live rock getting orange color

[wright824]

Ok, i have had my 45g set up for 6 months. now my live rock is starting to develop an orange color to it.

all most looks like a orange powder. my temp is 77 my ph is 8.3 ammonia 0 nitrite 0 nitrate 0 calcium 340. I have been using purple up daily and am running a skimmer. anyone have any ideas on where this is coming from? :notsure: it makes the tank look dirty when it is not

 

[aztec reef]

try giving it a brake of that purpleup for a feed days.. Are you sure is not a sponge on lr?

 

[wright824]

I am pretty sure it is not sponge. It looks as if it got dyed. I don't know how else to describe it. I have been tryin to get my calcium up and that is how my lfs told me to do it.. with purple up. the only thing i changed was my lighting. I had a standard floresent light that came with the tank i replaced i with one t8 fresh and saltwater light (aqua rays) and one slatwater blue (aqua rays). you don't think it could be too much light. I have the both on at the same time

 

[zman1]

When I take my power heads outside to clean with TAP water and garden hose and put them back into the tank the coraline on the PH has turned orange and then white -Died. It comes back. I haven't actutally had it do this on LR, but may be an indication of it dying.

 

[andy51632]

I have a orange coloration on a couple of my liverocks that are about a month old. I think it might be die off too. Mine kind of looks like a orange powder, though.

 

[wright824]

yes like an orange powder! but if it is die off shouldn't my something show up in the tests? all my levels are perfect

 

[reefkprz]

probably a diatom bloom.

 

[wright824]

what is diatom bloom and how dangerous is it to the tank health, fish and inverts?

 

[zman1]

coralline lethal orange disease (CLOD)?

 

[wright824]

i looked up CLOD and it doesn't seem to be that. its not a bright orange and doesn't appear to be slimey

 

[peckhead]

***)
Originally Posted by zman1
coralline lethal orange disease (CLOD)?

that is something real????

 

[zman1]

Google it

 

[reefkprz]

Originally Posted by wright824
what is diatom bloom and how dangerous is it to the tank health, fish and inverts?
not dangerous at all. its just an algae a lot of your snails should eat it, it is usually found in newer tanks but occasionaly happens it older tanks when parameters change added a fish or something likwe that. its not a big deal if its diatoms, a picture would be worht a thousand words though.

 

[reefkprz]

Originally Posted by peckhead
***)
that is something real????

absolutely

 

[autofreak44]

wow i googled it, it looks nasty. is it normal to get that on live rock or is that a rare occourance

 

[reefkprz]

pretty rare occurance in tanks but it can happen, I have never personnally seen a real case of it.

 

[wright824]

I will try to get a picture up tomorrow but i can't seem to figure out how to shrink the pictures so this board will accept them. I tried once before but had no luck. It seems to blow around easily. when i moved one of my powerheads, it almost blew it all off the rock infont of it. Its hard to find anything really on the net about diatoms or at least any pictures!.

 

[reefkprz]

use the search feature on this site and it'll let you search through old threads, there are tons about diatoms, but if its blowing off it sounds like red slime algae, (i've never seen it in orange but it could come in that flavor I suppose)

 

[reefreak29]

depending on what kind of live rock u have u could have orange coraline,theres also reds and pinks

 

[reefkprz]

Originally Posted by reefreak29
depending on what kind of live rock u have u could have orange coraline,theres also reds and pinks
I thought of that but coraline doesnt usually blow off with a powerhead.
could be a sponge too.
its amazing how much a picture will help. we'll all be like, ohhhh.