Pink and green algae growing?

[KatyKat]

i have pink and green algae starting to grow all over my dead coral. should i be concerned or is this normal ?

 

[Sniperhank]

That depends on what kind of algae it is really. If it is hard, it is probably coraline algae and IMO a good thing. This is normal though as dead coral is really just rock and is going through the process of becoming "live".

 

[bigben2057]

Do you have a photo? Its either coraline which is good or cyano which is bad. If you can brush it off its not coraline and may be cyano.

 

[KatyKat]

Sorry if the pictures arent very clear. i took them with my phone haha

 

[bigben2057]

What size tank? Looks like cyano too me. I would use chemiclean, but some one will correct me and say your nutrients are high (which I know) Chemiclean removes the nutrients so you can start over and keep them down.

 

[KatyKat]

sixty gallon. and i can find this stuff at petsmart or something?

 

[MacDracor]

Chemiclean does not remove the nutrients, it just kills the cyano. A large water change has to follow its use, and that reduces nutrients. But if the underlying cause (overstocking, overfeeding, etc) is not remedied, it will return. I only recommend it as a last resort, especially because it requires going without a skimmer for 2 days.
Petco usually has it, but again, last resort.

 

[KatyKat]

well i only feed one big meal a day. and they eat like crazy so i cant imagine its over feeding. i have four fish in a sixty gallon is that too much? im just not sure what to do to get this stuff to go away. i also couldnt find any chemiclean at petco or petsmart

 

[bigben2057]

You may be a little overstocked as well. The blue tang I dont think should be in a tank smaller than 100gallons but im not 100%. Its sold online as-well.

 

[MacDracor]

While I do agree that the Hepatus Tang needs a larger environment, at that size, I don't think it's contributing to the bioload enough to call it overstocked.
Battling cyano is not easy, or fast, generally. Step one is to measure your nitrates and phosphates and record those values. Step two is to do a massive water change. 50% is preferable. Test and record again. Should see a drastic decrease. Step 3 is to adjust feeding.
Now, I do one large meal a day as well, but it takes several minutes to do so. I feed just a tiny amount at a time. The goal being that all food is eaten before it has a chance to hit the sand. This way, none is wasted to contribute to nutrient overload.
Step 4 is to evaluate flow in the tank. Cyano cannot adhere strongly to anything, so it tends to accumulate in areas of low flow. Increasing flow will often dislodge it and hinder it's growth.
Sometimes, nothing else works. You can do all of the above and it continues to grow and spread. That is when chemiclean comes in. Chemiclean will make your skimmer go completely bonkers, so it needs to be shut off for 48 hours (can we say nutrient buildup?), and treatment followed with a massive water change before the skimmer can be turned back on.
On the other hand, I've seen far worse cyano growth than what is in those pictures. If you an keep it at that level, I honestly would ignore it.

One final thought. Though they do not eat it, genereally, nassarius snails help keep it from accumulating by constantly disrupting the top of the sand. Hermit crabs do the same on solid surfaces.

 

[KatyKat]

awesome i did a water change. and i also have left their light off for three days now with only the windows open for natural light and ill show you how much of difference it made! i will continue to do regular water changes. Also the tang is just a baby but as he grows i will be getting a larger tank eventually. also i am going to have to move my tank soon across town so i will be sure to do a water change then.

 

[danbstrong]

While I do agree that the Hepatus Tang needs a larger environment, at that size, I don't think it's contributing to the bioload enough to call it overstocked.
Battling cyano is not easy, or fast, generally. Step one is to measure your nitrates and phosphates and record those values. Step two is to do a massive water change. 50% is preferable. Test and record again. Should see a drastic decrease. Step 3 is to adjust feeding.
Now, I do one large meal a day as well, but it takes several minutes to do so. I feed just a tiny amount at a time. The goal being that all food is eaten before it has a chance to hit the sand. This way, none is wasted to contribute to nutrient overload.
Step 4 is to evaluate flow in the tank. Cyano cannot adhere strongly to anything, so it tends to accumulate in areas of low flow. Increasing flow will often dislodge it and hinder it's growth.
Sometimes, nothing else works. You can do all of the above and it continues to grow and spread. That is when chemiclean comes in. Chemiclean will make your skimmer go completely bonkers, so it needs to be shut off for 48 hours (can we say nutrient buildup?), and treatment followed with a massive water change before the skimmer can be turned back on.
On the other hand, I've seen far worse cyano growth than what is in those pictures. If you an keep it at that level, I honestly would ignore it.

One final thought. Though they do not eat it, genereally, nassarius snails help keep it from accumulating by constantly disrupting the top of the sand. Hermit crabs do the same on solid surfaces.

+1 on waterflow +1 on nassarius snails in your sand they also consume any extra food that does happen to make it to the sand if its growing on a dead coral thats because decay releases phosphates when you have dieing coral you should remove it if possible use a phosphate remover

 

[KatyKat]

okay so since i last wrote i have moved into a new apartment. my aquarium is still at my parents house. considering the size i will obviously have to take apart the tank for transport. anything specific i should do during this time to prevent the growth from happening again?

 

[MacDracor]

Best thing to do is reevaluate your stocking levels, feed less, increase flow, and have a good cleanup crew. Much easier to prevent than to battle. I had cyano for a while, but another power head helped keep it from coming back. Also, a fuge if you have room.