Help identifying this?

perocchit · Dec 3, 2025

Anyone recognize this? Our salt water tank is about 18 months old. We have two clownfish, clear shrimp, goby and pistol shrimp as well as clean up crew (hermit crabs, snails, etc.)

It almost looks like some kind of eggs but my wife and I have no idea. Any help identifying what this is so we know if we need to worry or not would help.

Thanks!

mmorrison55 · Dec 3, 2025

Looks like bubble algae

Üter · Dec 3, 2025

yup, bubble algae

mmorrison55 · Dec 3, 2025

Is the rock easy to pull out of the display? If so that would be be easiest way to eradicate it to be sure it doesn’t spread.

Pull the rock if able and use a utility knife or something you can scape it away and then to be extra sure, use a syringe or plastic pipette if you have one to wash the area with hydrogen peroxide

perocchit · Dec 3, 2025

mmorrison55 said:
Is the rock easy to pull out of the display? If so that would be be easiest way to eradicate it to be sure it doesn’t spread.

Pull the rock if able and use a utility knife or something you can scape it away and then to be extra sure, use a syringe or plastic pipette if you have one to wash the area with hydrogen peroxide

So…. After I use hydrogen peroxide I just put it back in there?

I have a few corals on it and the burrow for my pistol shrimp and watchmen goby are under it. If I remove it, it will damage his burrow.

mmorrison55 · Dec 3, 2025

Yeah, it should be fine. If you wanted to be extra safe you could rinse with rodi or saltwater after you did the peroxide rinse or dip if you go that route before putting it back in the tank.

I’ve dipped my corals and some smaller pieces of live rock that had bubble algae in peroxide, but I don’t have zoa’s so I don’t know how they react to peroxide. May want to google peroxide and zoas before you did, but if you are just going to spot rinse with the peroxide you should be fine. If the rock is small enough, you could just dip the rock in a mixture of saltwater and peroxide.

Here’s what a search provided…

peroxide dip is a method to remove algae and pests from corals, primarily used on hardy LPS and soft corals, using a dilute solution of 3% hydrogen peroxide and tank water. A common ratio is 10:1 (tank water to peroxide) for a 20-second dip, or a slightly stronger 4:1 ratio for 20-60 seconds for more stubborn issues, but sensitive corals should not be dipped. It's crucial to use the correct dilution to avoid harming the coral tissue

As for the shrimp and goby problem, they likely would move or may wait for you to put the rock back and remake their burrow.

If you wanted to tackle it in tank, put a siphon hose as close to the algae spot as possible and try your best to suck up all the bubbles as they are scraped lose from the rock

mmorrison55 · Dec 3, 2025

could always add an emerald crab and foxface as they typically like bubble algae, and let your livestock work for you. Just may take some time and the algae could spread until they start eating it.

Good luck whichever route you go. I wouldn’t leave it though.

This guy had an interesting approach in post #6. Sounds like something I would try if I didn’t want to pull the rock.

Post in thread 'Help! My reef tank is overrun with bubble algae!'
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/h...verrun-with-bubble-algae.976376/post-11231801

Lelegance · Dec 3, 2025

Honestly, its really easy to pick off with your hands. Just take it out, pick the stuff off, rinse with some water to clear debris or any bubble algae tissue, and put the rock back in. Don’t overcomplicate things too much. It sounds like you have a fairly small tank so I would not recommend a fox face. They need 125 gallons and 5ft at the absolute minimum.

perocchit · Dec 3, 2025

mmorrison55 said:
Yeah, it should be fine. If you wanted to be extra safe you could rinse with rodi or saltwater after you did the peroxide rinse or dip if you go that route before putting it back in the tank.

I’ve dipped my corals and some smaller pieces of live rock that had bubble algae in peroxide, but I don’t have zoa’s so I don’t know how they react to peroxide. May want to google peroxide and zoas before you did, but if you are just going to spot rinse with the peroxide you should be fine. If the rock is small enough, you could just dip the rock in a mixture of saltwater and peroxide.

Here’s what a search provided…

peroxide dip is a method to remove algae and pests from corals, primarily used on hardy LPS and soft corals, using a dilute solution of 3% hydrogen peroxide and tank water. A common ratio is 10:1 (tank water to peroxide) for a 20-second dip, or a slightly stronger 4:1 ratio for 20-60 seconds for more stubborn issues, but sensitive corals should not be dipped. It's crucial to use the correct dilution to avoid harming the coral tissue

As for the shrimp and goby problem, they likely would move or may wait for you to put the rock back and remake their burrow.

If you wanted to tackle it in tank, put a siphon hose as close to the algae spot as possible and try your best to suck up all the bubbles as they are scraped lose from the rock

You’re a life saver, thanks!

perocchit · Dec 4, 2025

mmorrison55 said:
could always add an emerald crab and foxface as they typically like bubble algae, and let your livestock work for you. Just may take some time and the algae could spread until they start eating it.

Good luck whichever route you go. I wouldn’t leave it though.

This guy had an interesting approach in post #6. Sounds like something I would try if I didn’t want to pull the rock.

Post in thread 'Help! My reef tank is overrun with bubble algae!'
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/h...verrun-with-bubble-algae.976376/post-11231801

We picked up an Emerald crab today and going to see how it does. If it spreads too much more, we may just have to deal with pulling out the rocks and using peroxide. I’ll look at this other post your referenced, thanks again.