Macroalgae ID

[elfdoctors]

I found this macroalgae in my tank about 6 months ago. I have only added corals over the last 18 months. I upgraded to metal halides about 11 months ago. It has been growing slowly (approximately doubling in the last 6 months).
This is the best picture I could get. The plant has fairly soft leaves when I touch it. I was surprised to see this growing because I have lots of herbivores in my tank including a blue tang, a yellow tang, a lawnmower blenny and many snails and crabs.
Any help related to the identity and the care of this plant would be appreciated.

 

[thomas712]

Hey doc

Hard to tell from the pic but do the leaves look red and like this?

 

[elfdoctors]

Originally Posted by Thomas712
Hey doc

Hard to tell from the pic but do the leaves look red and like this?
Nope - the color is close to real life. It has a diffusely brownish color which is darker underneath. The leaves are all ruffled and deeply serrated (which was part of the reason it was hard to get in focus --- besides the fact that I am a lousy photographer).

 

[thomas712]

OK I'll go for strike two here.

 

[elfdoctors]

These leaves are definitely not flat. Every leaflet is prominently ruffled and seems folded around the petiole.
Thanks for trying Thomas!
Where are you getting these pictures? I might be able to find something myself if I could be directed to a resource (if you are allowed to post links

). Alternatively, I might be able to sacrifice a leaflet to try to get a better picture, if that would help.

 

[thomas712]

Well I tried blowing the pic up to 800x462 and I really can't see it any better, but I do seem to see them around what looks like a rather larger stalk. But too hard to tell for me.

 

[fisherson]

it looks like a dying flame coral...not sure about the real name (or if it's really that) but there's one at my LFS that's dying and looks like that...

 

[thomas712]

You mean carnation coral :notsure: ?

 

[schneidts]

Hey ElfDoc,
Glad to see you're still around. I think that your algae is a Galaxaura sp. Let me see if I can't find a photo of one...

 

[fisherson]

what i was thinking of is a hard coral. It supposedly burns when you touch it and it requires no light. it looks exactly like the pic there...atleast when it's dying.. But if what's in his pic isn't hard then that's obviously not what it is