Algae eating coral

rkemp · 08-22-2007, 06:32 PM

I looked around on some old posts but couldn’t seem to find anything similar. I have what I think is some type of algae eating my pagoda coral. The algae almost looks like bubble coral and is a pink in color. I removed the algae this morning only to come home from work to find twice as much.

The algae is eating away everything including the blue\green matting the coral grows on the rock. This only leaves a white rock where the coral once was.

Sorry I don’t have a picture as I tried cleaning the substance off the coral again in hopes of saving the coral.

Can anyone tell me if this is actually algae, or maybe what it really is and how to stop it.

Thanks in advance.

amcarrig · 08-22-2007, 06:57 PM

Is it cyanobacteria (a.k.a. red slime algae?)

mattgeezer · 08-23-2007, 07:13 AM

have you tested the water?

rkemp · 08-23-2007, 08:22 AM

I did have the water tested a few days prior at the LFS where they have an expensive electronic testing system. Everything was in good shape for both a fish and reef tank.

I also had moved a few things out of the tank to my main tank, so the load on the tank was decreased rather then increased.

For now I'm keeping the tank in the dark to try and slow down the spread. I will try a partial water change as soon as I can, but any other advise on stopping the cyanobacteria would be appreciated.

amcarrig · 08-23-2007, 08:55 AM

You're assuming that what you've got is definitely cyanobacteria but without a picture and a better description of the algae, I have no idea what you really have.

As for a fancy electronic testing system, I have always found liquid tests to be more accurate, especially when testing for calcium, alkalinity and magnesium. Do yourself a favor and buy your own test kits so that you have a better feel for what your tank and water are "doing." Exactly how old is this tank and what else have you got in it?

rkemp · 08-23-2007, 09:04 AM

Well after you suggested it was cyanobacteria I did some additional research and can safely say you were correct.

My main problem was that I could not find out what it was after a good amount of time looking. Your suggestion lead me down the right path to start looking and I now have a good idea what causes it.

So really I was just hoping that someone had some more advice for controlling it beyond what I have already found out.

Tangster · 08-23-2007, 09:16 AM

Out of curiosity what do type of foods do you feed the tank and how often and how much ? what type of fish are you feeding and how many ? There is always a common thread that runs through a tank with a cyano problem ..And what do you use for filtration and circulation with in the tank? Also what are the hard factual numbers on the Calcium and Carbonate tests from the electronic thing ? The problem is always with in one of these questions 99% of the time

rkemp · 08-23-2007, 05:37 PM

Well here is what I currently have in the tank

1. One maroon clown and two damsels
2. They get fed flake food twice a day, except for on every other day when i put cyclopeeze into the tank in the evening for some of the invertebrates and coral.
3.I am using a skilter on the tank for now, which for the last year i have had great success with.
4. I do refill the tank with RO/DI
5. The lighting has not changed.

6. Here is the last output from the water test at the LFS

Nitrate 21ppm
Calcium 381 ppm
Alkalinity 3.77 meq / l
Phosphate -.03
Salinity 1.023

nemo79 · 08-23-2007, 06:24 PM

It would be so much easier to help you if you had a signature, less questions more answers. What lighting do you have, you should feed once every other day, your nitrates are a little high which is due to over feeding. A lack of flow can cause cyano. If you do a search there is a load of info on cyano. I know that when you do water changes it's good to syphon out the cyano.

djnzlab1 · 08-25-2007, 11:06 AM

HI,
Most of my corals are softies but I keep them off the floor of the tanks usally suported by rocks , i also have high water flow thru out my tanks,
water test will only show excesses that are free many of the chemicals are being capture by bacteria, algae and other things , If cyano can live something is feeding it , Skellter are proably the weakest skimmers made,they are real hard to tune and have large bubbles the down draft skimmers and many of the newer skimmers have fine bubbles this removes more substance quickly before it is allowed to be absorbed buy algae and other bacteria.
you proably need a new skimmer, and more power heads.
Doug
I believe that evey grain of sand can have a envelope of good bacteria trying to absorb stuff out of the water this can hold a lot of the waste in the tank if its not skimmed out quickly. I run two coral lifes in my sump and I am amazed how much waste it pulls in one day.