I walked in one morning & found these pearl like objects attached to one strand of this plant (reminded me of a green tumbleweed in the store) that I purchased a few months prior. They were quite pretty.... pearlized/metallic looking ranging from goldish to purple. I phoned the pet store to ask & was told by a lady that it might be some kind of algae & if the balls burst they would be all over my tank.... I broke off the piece of plant at the bottom and quickly stuck it in a ziplock filled with water. She must have been right because they disappeared not long after I closed the ziplock. Had planned to take it to the pet store for final id but no reason to then.... I couldn't see any evidence they had ever exisited.... was very glad to have taken these pics. Thanks
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- Thread starter weagle117
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I walked in one morning & found these pearl like objects attached to one strand of this plant (reminded me of a green tumbleweed in the store) that I purchased a few months prior. They were quite pretty.... pearlized/metallic looking ranging from goldish to purple. I phoned the pet store to ask & was told by a lady that it might be some kind of algae & if the balls burst they would be all over my tank.... I broke off the piece of plant at the bottom and quickly stuck it in a ziplock filled with water. She must have been right because they disappeared not long after I closed the ziplock. Had planned to take it to the pet store for final id but no reason to then.... I couldn't see any evidence they had ever exisited.... was very glad to have taken these pics. Thanks
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rdnelson99
Aquarium Advice Addict
Not certain but it looks like bubble algae. If that is the case and it shows up in the tank again you will want to get rid of it quickly. There a couple ways of doing it but IMO the best is with an emerald crab. They love the stuff and will eat it without letting it spread. At least that is what I did. 
ccCapt
SW 20 & Over Club
Looks like dinoflagellates. Definitely not bubble algae (valonia.sp).
Problem Dinoflagellates and pH by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com
Problem Dinoflagellates and pH by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com
Thanks
Thanks for your replies. I'm hoping it was the bubble algae since it sounds a bit less ominous than the other possibility. It did only attach to the one strand of plant... none on the aquarium walls or heater, etc. It did not appear slimy or gooey. Being from near Mobile, I thought it looked alot like Mardi Gras beads It has not shown up since & hopefully will not, since neither option sounds like something I want in my tank. Thanks for your help.
Thanks for your replies. I'm hoping it was the bubble algae since it sounds a bit less ominous than the other possibility. It did only attach to the one strand of plant... none on the aquarium walls or heater, etc. It did not appear slimy or gooey. Being from near Mobile, I thought it looked alot like Mardi Gras beads
It has not shown up since & hopefully will not, since neither option sounds like something I want in my tank. Thanks for your help.
rdnelson99
Aquarium Advice Addict
If I were you I would trust ccCapt a whole lot more than you would me. LOL I am a newbie and he has never given bad advice that I have seen.
