ID Needed

[jethro710]

Hey reefers
I've got these things popping up and they are starting to spread. Not sure what they are. AI tells me they are either sponges or tunicates. I'm not sure, but they are exploding. I've got a 13.5 gallon. The only thing new recently is a bubble time anemone.
Anyone have any thoughts? If so, are they good, bad, indifferent? Should I keep or try and remove?
Thanks in advance!

 

[EnterName]

If it spreads fast it can't be good.

If those are sponges you can't really do much besides nuking the rock. Sponges have absolutely insane regenerative abilities and scraping them off will just spread them more and even the tiniest residues will fully regrow into a new sponge.

Can you see any holes or tubes? This might help with the identification because the image quality is limited.

 

[Mickle]

Looks very familiar but I cant place it.
Maybe a Lobophora species but that doesnt feel right to me

 

[PolypPocket]

Looks very familiar but I cant place it.
Maybe a Lobophora species but that doesnt feel right to me

This sounds really plausible, like maybe Lobophora variegata. Even though it’s a “brown” macro algae it comes in orange too

 

[jethro710]

Thanks for the info so far. I was able to get some time in the tank today and tried to pull some of it off.
It looks and feels very plant like. But kind of a stiff plant.
I took some picks of the big one I pulled off of it helps.

 

[DaJMasta]

My first thought was some sort of algae that grows like a wood ear mushroom - are they little sheets that anchor on their side that are crinkled up, or are they actually bubbles?

Is it maricultured live rock?

 

[EnterName]

Lobophora should grow in one of those patterns:

https://www.researchgate.net/figure...rowth-forms-based-on-Vieira-et_fig2_335873547

In the images it nearly looks like bubbles. I will try to find a taxonomoc/morphological key on brown algae, maybe I can find something...

Colpomenia sp. and Leathesia sp. are a first blind guess.

 

[jethro710]

My first thought was some sort of algae that grows like a wood ear mushroom - are they little sheets that anchor on their side that are crinkled up, or are they actually bubbles?

Is it maricultured live rock?

It was not live rock, it was generic white rock when I started the tank in Jan.
Mushroom is a great description of how they seem to be growing. They were kinda bubble like as well.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Most likely Oysterthief or similar brown algae; neat:

Definitely a member of Ectocarpales, most likely either a Colpomenia or Leathesia algae specifically; either way, puffy brown algae like this is not difficult to control that I have seen, and it's also pretty rare in our tanks. A neat algae to find; if you don't want it, I would offer it to someone else.

Your friend is right; that's definitely a brown macroalgae; probably Colpomenia sinuosa (Oysterthief) or a close relative. It should be harmless and relatively easy to remove/keep in check. It's not super commonm, so if you don't want it, I would offer it others/to your LFS or public aquarium.