Cool plant/algae ID plz

[Glove]

This poped out of a piece of LR. I did think it was going to be something that took over my tank so I let it grow.
Its brownish, rubbery but snaps at the stem.
It broke off an has been traveling around doing fine and growing.
Reminds me of a Venus flytrap plant.
Anyone know what it be :confused:
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n186/Glove_03/MVC-675X.jpg

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n186/Glove_03/MVC-674X.jpg

[Samala]

At first glance it looks like it could be Caulerpa brachypus but I'm really not sure from these photos. Does it grow on a long stem, a rhizome? Does it holdfast to things? How big is the urchin in the photos? The Caulerpa I have in mind is a pretty minute little plant.

I like it though.

>Sarah

[graveyardworm]

Could it also be a type of sargassum?

Here's a pic of C. Brachypus (http://saltcorner.com/sections/guest/algaepage/Green/caulerpa/Cbrachypus.htm)

[Samala]

It does look rather like a Caulerpa x. Sargassum hybrid.

>Sarah

[graveyardworm]

Now your just trying to humor me :), I think it looks more like the Caulerpa personally.

[Glove]

I would think* because the way the tips of the leaves are 'split' - this would be an easy ID. (should have said that in the first post)
I understand my pics really arent too clear, probably because I am working with an old Sony MVC FD91= less than 1mp (uses a 3.5 floppy for memory)
anyway ... I found the roaming algae with some better light and within focus. I am trying to show the stem, the leaves and the little bubble buds than appear to be new growth between the blades of the leaves. I also notice a 'warty' bump type texture of the leaves.

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n186/Glove_03/MVC-695X.jpg

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n186/Glove_03/MVC-696X.jpg

[Glove]

Sarah- the urchin is about the size of a lime. The plant / algae has as stem and the blades shoot off from that. I do not notice any root system, I think thats why it broke off- wasnt much connecting to the rock. The tips of the leaves are split and they seem to form new segments from each. The leaves also have the little stem in the center of the blade, like a typical plant.
Sorry I am not more fluent with the terms of the parts of a plant.

Dave- I dont think its the stuff in the link, close, maybe, I dont know.
This thing feels just like a leather coral. Slimy, a bit thicker than a normal leaf too.
Anything else that will help?

[bluenassarius]

looks like sargassum sp. to me.... that urchin is going to trim it down for ya :D

[Glove]

If it is sargassum sp. and the urchin is eating it- the stuff is growing faster than the urchin can eat. The urchin has had it on its back for about 4 weeks and the algae/plant is getting bigger.

[bluenassarius]

is that a tuxedo urchin?

[Samala]

Very interesting. Thats the first I've seen of it. It definitely resembles Sargassum more than say Caulerpa. The color is throwing me some, it stills seems very green for typically brown Sargassum species. I'm going to hunt my books.

Perhaps Kmk is still out there and can assist. :)

>Sarah

[Glove]

bluenassarius- I assume this urchin is a pincushion urchin
(Lytechinus vaniegatus)- accordng to comparison. It prefers to eat my coraline algae second only to the molts from the cleaner shrimp but it will eat through some hair algae in order to get to the coraline.

Samala/sarah- I have not seen anything like it in a tank or on a dive.

The rock this algea/plant came from was a wild paly colony of 'people eater' type polyps and what look to be some form of purple soft coral (cloves?)- these sorta just appeared a few days after being in my tank. Hitch-hiker coral
looks a lot like this...
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n186/Glove_03/MVC-699X.jpg

I chipped it off so the pallys dont overgrow the purple polyps.
(I could use an Id on those too :lol: )

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n186/Glove_03/MVC-698X.jpg

I had this rock in 7 gallon nano for QT due to being fresh outa the sea, infested with zoa nudys, a pistol shrimp (just a glimse and lots of clicking, no visual coloring), a cucumber (brown- stays outs the sand), one sprig of a leaf of the aglae/plant in discussion and a small cluster of mysid (?) shrimps :rollface:
and pods...
I never had so much life from one rock. It wasnt even very big.
Maybe somoe of the other stuff on the rock can help in the ID.

The seller did not know where the corals came from (or wouldnt tell me)

[Glove]

Ok so I was bored and started to dig into the old pics. This is how the rock arrived. If you look to the right side you might be able to make out the leaves of the algae.
You can see the purple polyps in the bottom center of the rock. I forgot about the green speggetti algae thats there too( Cladophoropsis sp.?) Thats some cool stuff but its getting over ran by some red calcareous (right word?) type algae (Mesophyllum mesomorphum?). The zoa polyps are getting covered too. I never knew red coraline to choke a coral the way this stuff does.

lol.. there is another thing growing on this too. It really looks like Halimeda opuntia - but it keeps getting eaten by something when it gets a few 'pedals' going. I have one in some sand to see if it will take off.

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n186/Glove_03/PEpallyrock.jpg

[Glove]

BTW graveyardworm, thats and awsome link "saltcorner" - for algae ID help.
I knew there were more than one Halimeda, I never seen much difference.
I also started to question the urchin too. I see a couple purple urchins on that page that look a lot like mine. I do not see what I thought was Lytechinus vaniegatus- maybe its just not listed there or foster and smith are mis-spelling it.
Thnks
* I will try to keep this about the algae. :rolleye1:

[Glove]

http://www.saltcorner.com/sections/zoo/inverts/echinoderms/urchins/Mglobulus.jpg
Blue tux urchin- id love to have several small ones :D
http://www.saltcorner.com/sections/zoo/inverts/echinoderms/urchins/Lvariegatus.jpg
is what I think I have
or possibly even this...

http://www.saltcorner.com/sections/zoo/inverts/echinoderms/urchins/Spurpuratus.jpg

Ok. I'll stop with the urchins.

[graveyardworm]

BTW graveyardworm, thats and awsome link "saltcorner" - for algae ID help.

Go to the bottom of the algae list and check out the fish or inverts, click on one and go to the bottom of that you'll find lots of id stuff with decent descriptions.

[Glove]

It looks just like the one in the slideshow of algae on the homepage-
Sargassum hystrix - Sargassum weed.o Photo courtesy of Marc Levenson (melev).

Gues I just needed a good cmparison picture.
Thnx Samala, bluenassarius, and graveyardworm.

A couple frags or 'starts' are available if you would like a piece.

[bluenassarius]

lol, didn't notice the macro is on the urchin's back. that is soo fricking cool! :D did the macro start growing on its back or was it transplanted there by him?

i have some sargassum growing in a prop tank... for some reason i noticed growth but not as much... after inspecting the macro.. i found a few urchins that look similar to yours eating em. ;)

[Glove]

The stuff popped out of a rock and was getting really tall for my nano- I think a pistol shrimp is the real reason it was broken. I first tried to stick the stuff in the sand then I tried to wedge it into a rock. Both times I found the same urchin carrying it, so I let it be.