Coraline algae?

[Albindia]

Hey guys - about a month into my first tank and I'm starting to see the live rock get algae. Check out the pics. Any of this growth to be concerned about? Green red purple all types of color.
-Mike

 

[Sniperhank]

In all reality, pics are too far away to tell you what most of the stuff is.

 

[Albindia]

Do these help???

 

[Sniperhank]

Looks like some cyano bacteria. More flow and lowering nutrients will help with that.

 

[Albindia]

What do you mean by nutrients? I'm dosing reef builder to increase my alk. I think the algae may be growing because I started keeping the tank at 78 rather than 76 degrees. Is it harmful? Ill do a bit of googling.

 

[Sniperhank]

Probably either nitrates or phosphates in the water. Algae feed off of the stuff.quality ro/di water will solve that. An increase in temp by 2 degrees won't cause algae to bloom.

 

[Albindia]

My RO is from the lfs- should be good. Nitrates were 5-10ppm yesterday. Must be phosphates then, don't have a way to test for them yet. Suggestions??

1/31/13-KH-9dkh - nitrate 5 -10ppm, nitrite 0, ph 7.9

 

[ccCapt]

How did you cycle the tank? It looks like you started with dead, white base rock. A 1 month old tank is very young and it's not unusual to see algae blooms and cyano. The golden yellow stuff is diatoms which is also common in new systems. Are you doing any feedings? I see 1 fish, a couple soft corals and a dead acropora.

 

[Albindia]

Cycled with 29 lb live rock in a 30 gallon, with live sand and nutri seawater live, hob filter. I let that run for about a week and a half , all params were good and then added clean up crew. Then added 2 Clowns, then a week later added small patch of zoas, palys, leather coral, star polyp, and Kenya tree. Two weeks later added cleaner shrimp and chalk basslet. I did just add two small pieces of dried out live rock i had left over to the hob filter because I needed something to hold down the Purigen in the hob filter but they were tiny. No acropora in the tank.

 

[Albindia]

Oh - and feeding mysis shrimp right now, occasionally pellets.

 

[bavass]

IMO its way to early to be adding any corals. You first need to make sure you are done cycling. Takes longer than a week and a half usually 6-8 weeks to get the bacteria established. Then you need to let it mature some before adding corals. You are gonna go through some growing pains of algea growth, ph swings etc... its part of a new tank. PO4 and NO3 will rise and cause cyano which is what you are experincing and will cover corals and kill them. Be patient!

 

[Albindia]

Any suggestions on plan of action? Water change this week? Just did one last week. Should I add a protein skimmer? More flow at the bottom? I was thinking of getting another powerhead for the bottom left of the tank, I don't want it to take up a ton of room though. What's the best plan of action to clean up the rocks a bit??

 

[LaWoWee]

You can take a turkey baster and suck that stuff up or blow it off