Unknown Hitchhiker on live rock, help!

[epicmeatwad]

Just another unknown live rock hitchiker thread, i've had this cured live rock in my tank for a week now and noticed a new organism on it, it looks like an egg of some sort, however I only have a single clownfish in my tank and the other hitchhikers are bristleworks, (the good kind) here's a picture, if anyone has ideas as to what this is, or if it's a pest please let me know!

 

[bang guy]

Bubble Algae. It can become invasive if not controlled.

 

[meowzer]

YUP....take care not to break it.....if you are able to....try to wiggle it free from the rock and remove it......small ones you can usually wriggle free and suck up wit ha baster.....larger ones you have to catch....LOL

 

[epicmeatwad]

Thanks, i'll get rid of it right away.

 

[flower]

LOL...I love bubble algae, they look like emerald marbles. I have never had it become invasive, it grows in clusters and is super easy to remove. I know most folks don't like it, it is however a macroalgae. Macros remove nitrates and phosphates from the water. It uses it to grow, and when you remove the stuff that overgrows, you export the nitrates and phosphates out of the system.
If you don't want the bubble algae, you should look into the more attractive varieties. Golf Coast Ecosystems carry some really pretty stuff. I don't recommend macros in a reef since it gets on everything. However in a regular SW tank with fish, macros not only help keep the water pristine, it adds color.

 

[saxman]

Valonia has a different "look" to it when the daughter cells are "ripe", and that's when you don't want to break them. After all, if you have fish or critters that eat them, they get broken anyhow. Of course, it's easier to remove them "whole", or if you don't know how to recognize the "look" so it's best not to break them.

 

[tthemadd1]

I saw get rid of it. Years into a tank they will spread. But I really mean years