red algae forming on crushed coral during 'cycling' ?

[adam6883]

My tank is still in the cycling process. I have a bunch of damsels in the tank to help with the cycling. I have notioced over the past week that the crushed coral is beginning to be covered by a red substance i think is algae. Is this normal? Is it harmful to my fish? What should I do?
thanks!!
-adam

 

[rickt4du]

Normal.....It will all work out soon. Be patient.

 

[bassmaster]

Had the same stuff while mine was cycling. This is norm.
P.S. Mine never really went away, so don't be suprised if yours doesn't go away either.

 

[goober]

it is normal i had it. to me it looks real ugly. i used red slime remover. still hasnt come back

 

[youbetyourwrasse]

Patience...just as Rick4tu advised.
Think of it as a GOOD sign! Red slimey crap exists WHERE NOTHING EXISTED BEFORE! Do the things you're supposed to do, and it WILL pass.
Your tank is going thru' a chemical & bacterial puberty; complete with acne, new hair in strange places, mood swings, confusion, and occasional thoughts of suicide. PATIENCE!
I don't recommend attempting to use ANY "Qwik-Fix" chemical elixir, nor disturbing things unduly. Just stick with your basic tasks; testing the water, cleaning the front pane of glass when necessary, monitering the fish, getting use to the routine and making any foreseeabley necessary changes NOW. Do a water change when Ammonia and Nitrite get to zero. You may want to do one sooner if Nitrite persists for 10 days or more just to give the fish a break.
The whole nusiance algae thing will probably continue long after the initial "cycle" is complete. This "ugly" phase ends once the tank "matures," after about 6-12 months of care. The tank continues to "season" and gets better every day after that FOR YEARS! As long as you do the things you're suppose to! Too EASY!
Do you have LIVE ROCK? If not, GET SOME NOW. If so, then maybe you should get some MORE. Just a bit (5-10 lbs?) since you have the fish already and the LR will "kick start" a thorogh "cycle" and will raise levels for a SHORT time. VERY short time! It will also supple a Zoo of critters who will do there thing to get the system stable and healthy. Additions of LR every week or so is ideal. It can also be housed in the garage if you buy bulk, like I do.
YBYW.

 

[jimi]

Red slime algae is not a good sign. A fine brown algae forming during a cycle is normal. Red slime or cyno is very hard to get rid of at times. A cc bed tends to trap alot of waste which is probably why it started.Although there are many suspect causes like improper lighting, phosphates, high nitrates, low calcium ,etc. How many damsels do you have? What size tank? Filtration set up?

 

[jacrmill]

i think alot of peopel are confusing red-slime and diatoms. is what you have reddish, or is it a rust color? if it is a rust color then it is diatoms which is common in a new tank. if its red slime then you might have a problem. are you over feeding? just an idea.