Plant in my Zoanthid colony

[Reef Newb]

I have been trying to get a picture of this plant growing out of my green zoanthid colony but all I have is a camera phone because I dropped my digital camera and have not replaced it yet. So I apologize for not having a picture but I will do my best to describe it.

So I bought this green zoathid colony from an LFS and over the past few weeks I have started to see a plant of some kind growing from it. It does not seem to be hurting any of the zoathids however it grows very fast and has now started growing over some of the rock around the colony.

The plant itself is darker green vines with small round leaves. I would imagin it is some type of macro algae and probably beneficial but is there anything I should be worried about?

[lReef lKeeper]

it SOUNDS like a calurpa racemosa or peltata vine to me. you will want to remove as much as possible from the display tank because it is a VERY invasive species of macro algae.

is this it (about half way down the page) ??

CaulerpaAlg

[Reef Newb]

it doesnt have the little round "grape" looking things. The leaves are small and flat and round. I tried pulling some off of the surrounding rock and it seems to have latched on pretty well.

[Reef Newb]

meant to ask does anything eat this stuff? other than tangs I only have a 29 gallon tank and could not keep one even though I really want one.......

[CarmieJo]

Caulerpa has little holdfasts that it sinks into cracks in the rock, sand or just about anything. I grow it in my fuge. My C. argi eats any that makes it into the display and I expect a lawnmower blenny might as well.

[Reef Newb]

Thanks Carmie, but what is a C. argi? a lawn mower blenny might work i will do some research on them and see if it will work. I tried to pull some out today, what a pain.... guess i should not have let it grow so much oh well gotta learn somehow.

[CarmieJo]

Also called a pygmy angelfish, cute little guys... Saltwater Aquarium Fish for Marine Aquariums: Pygmy (Cherub) Angelfish

Here is a picture of mine.

[Reef Newb]

He is pretty Thanks Carmie, although I think a lawnmower blenny may work better as I would worry the pygmy angel with my corals and two clowns and watchman goby.

[CarmieJo]

They can nip although mine leaves the corals alone. He really got beat up by my sixline when I moved him from QT to the DT but he is fine now.