holy smokes look at the bubble algae!

[bprewit]

I have some in my tank but just here and there and the emerald crabs seem to enjoy munching on it. Not a bad infestation by any means and really not much algae in my tank period except for coralline but tonight I reached into my overflow and man its way full of this stuff! Time to pull the canopy and clean the overflow I do believe.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v358/bprewit/critter001.jpg

[lachrimae]

Is that not Grape Caulerpa? Not to question you but how did you pull out so many smaller than usual bubble algae one at a time?

[GaryP]

That type of bubble algae grows in a clump. There are actually 7 different species of bubble algae. They are all a little different.

[Jynxgirl]

Ok, well... is there a link I can go to look at the different kinds of bubble algae.. mine are white and look likes a glass hosue with room dividers in it, for lack of a better explanation. I could be wrong and it coudl be something else I guess. I would have assumed that was the algae that I buy at the LFS that had just gotten loose and started to grow. :o It would have overgrown everything and I would have been happy!

Jill

[GaryP]

That doesn't sound like bubble algae. The bubbles don't have "dividers." There is a species of bubble algae that is cigar shaped, but again, it has no dividers.

I did find the possible species name for the original post. Valonia aegagropila. Sometimes its hard to ID these things from a pic. Sometimes you have to look at it under a scope to see how they are arranged.

http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/reefalgae/What%20plants%20look%20like/Plants%20Valonia%20aegagropila.htm