All Things Coralline (and Other Encrusting Algae Species)

[reddevilant]

I came across this wicked looking Tessellated coralline algae (Lithophyllum prototypum) while image searching for this post and MAN would it look good on live rock! Could you image a reef tank full of this stuff?:

Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratory offers:
Hildenbrandia prototypus which is now Hildenbrandia rubra (Red encrusting algae):


@reddevilant, are you planning to look for Hildenbrandia in the wild on the East Coast?

The swirl pattern looks amazing!!!

@WheatToast Yeah, while on a trip for a marine ecology class we visited a beach not too far from me. In a intertidal zone we found a bunch of rocks covered in what the professor labelled Hildenbrandia. It was a beautiful and bright red-orange encrusting algae that grew in a circular pattern.

 

[WheatToast]

@Thoms_here, what unique Coralline/Encrusting algae have you seen?

 

[SlugSnorter]

So I wanted to make this thread because I always read about and see comments about different types and colors of coralline algae but I never actually see pictures of them! I've heard about encrusting, plating, branching, pink, purple, red, orange, green, blue coralline. I feel like I only ever see pictures on R2R of the typical pink/purple encrusting types. So feel free to share pictures of the coralline in your tank! And if you have some uniquely shaped coralline (especially the plating variety) that you're willing to share LMK!

Here's a couple pics of the "Thick" and "Fine" coralline I bought from Gulf Coast Ecosystems.

When I get A chance ill get a pick of my coraline, super deep blue

 

[reddevilant]

So while picking up some photosynthetic sponge from a wonderful fellow Long Island reefer I noticed he had some small rocks with a beautiful red-orange encrusting algae growing on it. If it is Hildenbrandia then that would be awesome! Hopefully I can get it to start growing on the rest of the rock work! The picture doesn't do the color justice and those white spots are pods that were crawling around as I took the pic.

 

[WheatToast]

Here I am once more...

Lobophora, being a genus of brown macroalgae, might contrast nicely against pinkish Coralline, though some species seem to be undesirable in reef systems. @Tigahboy might have more knowledge on this algae:

Many different varieties of red encrusting algae can be found in freshwater environments, such as Hildenbrandia and even a single Coralline species, Pneophyllum cetinaensis, which can be found in Croatian rivers:

Pneophyllum cetinaensis:

Another freshwater red encrusting algae:

This branching Coralline algae, Jania rubens (Slender-beaded coral weed), was once available on Gulf Coast Ecosystems and can be found in tropical, temperate, and polar regions across the globe. Apparently, extracts of this algae have skin benefits and it is used in beauty products:

Here is what it looks like when grown in a reactor :

LA Reefs once offered this Martian rose macroalgae, though they, sadly, do not seem to sell macroalgae on their website or on eBay anymore (I could be wrong though):

LiveAquaria is back at it with some D E E P red encrusting algae:

Inter on Nano-Reef found this gorgeous Lime green coralline back in 2010 that likely originated from live Tonga branch rock:

I find Coralline-encrusted bubble algae (Valonia) to be... rather attractive. Here is some owned by @Tigahboy:

This Plating coralline from New Zealand reminds me of Shelf fungi that grow on trees...

... and finally, this Plating coralline (Lithophyllum carpophylli) looks like it wanted to be a cabbage :

 

[eggplantparrot]

Wow！didn't know fresh water Coraline algae existed!

 

[WheatToast]

Amphiroa foliacea (Red branch algae), a branching Coralline species, on the Unter Wasser site:

Building a “Coralline reef” aquarium (just encrusting red algae, no Corals, no fleshy macroalgae) would be an interesting concept… maybe someday @WheatToast…

 

[kingjames_dc5]

This is an amazing thread I had no clue there was so many different types. Please keep sharing more. Hopefully we will be able to find some of these in the future. I’d love to own a few of these pieces. I recently just ordered my first branching coralline algae frag from 333aquatic off eBay. I’m even more excited for it to arrive now.

 

[Arthur_Dent]

Neat! Following

 

[WheatToast]

Some more awesome coralline product links:

Aquaculture Nursery Farms recently stocked this Fluorescent Orange Coralline algae to seed aquariums. As I mentioned on another thread, ARC Reef (behind the bottled Purple Helix and Pink Fusion) was working on culturing orange Coralline on their live rock. Supposedly, this is a slow-growing algae:

chernyakvadym on eBay is offering fluorescent "Red Coraline Algae Frags" (which might actually be plating Peyssonnelia). If the original link no longer exists, I have created this archived page:
https://web.archive.org/web/20220418061255/https://www.ebay.com/itm/255239982323

Alyssa's Seahorse Savvy offers Branching Coralline and Coralline-encrusted cerith snails. I have not purchased from this store, though I have heard good things about them, and they have a diverse selection of red and green macroalgae:

Charm "rattle algae" images in full resolution:

... and finally...

This branching Coralline algae, Jania rubens (Slender-beaded coral weed), was once available on Gulf Coast Ecosystems and can be found in tropical, temperate, and polar regions across the globe. Apparently, extracts of this algae have skin benefits and it is used in beauty products:

Here is what it looks like when grown in a reactor :

A Coralline algae anti-aging product!
https://www.loccitane.com/en-us/harmonie-divine-serum-27HS030I18.html

 

[sixty_reefer]

I’ve seeded my new build with encrusting Peyssonnelia just because I like to see my rock glow under blues

 

[reddevilant]

Bad picture but I totally forgot to mention that I have some Lime green encrusting algae on my back panel of glass. It's definitely not that "precursor" green that you see on rocks before coralline pops up because it's been that color and growing for the past couple months. No idea where it came from but I love the color!

 

[pr_diver]

Some Puerto Rican Purple Coralline sourced locally here on the island in my nano tank.

 

[Fishy888]

Double post

 

[Fishy888]

I would love some of that. Happy new year!

 

[FDchase]

Although not tropical, was not found in an aquarium, and currently no longer alive. I did find an abalone shell on the coast here in nor cal with a very vivid blue what I assume coralline algae. Not idea what it actually is though. Would like to know a little more but havnt found much on Google. Anyone have some guesses?

 

[damsels are not mean]

Although not tropical, was not found in an aquarium, and currently no longer alive. I did find an abalone shell on the coast here in nor cal with a very vivid blue what I assume coralline algae. Not idea what it actually is though. Would like to know a little more but havnt found much on Google. Anyone have some guesses?

That is cool. And whatever it is, it might still tolerate tropical conditions. Many of the display macroalgaes we keep are not technically tropical either.