Green Stalks of ??????

[Dsnod]

I have a relatively new tank, being only about 5 months old. So it's still in the growth stage. But over the last month, these strange green stalks began popping up. I had a relatively bad green hair outbreak, but it has recently came under control. I don't know if these are some type of algae related to the green hair, or, if they are, as their appearance suggests, some type of sponge. Though I am definitely no expert. I could ID all of the other critters online that have come about in my tank, but could find nothing on these guys. I have a few that grow solo and another group of about 7 or 8 of them together. Any input would help.

 

[Mitchell0605]

Most likely they are some kind of macro algae, which is totally harmless. It's actually benificial, as it pulls nitrates and phosphates from your tank.

 

[Dsnod]

In that case, I hope they are macroalgae. If they pull nitrates and phosphates out then that would help with the green hair problems I've had. And they're not exactly bad to look at. I think I looked at every single picture of macroalgae on the web, and the only likeness I've found was another guy saying that he did not know what it was either. Thanks for the input!

 

[Mitchell0605]

No probs. Happy to help.

 

[thincat]

It might be some sort of sponge.

 

[Mitchell0605]

Oh good thought TC. I should've thought of that.

 

[thincat]

I had a pure white form in my tank and that's what Kurt (i think it was him) came up with and that hit the nail on the head. If it is a sponge, watch out that it don't smother your corals. If they do infringe on your corals they can be plucked out and removed from the tank. If not, they are good filter feeders.

 

[Innovator]

It is Neomeris sp., a type of macroalgae.

 

[Dsnod]

Now that you've given me the name Neomeris, I found many pictures. I'm not sure if it is Neomeris sp. or Neomeris annulata. Either way, thanks for the id!!

 

[roka64]

It's a caterpillar algae. Sorry I can't remember the scientific name, but James probably has it right. It's an invasive algae that is hard to get rid of. There are no know predators of it since the green part is very distasteful to fish and inverts. The best way to keep it in check (at least in my tank) is water changes.