What kinda of shrooms are these, and what is this other thing?

[onyx_slammed]

Hey guys,

can anyone give me a name of these mushrooms growing all over my LR? Just wanted to read up on them but I am not sure what they are.

Also in the second picture, what is the purply branch look thing growing?? Coral!!

Sorry, just an excited newbie

[Mugster]

The second pic is Grape Caulerpa.



Caulerpa is a fast growing attractive algae of which there are many variations with leaves that look like ferns, grapes, etc. Not surprisingly, the different types are named after the look of their leaves. All grow rapidly by sending out runners which are held in place by root like holdfasts.

Caulerpa is generally considered good when it stays where it is suppose too, but it can easily become a weed that can be difficult to eradicate in the reef tank. If you introduce Caulerpa into your main tank, either on purpose or accident, keep a close eye on it and prune heavily to keep it in check.

Having Caulerpa growing in the reef tank was once considered a sign of success. Today, it is more often considered a sign of trouble as the Caulerpa can quickly spread and become a weed. Caulerpa is usually not kept in the display tank anymore unless a lagoon tank is the primary focus. Most Caulerpa is maintained in filters or refugia where it can be confined. When part of it is harvested from the these systems, it is acting as a nutrient export mechanism. In other words, the nitrates and other compounds the algae absorbs as it grows is removed from the system when a portion of the algae is removed.

Some species, especially Grape C. can go sexual and disintegrate overnight adding substantial biological load to the tank. This can be minimized by heavy pruning which seems to retard this tendency. There is also some evidence that keeping the lighting on 24/7 will prevent this from happening. This is obviously only an option when the algae is housed in a refugia or sump. Herbivorous fish like tangs will sometimes help to keep the Caulerpa in check.

Caulerpa growth seems to be best under medium to high intensity, low color temperature lighting. It will even grow vigorously under normal incandescent lighting.


:poke:

[onyx_slammed]

Hey Mugster, thanks for the reply! I know the green stuff is grape caulepra but what is the whiteish purply thing growing? It is dead centre of the 2nd picture.

[Mugster]

Hey Mugster, thanks! I know the green stuff is grape caulepra but what is the whiteish purply thing growing? It is dead centre of the 2nd picture.



Oh OK. It's hard to tell from that pic but it sort of resembles Xenia or a Colt or Kenya Tree coral. Does it pulse or just sway with the current?



:confused1

[onyx_slammed]

It looks to be swaying slightly in current

[phases]

Those mushrooms look like actinodiscus sp. to me.

[reefer madness]

Those mushrooms look like actinodiscus sp. to me.

:iagree: and the 2nd pic looks like xenia when I blow that up. Can you zoom in closer or crop the original pic (which is usually larger than the uploaded version) before you upload it. I's pretty small to make an ID from that pic.

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l102/garyebrown/IMG_9483-edited.jpg

You likely want to eradicate that caulerpa before it spreads too far.

[onyx_slammed]

reefer madness, thanks, I'll try to get in closer to that "xenia" looking thing.

Question, any special technique to prune those caulpera, or just rip some out?