This is good, right?

[fulcrum]

Today I see the presence of what I'm pretty sure is coralline algae on my decorative rock (it is not live rock...well, not until now).
Its small mostly circular patches of bright pinkish crusty stuff.
Isn't this a good form of algae?
Please advise.

 

[thomas712]

Sounds like coralline starting, and yes this is a good encrusting type of algea. Maintain your calc, alk and mag.
Decoritive rock? please define. How long has this rock been in the tank?
Thomas

 

[fulcrum]

Its decorative coral, artifical, but looks very much like the real thing. And clearly it can host good living stuff.
I am not a fan of the looks of live rock. I know. Its better for the tank. But I figured in a FO tank the DSB would be a fair amount of compensation.

 

[fulcrum]

woops. Its been in the tank for 5 months.

 

[leopardshark]

it sounds like coralline algae to me but if you get a think red or green algae that could be a sign of constricted flow , direct sunlight or too much light on the tank. but to me it sounds like a healthy algae.

 

[mightyoxjuice]

Something like this?

 

[fshhub]

coraline??? where in the world did it come from, if it is?
no lr to seed with? I have to wonder and think it probably is not.
Using artificial and non LR , chances are you have or will get nuance algaes instead, been there done that and well found out the hazards of using it are not worth the money saved to me.

 

[thomas712]

I was kinda thinking the same as you fshhub, thus my question on the decoritive rock, but I now realize that he has snails and hermits which must have come in with some coralline on them, might have been enough to spread the spores.
Thomas

 

[goldrush]

That's all you need are a few spores to get it going.

 

[fulcrum]

I can tell you it came in on the shells of astrea snails from the LFS. That has to be only way it was introduced to my tank, and the coralline on their shells has looked pink and healthy the whole time they have been in there.

 

[fulcrum]

Follow up reply-
As it grows will it conume nutrients that nuisance algae would otherwise feed on?
The piece of "coral" that it is growing on also has some bright green algae (lime colored). I dont want to clean it off and destroy the coralline if the coralline will eventually take over the green stuff anyway.
Please advise.
By the way, you guys have been very helpful, thanks.