Algae problem

[kwan]

I just came back from a 5 weeks business trip in North Carolina and was dreading to see what my tank would be like when I came back. I left it in the good hands of my wife and surprisingly everything looked okay. The corals and fish are okay. Although she did not do any water changes, the parameters are good, with nitrate being a bit high at 50.

However, a closer look revealed a very thin layer of redish/brownish algae blanketing my LRs. Basically, it is only covering the coraline on my LRs. It is not on the sand or glass or anywhere else, just on the coraline. So it doesn't look too out of place. I quickly did a couple of water changes to bring everything back in line.

My question is while this algae is covering my coraline, will the coraline die or bleach? And is there anything I should do to remove it? I don't think the my clean up crew is interested in this type of algae.

 

[Fluff]

Sounds like cyano. Does it seem not go away some when the lights are out? You could use a piece of airline tubing to syphon it off. It will kill off the coralline if left there for to long. A little syphoning and your water changes should cure the problem. Water changes are your best defense with any algaes so your on the right track.