Challenge of the day - Identify this please...

[mdk]

Hi all,
Thanks for dropping in. Some interesting green plant started spreading through my tank over the last 1-2 weeks. At first I thought it was HAIR ALGAE but at a closer look, it doesn't seen to possess the same properties. Then I almost identified it as STAGHORN algae - close but I still don't think that's it. Now I'm thinking it's some sort of wild sea weed or related plant. I've researched but can't seem to find any pictures that look exactly like it.
It's mostly growing in bunches on old Conch shells and other calcium built structures in the tank. There is some on the live rock in places but it doesn't seem to thrive there. It seems to be growing on things that are near the bottom of the tank (furthest away from the light source but still "in the light" - hardly any near the mid to top of the tank. It grows very rapidly about 1 inch in 1 week it seems.
My 29 gallon Biocube was established about a month ago and seemed to be fully cycled from the beginning. Tested levels every day and everything has been at ZERO from day 1. I started the tank w/27 lbs of fully cured live rock & 20lbs live sand. I have a small cleanup crew + 1 clown fish. All are thriving very well. SG: 1.025, pH: 8.2-8.4, Stock Lights run 10-12hrs/day, Bag of Chemi-Pure, no bioballs, Temp: 78-80, running an extra Power head to increase current flow, water changes... etc.
I had a brown diatom algae bloom after the first week that died down and was controlled well by my snails. Tank is crystal clear and everyone is happy. I just want to know if this green plant thing is a bad thing or a good thing. It doesn't seem to be a problem now and adds a nice natural look. It doesn't seem to be spreading or taking over the tank at the moment.
I tried my best with the photos... hope you can see the detail in the plant as it is very small but tends to grow high and branch off. It's very thin unlike thick hair algae.

Thanks in advance for helping to identify it!

 

[cranberry]

Byropsis

 

[shrimpi]

+1
pluck it out of your tank and take the rock out if possible and scrub it under freshwater or something.
Bryopsis is a terribly invasive algae that takes over. Its actually kinda cute in my opinion... until it takes over the coral.
Eradicate it before you are sorry.
Good Luck
Jess

 

[mdk]

I'm not sure this is Byropsis. It's difficult to find close-up photos of this form of algae to compare mine to. Byropsis appears to have a much thicker stem and a much darker green color. At least according to internet photos I've found like this one:

The stuff in my tank does not appear to be growing thicker, just staying super thin and getting longer but none of it appears to be more than an inch in length as of now. Keep in mind, my photos are taken about an inch from the subject with a macro lens.
Any other ideas? or even more photos of Byropsis that match my photos??

 

[snakeblitz33]

Could be Batophora oerstedi

I'm not sure though. Lets wait for some other opinions.

 

[snakeblitz33]

If it breaks out into little bitty "foxtail" (freshwater plant type) and matures, this is what it is.
It could though be the beginnings of bryopsis. Regardless of what it really is, you should take it out and brush that rock off in freshwater or else it will take over everything. Then we can figure out what it is later. lol!

 

[mdk]

I did a partial water change yesterday and in the process brushed off some rock and conch shells in the tank where this plant was growing the most. However, I brushed it off in a bucket of the aquarium water I took out for the water change. I thought putting your live rock in fresh water would kill off all the good de-nitrifying bateria on it?
Obviously brushing it off in sea water will not kill the plant but I was able to remove about 90% of the growing stuff on it for the time being. This way I can monitor how fast it grows back too and see how much of a threat it becomes.
Thanks for the replies. I wish it was easier to exactly identify what it is. I just have to come to terms that it's some sort of green plant that grows pretty fast and will probably take over the tank if I don't take some kind of action. Oh well...

 

[spanko]

You would do well to listen to Cranberry here me thinks. This is another picture of mature byropsis, as you can see yours will, if unchecked, grow to look like this.

And you are correct, come to terms with whatever it is being a fast growing invasive species that must be controlled by limiting the nutrient available to it and manual removal of it.

 

[snakeblitz33]

Yeah, it definately looks like it could be bryopsis once it matures.
I would go ahead and nuke that rock in freshwater. You would be saving yourself a lot of time and hearache.

 

[oceanlover]

Cranberry really knows the hitchhikers and such. I would trust her answer. She said it as a definite answer. She didn't say "it might be."