What is this green fluffy stuff?

[Liquidsky]

Can anyone tell me what the green fluffy stuff growing on top of the cholla wood is? It used to be pearl moss. The shrimp love picking through it.

[DaveO]

I don't know what it is, but it looks real nice. Maybe just pearl moss doing really well?

[jwcarlson]

Looks a lot like this stuff.  I rolled it into a ball.  Some sort of algae (marimo maybe?), I really like it though.  It's got good structure and as you say, the shrimp do seem to love it.

[Liquidsky]

Thank you for the replies @DaveO and@jwcarlson. Both these explanations had crossed my mind. I was a little afraid that it is hair algae. I've had hair algae destroy some of my plants before.

[jwcarlson]

On 3/29/2023 at 1:16 PM, Liquidsky said:

Thank you for the replies @DaveO and@jwcarlson. Both these explanations had crossed my mind. I was a little afraid that it is hair algae. I've had hair algae destroy some of my plants before.

I don't think it's hair algae, unless marimo is a type of hair algae.  I actually like this type, it has good structure and is not anywhere near as invastive as hair algae.  I will say that some of it has kind of overtaken my java moss.  But that's because I struggle mightily with plants in the tank to begin with.  I like the way it looks on your wood there, very natural, IMO!

[Liquidsky]

@jwcarlson Thanks. I really like it too. I'm just not used to liking the kinds of algae that just show up in my tank lol.

[nabokovfan87]

@knee had mentioned the name in a different thread, I'm trying to recall it.

Cladophora algae maybe?