Hitchhiker ID Needed - Short Video

[Beverly]

We have this red blob thing growing from one of our rocks. It appeared on the rock a couple of months after we moved it from our 37g to our 120g. Don't know why it didn't grow in the 37g.

Anyway, the blob is getting bigger. The blob brushes up against a devil's hand, but does not sting it. Any ideas of what kind of animal this is?

Hitchhiker Red Blob, October 11, 2006
(320 x 240 pixels, 3.9 MB, :50 minutes)

[christyf5]

Neato! I have no idea what it is. I could have done without the music though

[Joe Reefer]

I have no idea, my guess is that its cotton candy algae but I could be completly wrong.

[Reef_kid]

in my studies i have grown and seen a number of large types of ocean cycanobacteria that form a gelly like colonies...
if you can get part of it under a microscope it would be really cool

[Beverly]

Dang. No microscope available.

Tell me more about the cyano jelly stuff, if you can. Pics would be great.

The thing in my tank reminds me of some kind of anemone, if that helps. If you look closely at the video, you can see it is not one big blob, but has nodules. There appears to be air bubbles inside the nodules, though I don't think they are apparent in the video.

[anglfish]

this might be a bit off topic but.... kinda looked like a balet dance you were doing with your finger and the blob...

soooo pretty

[Beverly]

Made another video of the blob today. This time a piece of it broke off. A clip of the piece of blob is at the end of the video....

Red Blob Hitchhiker - Part II

Maybe someone can offer a better ID after seeing the blob frag

[christyf5]

Ok here's my guess:

Predaea weldii



P. weldii is found in subtidal habitats, where it grows between the branches of corals, reaching a length of 5 cm. It is extremely soft and gooey, turning into a shapeless blob when out of the water. Although not usually abundant, this seaweed is quickly noticed because the tips of its branches are fluorescent red.

from: http://www.coralreefnetwork.com/marlife/stepath/rhodophyta2.html


Also see: http://seaslug.info/display.cfm?id=8479

[Beverly]

Christy,

Someone on another board suggested Predaea weldii, too. After Googling it, I found the exact pic and quote you just posted

Don't think that's what my blob is, though. It doesn't have fluorescent tips either in full MH plus actinic, or in actinic only lighting. The frag retained its shape when removed from the tank for about a minute while I got a bowl and some tankwater to put it in. At the time of this writing, the frag had been in the bowl of tankwater on a cold window sill for the last 3 hours and it's still rataining its shape. 15 minutes ago, I drained the water. Just checked it and it's still got its shape.

This thing has not stung me through all the handling both in and out of the tank. It hasn't moved from the rock since we first started noticing it about 4-6 weeks ago, when I thought it was a small mushroom. It does not retract when touched, nor does it retract at night. Doesn't get bigger at night, either.

In the first video, you can better see the bubbles inside the blob's polyp-y things. It seems to be more animal than vegetable, but now having accidentally fragged it, I'm not sure it's even animal anymore.

I'm stumped!

[Veng68]

send a picture of it to one of the magazine or Dr Ron.

CHeers,
Vic [veng68]