whats this grass growing on my doughnut coral

[zorgof]

First time user to the site and have been pokin around seeing if i can find something similar to the problem i am having. i bought this doughnut coral a few months ago but just recently on the one side it seems to have receded from the edge and this grassy looking stuff is growing, and it seems to be growing really fast. i want to say micro algie type but its not its very fine like hair. Questions; what is it? is it going to over take and kill my coral? and how do i get rid of it if it is bad?
thanks for all the help

 

[roka64]

It's definitely a macro algae. You can try to siphon it of with a new toothbrush, when you do your PWC. It probably will take over your tank, since it feeds off of excess nutrients.
Can you post your test results on your water parameters?
Sorry, how rude of me.
Welcome to AA!!

 

[zorgof]

coral

thanks for the welcome
ph 8.2
nitrate 40. yeah its high
nitrite 0
am 0
ph 8.2
cal 420
no phos test atm...

 

[roka64]

I would start with some PWCs, I'm thinking you may have some phosphates in there. I can't really help with the care of the coral, but it looks like it probably moved once the algae took hold.

 

[Innovator]

Pull the algae, it will affect your corals tissue expansion being on the skeleton.

 

[roka64]

See, there you go, expert advice!
Thanks James.

 

[zorgof]

i will do first thing tomarow when my lights come back on thanks for the good advice i think im going to like this site very much

 

[Innovator]

In fact, move it further away from the Rhodactis on its left, they look too close. I'd give them 6" of space.

 

[zorgof]

Pull the algae, it will affect your corals tissue expansion being on the skeleton.

though if i do pull on it do i risk pulling the coral off the skeleton as well?

 

[Innovator]

Algae doesn't grow on coral tissue and I can see some teeth already recessed on the left-hand side. Just be gentle when working with the coral

 

[Sadielynn]

actually it looks alot like bryopsis . does it have a "fern " or feathery appearance to the stems? IF so take that coral out remove it keep it in a very clean invroment and starve the crap out if the coral is on a plug just remove it from the plug and place the coral on a new one .. Bryopsis is one of the worst things to kill off , tho some have had success with high mag levels .. and starving it ..
Innovator I disagree I have had stuff grow on the coral tissues , dinoflagellata ... other wise great advice above

 

[zorgof]

actually it looks alot like bryopsis . does it have a "fern " or feathery appearance to the stems? IF so take that coral out remove it keep it in a very clean invroment and starve the crap out if the coral is on a plug just remove it from the plug and place the coral on a new one .. Bryopsis is one of the worst things to kill off , tho some have had success with high mag levels .. and starving it ..
Innovator I disagree I have had stuff grow on the coral tissues , dinoflagellata ... other wise great advice above

i didn't notice a feathery app. to it or and it seem to even have a stem, just seemed to be growing straight outa the rock its self. since my post i have pulled it out, it came out very easily. it did not feel like mico alge or any kind that i have ever handled before. what it felt like was wet fine hair. it all didn't come right out and left very little hairs left on it, so i took a tooth brush to it and got as much of it off as i could. when i was done/gave up it appeared to still have many very very small strands left on it. now 2 days have passed and it seems that there is nothing left on it. ill continue to moniter it and go from there

 

[Sadielynn]

then it sounds like green hair algea
but it can return so a turbo snail may help you keep it at bay