attack of the coraline!

[nero]

ahhhh!!!!!!!!!!! holy god! i came home from class today only to find that my entire sand bed is completly covered in coraline!!! it was fine this morning, but i guess in between the 8 hours i was gone the coraline fairy had a little visit... i have had my lights for only a week and a half (130wt on a 20gal tall) and my tank is only 2 months old. is this normal?
i am constantly cleaning it off of the front glass too. im glad that i didnt listen to the guy at the lfs that was trying to sell me a "coraline fertalizer"... i would be in deep trouble now! haha... oh yeah, the coraline isnt really thick, but its the prettiest color fuschia i have ever seen

 

[viper_930]

You sure it is coralline? I haven't heard of such rapid coralline growths, and I haven't known it to grown on the sand be either. It is probably cyanobacteria, aka red slime algea.

 

[nero]

good god... i must look like a moron. anyways, im sure that it is "red slime algae" after reading a few posts. man, i was so excited too. is this algae harmful in any way? i kind of like it, besides the fact that i am cleaning it a lot.....

 

[cliffrouse11bas]

Means you have too much nutrients in the water. Po4 or nitrates. I would fix those problems and siphon it out if you still have the problem you can try some chemiclean...

 

[nero]

hmm... i have 0 nitrates, so im assuming its the phosphates... i just recently switched over to RODI water so i think that will help too. thanks for the tip/info

 

[tgfrench]

lols wish my coraline would grow that quick

 

[reefraff]

A word to the wise. If you use the red slime remover TURN OFF YOUR SKIMMER! I ran a couple gallons of water out of my tank overnight because i forgot to shut the skimmer off after adding the cleaner. My gallon overflow jug didn't have more than an inch of gunk in the bottom when I went to bed. Woke up to see a trickle of water running across the patio from the house. I spent twenty minutes looking for a tank or plumbing leak before noticing the jug was overflowed.

 

[lionfish12]

ive has this befor also

 

[jenn-e]

someone please tell me if i'm wrong but couldn't the cyano outbreak also be coming from the new lights?

 

[tizzo]

New lights usually cause a diatom outbreak.

 

[tizzo]

Originally posted by Nero
is this algae harmful in any way? i kind of like it, besides the fact that i am cleaning it a lot.....
Cyano in moderation, play important roles in biological systems, providing stability, nitrogen fixation, oxygen and uptake of organic nutrients. Because they are distasteful, few are grazed by higher life forms. Under low light they outgrow algae and form thick, slimy, sheets, especially when the Phosphate to nitrate ratio is higher than normal.
Their benefits are offset by secretion of cyanotoxins that stress or kill other aquatic life.

 

[nero]

wow, i turned my lights off for a day and a half and what a difference! i have slowly been leaving them on for longer and longer and still only have minimal red cyano. its funny that this happened because my nitrates are at 0 ppm... maybe my phosphate is high or something, i should probably check that too. i added my last piece of live rock today, my tank is looking better and better as the months go by. i am so excited for the 6 month mark when i can get an anenome or a coral i was so tempted to get a polyp rock this weekend, but i had to stop myself... so i got a feather duster instead thanks all for the good advice, and thank you tizzo for the great descriptions

 

[sw65galma]

Originally posted by Nero
wow, i turned my lights off for a day and a half and what a difference! i have slowly been leaving them on for longer and longer and still only have minimal red cyano. its funny that this happened because my nitrates are at 0 ppm... maybe my phosphate is high or something, i should probably check that too. i added my last piece of live rock today, my tank is looking better and better as the months go by. i am so excited for the 6 month mark when i can get an anenome or a coral i was so tempted to get a polyp rock this weekend, but i had to stop myself... so i got a feather duster instead thanks all for the good advice, and thank you tizzo for the great descriptions
Also (correct me if I'm wrong anyone) means you could have low flow near the bottom, As Oxygen kills cyno.
Point a powerhead down if you have one.