluctuosus, Pacific Turbo. Google on "Asparagopsis taxiformis, a troublesome reef algae."
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And apparently Siganus guttatus, as an adult, will eat the nasty red stuff - problem is the size of the tank it needs.
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Eric Borneman
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