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Slime and eggs at Alki Cove II

Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2015 4:50 pm
by carlk3
Anybody know what this slime is from? It's on a fiberglass box at Alki Cove II.
FiberSlime.jpg
We saw these Styrofoam-like eggs (?I assume) in the end of a log/pier. What creature might have laid them?
Foam2.jpg
These are pictures from this morning.

Thanks!
Carl

Re: Slime and eggs at Alki Cove II

Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2015 5:02 pm
by Jan K
Lingcod egg mass.

Re: Slime and eggs at Alki Cove II

Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2015 5:14 pm
by carlk3
Jan K wrote:Lingcod egg mass.
Thanks! I've never seen a lingcod there, but we saw two egg masses this morning.

I'm wondering if the slime is some creature's glue and it just doesn't stick well to fiberglass.

- Carl

Re: Slime and eggs at Alki Cove II

Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2015 9:15 pm
by YellowEye
Hi Carl
Here's a pic of the same box I took on 3/12, it was mostly pink/purple at the time, which I believe is an encrusting algae. When you say slime, are you referring to the green(er) stuff?
DSC_8269.jpg

Re: Slime and eggs at Alki Cove II

Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2015 8:37 am
by carlk3
YellowEye,

Thanks for the clarifying question. I'm mostly curious about the pink/purple stuff. From Internet searching (that mostly hit swimming pool forums), I wonder if it is "pink algae", which is actually a bacteria (perhaps even a cyanobacteria). I find it interesting that it grows so conspicuously on fiberglass. I wonder if that's because other things can't hold on as well.

- Carl

Re: Slime and eggs at Alki Cove II

Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2015 8:56 am
by LCF
I have always thought that it was coralline algae -- at least it's the same color as what you find extensively on rocky surfaces in this area.

Re: Slime and eggs at Alki Cove II

Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2015 9:38 am
by carlk3
LCF wrote:I have always thought that it was coralline algae
Thanks! Looking it up (Bing: 'coralline algrae encrusting'), I'm sure that's right.

The articles talk about its ecological importance. More people want to grow it (mostly in salt water aquariums) than want to remove it. (I hope I didn't hurt its feeling by calling it 'slime'.)

- Carl