Id please

[sponge]

Friends,
I have found a large shinny black orb on my live rock, I saw it there when I first purchased it but it was very small, like a pebble, and the LFS person told me that it was just glue from where they tried to put a piece of coral on it.
I was cleaning the tank recently and saw the same shinny black orb on the rock only now it has grown to slightly smaller than a golf ball. It is soft to the touch but slick and very hard to indent upon. My son says it looks like a wizards crystal ball only black. Any ideas would be nice.
~CJ

 

[thomas712]

Are you sure its not bubble algae, like a dark emerald green maybe?

 

[sponge]

It is not like any kind of algea that I have ever seen, It is hard and there is only one Bubble.

 

[clarkiiboi]

Does it look like this pic of bubble algea? It can vary in color from green to a dark emerald to blackish. If so, count yourself lucky that there is only one, it can become a problem.

 

[vibe]

yes, if you keep it it can multiply. not very harmful but its bubble algea none the less. you could probably just pop it with your finger . hope this helps

 

[clarkiiboi]

Originally posted by vibe
yes, if you keep it it can multiply. not very harmful but its bubble algea none the less. you could probably just pop it with your finger . hope this helps
ABSOLUTELY DO NOT POP IT IF IT IS BUBBLE ALGEA! If it is bubble algea, popping it will cause the spores to release and then you will have a bigger problems.

 

[vibe]

....tell me how emerald crabs eat it then? they obviouslt break it open.... and btw, it was a joke

 

[vibe]

you could take the rock out of the tank and remove it. then wash it off.

 

[clarkiiboi]

Joke or not, a newbie like 'sponge' may not of seen it that way (I didn't either). I just wanted to clarify. I don't know how emeralds can do what they do and get away with it, but it seems they must keep up with the situation somehow. I just didn't want 'sponge' to go and pop a single bubble that is still unconfirmed by them (even though we think it's bubble algea) and have many more spread.

 

[vibe]

bubble algea is not that big of a problem. IMO.

 

[herp_house]

are you shure its not just a sponge of some sort?

 

[vibe]

still looks like buuble algea, no big deal.

 

[sponge]

Yep, that is it in the pict but it is blackish, I do have 3 emeralds in the tank though and they do not seem to be interested in it.

 

[sponge]

How would I go about removing this algea? I do not wantg it to spread.

 

[herp_house]

toremove it just take the rock out and scrape/pop it then rinse it off and return it to your tank.