What is the red??

[Airgoose2222]

Doesn't look like any mushroom I've seen... After weeks of looking periodically. Any help would be great! Thank you!!

 

[Airgoose2222]

Probably not a mushroom. It is hard to the touch.

 

[Airgoose2222]

Once I touched and found out it's hard, not soft, it turns out it's some sort of plate-like coral. No information on the web that I've found with that coloration yet though. Pretty cool!!!

 

[Freshnoob1]

I dont think its a coral. It looks kind of like an encrusting algae like coraline. It has the same the color as cyano but I'm pretty sure cyano is soft.
That's really weird looking. Look up red encrusting coralline algae.
Did you get the rock for someone else or did it just start appearing out of nowhere?

 

[Airgoose2222]

I picked it up at a LFS. Mainly wanted the mushrooms, but the red was awesome. They've never seen anything like it either and not sure what it was. It's growing like crazy though. It's pretty cool and hope it continues to spread. I looked up coralline algae and don't see anything like it, that's why I thought it may be some sort of coral. I don't know???

 

[Airgoose2222]

Just thought I'd add that the white specs are bits of sand. Darn wrasse keeps stirring it up.

 

[Ricksreef]

Look up Homotrema rubrum.

 

[mr_X]

Heydrichia woelkerlingii
Heydrichia woelkerlingii is the thickest and subsequently the dominant crust.

It's a type of coralline.

 

[Gregcoyote]

Heydrichia woelkerlingii
Heydrichia woelkerlingii is the thickest and subsequently the dominant crust.

It's a type of coralline.

I have this growing too, and yes, it's coralline. Pretty isn't it? You see this growing on native reefs all over the world.

 

[Airgoose2222]

Cool!! Thank you everyone for responding and providing info. It's spreading to my other rocks quickly. I like the way it looks so far. I never would've guessed coralline until it was mentioned. To have a while tank of this would be amazing!!