too much plant growth ??

[wetone]

I have about 100lbs of LR in my 75g. the rock is growing plant life (not algae) like crazy. I got to beleive this is a good thing as far as tank conditions go, but its starting to encroach on my corals and stuff. Will this affect there growth?? Should I just trim it back and throw it out or can I try to attach clippings to the LR pieces in my sump??
I will try to post pictures as I need some help ID'ing these plants.
thanks

 

[fixitdude2001]

Hi, does the plant stuff look like kinda odd shaped balls on top of each other in stripps, if this is it it would be calupra[algea] this can get out of hand quikly if this is it, the sump is a great place for this kind of algea, it will help reduce nitrates .We put a small clump in and it grows an inch a day, if you pinch it off it wont hurt it and it will grow quikly, so lots of pinching, hope this helps....cya

 

[kappadoku]

There are many reasons to trim back green plant life.

• It encourages new growth.
• It can grow out of control.
  Die-back- explained below.
  Green plants release carbon dioxide at night, and too much can be stressfull to your critters.

Die-back is when an entire colony of algae dies, and pollutes the water. It can die off for no reason, because of old age, and because of deteriorating water conditions. Toxins bound up in the plants are released and the blades go pale. Watch out for it. That will "tank" your tank.
Some greenery is a good thing, as it binds up toxins, decreases nitrates, and increases disolved oxygen during the daylight hours.
Hope this helps!

 

[burnnspy]

KappaDoku is right about die-off. When the algae(the only plants that grow in the ocean, as far as I know) growth reaches a point of equalibrium with the nutrient food source in the tank some will turn white and die, this may release toxins or nitrates back into the tank. regular clipping should be done to prevent this situation.
BurnNSpy

 

[bayouguy]

Under what other conditions will algae turn white? I'm seeing this a bit in my tank. Is this an indication of the nitrate level being too low? Is it generally a healthy sign or not? If I want the algae to grow a bit should I put a tad more food in my tank? Is this another sign that my filtration is too good to give the plant life enough to eat?

 

[kappadoku]

Well. I havnt run a skimmer for over 18 months.
A newer concept called a miricle mud sump. replaces a skimmer with a sump/refugeum filled with different types of calurpa.
There are no skimmer in nature, just plant life... My tanks are always an experiment in finding new ways of "getting back to nature".
I dont suggest you just turn off your skimmer and add some plant life... maybe turn it down if you have hardy critters.