Help!!!!

[gevavery]

I'm new to this hobby. I've got a 24 gallon Nano reef setup. 25 lbs. of live rock and 25 lbs. of live sand. Tank has cycled so I started adding my coral and fish. Parameters are: Amonina - 0; PH - 8.0-8.2; Nitrite - 0; Nitrate - 0; Phosphate - 0.25; and Calcicum - 500-520. From what I'm reading the Calcicum is high.
But here is my problem. I just (one week ago) purchased a small piece of live rock with probably 100+ green ricordia polyps (at least I think that what the guy at the fish store said). Anyway, within two days one end of the stone was covered with a white snow-like cap. It continued to get thicker. So I removed and went back to the LFS. I was told it was something they had never seen. They advised me must to cut off that section of rock. Which I did. Now I did that yesterday, and today there is more white snow like stuff starting to cover other sections.
Could someone please tell what going on? Should I just remove this and throw it away? Thanks in advance for any assistance you can give me.
v/r
gevavery

 

[hot883]

Welcome to the hobby and the boards. First I have no idea what that white stuff could be, BUT I do know that your tank is months away from being able/ready to handle corals of any type. IMO someone steared you wrong on letting you buy those. Again, just my opinion, others may disagree. What you did not post was your specific gravity. My not be of any consequence but may help someone that does know. Good luck, Barry

 

[gevavery]

Yes, I forgot the salinty is 1.023.
Why do you say I'm months away from keeping corals? I was told that as long as the tank had cycled I was good-to-go.
I appreciate any advice and will consider all advice given.

 

[hot883]

Corals expect and MUST recieve pristene water conditions and a newly cycled tank is not established NOR Pristene. Just what I have always been told. I really do hope someone has an answer for you. Hey, I may be all wrong, someone jump in here and correct me if I am.

 

[pagliacci]

Since this is my first post you know how much of a newbie I am. I came across this at another reef site and not sure if this fits what you are looking at but at least it's a direction you can explore: Someone asked about one piece of Fiji that had a white substance forming that could not be removed by vacuum. The answer; "Usually anything white is dead although you are saying "it's forming" leads me to believe that it is some sort of encrusting octocoral or gorgonian. If its gorgonian - eventually you will see little polyps popping out that will become a mat or shag (lite pink color) like covering on the patch that's growing. Or it can be some kind of octocoral that will develop, have to wait and see." Then the person asked "What should I do about it" The reply "just observe, that's what happens with live rock some things die off and new life forms take over - a very interesting part of keeping a reef tank."
I do not know if this fits, I think they were talking about a hard relatively thin and smooth layer of white, but I just thought I would pass it along in case it did help.