Cyano Or Coraline ?

[marinerock]

HEY ALL.....
QUESTION....
OVER THE LAST 3 MONTHS I HAVE GOTTEN SOME
BEAUTIFUL PURPLE STUFF ON MY DEAD CORALS AND
LIVE SAND...I THOUGHT IT WAS CORALINE ALGAE
BUT NOW IM NOT SURE... A WHOLE LOT OF IT !!!
IT IS SOLID ON THE DEAD CORALS AND SOLID ON THE
LIVE SAND...
HOW CAN YOU TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO?
ITS A FISH ONLY TANK WITH ABOUT 100 CRABS AND
SOME OF THE CRAB SHELLS ARE NOW VIBRANT PURPLE AND
LOOK GREAT....
THANKS IN ADVANCE...
REGARDS....
MARINEROCK

 

[beth]

Cyano is filmy and will rub off--just like your regular green hair algae. Coraline is crusty and glued down. You can not rub it off. It also doesn't grow on sand.
Will move you over to the Fish Forum for additional input.

 

[sammystingray]

DOES IT HAVE BUBBLES IN IT?? CYANOBACTERIA MOST OFTEN WILL GIVE OFF OXYGEN GAS, AND THE BUBBLES WILL BE TRAPPED. AS STATED, CORALINE IS VERY HARD AND DOES NOT HAVE BUBBLES.....CYANO IS GREASY FEELING. CORALINE WILL GROW ON THE SAND, BUT USUALLY DOES NOT SINCE SAND IS MOVED ALOT AND FLIPPED OVER. MY THOUGHTS ANYWAY SINCE I HAD A STREAK OF IT GROWING IN FRONT OF A POWERHEAD AT SAND LEVEL.

 

[jessicarabit]

If it's cyno than the Chemi-clean Beth recommended does wonders....THANKS GIRL! I will be returning that 'magnet', so expensive!

 

[pferboy]

WHAT IS THIS? CORALINE OR CYANO

 

[mightyoxjuice]

coralline algae

 

[mightyoxjuice]

Look at the large red legged hermit crab and then at the little tiny crab that is next to him. When I got my crabs they were all the same size.

 

[mightyoxjuice]

more coralline algae

 

[jtroutine]

more

 

[marinerock]

HEY ALL....
THANKS MUCH FOR ALL THE REPLIES....
I TOOK A PLASTIC CLAWS AND SCRAPED THE DEAD ROCK
AND IT WAS PRETTY HARD TO SCRAPE OFF...THEN I
TOOK THE CLAWS AND PICKED UP SOME OF IT THAT WAS
STUCK ON THE SAND AND IT ALL STAYED TOGETHER WITH
THE SAND CLUMPED ON THE BOTTOM...SO I GUESS IT
IS CORALINE AND NOT CYANO....IT IS NOT SLIMY AT ALL
BUT INSTEAD IT IS SOLID....WHEW!
THANKS AGAIN...
REGARDS...
MARINEROCK