Can anyone ID this? Eggs/larvae

[tholleyh46]

Well,

I lost an acro today and got to looking around; the rest look fine but another has these all over it. I'm googling to no avail - if you have an idea I'd be glad to hear it. I only have pairs of damsels/peppermint shrimp/chromis - and so far this appears to be none of the above; but I may be way off base in what it is.

Thanks!

[charlesr1958]

Its an algae, commonly called "bubble algae".

Chuck

[tholleyh46]

Thanks - trying to figure out the specifics of how I got it, what it feeds on, and whether I should remove it, etc. Never had this before.

[tholleyh46]

It appeared to only be on that one frag plug, so I pulled it out and scraped it off. Hopefully, I didn't kill another acro.

Thanks again!

[tholleyh46]

Can reef epoxy kill corals? I'm trying to figure out how I lost my acro and my montiporas near it have 'dead spots' on them as well. I generally don't use the epoxy, althouh I have a stick, but got tired of the snails knocking everything over and used some the other day. Trying to piece together if maybe that's related. Additionally, if an acro sheds its skin - is there any chance of it growing back - or should I just chuck out the skeleton. This particular type of acro I had four of, and lost them all. Sad to say they were one of my favorites; Acropora Suharsonoi or Lokani, they were very similar (had two of each). All of the other types I have all are doing well. This is what's left of this one.

[Ninong]

Well,

I lost an acro today and got to looking around; the rest look fine but another has these all over it. I'm googling to no avail - if you have an idea I'd be glad to hear it. I only have pairs of damsels/peppermint shrimp/chromis - and so far this appears to be none of the above; but I may be way off base in what it is.

Thanks!

Its an algae, commonly called "bubble algae".

Chuck

As Chuck has already point out, it's bubble algae (Ventricaria ventricosa, formerly called Valonia ventricosa). This is a nuisance alga that should be removed, carefully. Gently twist the thallus (the bubble) with your fingers to loosen the holdfasts from the rock and remove from the aquarium. Try to do this without breaking the bubble. Mature bubbles (meaning larger ones) contain spores that will spread through the tank resulting in more bubble algae. Photo of Ventricaria ventricosa

[Ninong]

Can reef epoxy kill corals?

Not usually -- not when used in moderation. If you use too much of it at one time in an aquarium, your skimmer will go nuts. That's usually all that happens.

Additionally, if an acro sheds its skin - is there any chance of it growing back - or should I just chuck out the skeleton.

If the entire skeleton is bare, then it's usually a goner. If a coral begins to loose tissue, you might want to observe it for a couple of days to see if the tissue loss is progressing. In which case, it might be wise to remove the coral from the tank and frag off the good parts to be returned to the tank while discarding the bad parts. That way you might be able to salvage something.