Live Rock hitchhiker

Hi there - long time lurker as we were learning and setting up - now it's time for a quick question! We've had LR in my daughter's new tank for 10 days now and there are 5 or 6 of these little green things...I'm hoping an algae. We've already plucked off several hyroids (1/2 inch tall feather shaped), so I'm hoping this isn't another type.

They are about 1/4 inch tall - single stalk with branches - shaped like a bottle brush? The branches appear to be fairly stiff. Nothing contracts or changes with lighting or approach. ...and no, I haven't touched it to see if it stings! They are bright green.

Thank you! I'll head over in a bit to introduce the tank in a separate thread.

 

It looks to me like some sort of algae, but I'm not sure what kind.

 

Welcome to 3reef.
Definitely looks like an algae, but i have no idea what species.

 

Algae is fine. I'd be very happy with algae. I'm a little skittish just coming off of a hydroid id.

Here's another pic for you of another hitchhiker. Have a few of these. (This pic came from my HTC Eris Droid! I'm impressed - compared to how much trouble I had with my regular camera and the other pictures!). This little creature is not quite 1/4 inch. Opaque would be the best color description...kind of milky white. Can I assume this is harmless?

Thanks so much with the help. I'm a researcher by nature and will drive myself crazy scouring the internet.

 

Great pic, looks like it is safe, don't know what it is.

 

They are all harmless until you catch them eating something you spent $80 on. ;-) Seriously though, it looks harmless to me.

Welcome to 3reef. You're on the right track already with all the research. If you aren't sure about something, and nobody on here can help, the best bet is to just monitor it closely and watch for signs of it being either dangerous ( ie. eating expensive things), or a nuisance (ie. reproducing like crazy and becoming an eyesore).

I had a few really cool things start to grow on my LR at first, but many of them vanished or were eaten by my clean up crew as my tank matured.

Cheers.

 

Look something like this? If so, it could be caterpillar weed (another name is spindle weed). I have lots of them and they are harmless. Actually means you have a good amount of calcium in your water.