Valonia macrophysa (Sea Pearl)

Source reeflex.net

QUICK STATS

• Care Level: satisfying
  
• Reef Compatible: Yes, as long as it doesn't grow over Corals
  
• Max. Size: Up to 3cm
  
• Diet: Zooxanthellae / Light
  
• Origin:

This algea can be quite a plague, because it can spread very quickly.
It is often eaten by fish, mostly all doctors, but only if the balls are quite small. Also the Fox Face often eats them, but he needs a certain size aquarium.
Unfortunately it often grows in branches Acroporen which they don't like. It is hard to (completely) remove them, since you should remove them intact. Bursting them will cause spores to distribute through the aquarium.
The statement that it only grows well with good water conditions is believed to be incorrect. Often it does well in worse conditions.

Other links:

No idea what it is yet, but it doesnt look very good.

Its still there and growing

And finally, we have this balloon like algae thing. No idea what it is yet, but it is pretty hard. It is getting bigger and bigger.

Still trying to find out what the balloon shaped algae is, but I think I will remove it before I put the rocks back after the rebuild. I don’t want that which I don’t know what it is or does.

Seems more of this bubble colonies are forming, currently spotted 4 of them. Same goes for those as for the first one, just going to try and remove them.

On one of the forums someone said it might be valonia. I googled it quickly and found on a dutch site that the algae can become a plague if you break the bubbles. Spores will be set free and this can cause explosive growth. It is also said there that the foxface loves to eat these all day long...well...guess our foxface doesn't like it :p

I have updated the first topic with full information on the Valonia macrophysa (Sea Pearl). It has a lot of simularities so I guess this is the one.

All of the colonies have been removed from the rocks as much as possible. Also the spots where they where have been injected with boiling water and flushed in salt water. This to remove any spores that might excist on the rocks. Only couple of rocks remain with some Sea Pearls on them

Think my girlfriend has removed it very well, going to close the topic!

It's back, it came with a couple of corals I bought couple of days ago. Going to find a creature that makes an end to it.

Several Sea Pearls appear now. Going to look for an animal that can contain this threat before it gets out of hand again.