Is this good algae

[Susan Edwards]

Turned on the lights this morning and I see this pinky-red stuff on some rocks and sand. My tank has dry rock, but my daughter gave me some coral frags on some rock, plus I bought a coral on a rock frag, so if it is good stuff, it came in on coral frags.

Girl at LFS said not to do a water change yet--to wait a month. Am & Nitrites 0, Nitrates 10-15

Tank specs: RS Max c250 all in one.
Tank is 12 days old and cycled (used biospira). Added 2 clowns on the 23rd and they are happy and added an assortment of corals that are happy so far. GBTA is hiding in a deep crevice in a rock. Assuming she can get out of there is she wants. Turned off wavemaker until I can put netting around it in case the GBTA goes walkabout. Feather duster is also happy.

Have 3 cerith, 2 turbans, 4 Narsarious snails

 

[143MPCo]

That looks to me to be the starting point of cyanobacteria how old is this system? It's a normal phase of the tank cycling if it's a relatively newer setup.

 

[Techie_]

That definitely looks like cyanobacteria, especially if it's on your sandbed. The brown algae appears to be diatoms, those are normal and will go away almost as fast as they came.

As for the rest of the post, I would do weekly water changes just to get rid of excess ammonia and nitrates and replenish trace elements. Without water changes, assuming you don't have a refugium that you're taking care of on a regular basis, you have no nutrient export in your system which will lead to more algae and will contribute to cyanobacteria. I would not be surprised if the BTA doesn't make it, typically those are added around the 6-8 month mark at the earliest.

If you could give some more information on your tank that would help with further replies. Here is more information on cyano: http://www.saltwatersmarts.com/controlling-cyanobacteria-blue-green-algae-rid-aquarium-1596/

 

[Susan Edwards]

here is the frag (a clove coral) I got at the LFS and it has some of the same pink stuff on it. I'm assuming if it is good stuff, this piece just seeded my tank.

 

[ahiggins]

It does look like cyano to me too. (bad stuff) but the good news is that its 100% treatable fairly easily too
Look into chemiclean-I used it on my 10 gallon tank once (follow directions to the T, it strips dissolved O2 out of the system) and it hasnt been back since.
Cyano is an introduced algae, its not just there like diatoms are. Think of it like a hitch hiker.
Eradicate it now and watch whatever you put into the system from now on.

 

[Techie_]

It's also important to remember that cyanobacteria is cyanobacteria. Typically, the "good stuff" you're speaking of is coralline, which which ranges from a 'light pink' to a 'hot pink' cyanobacteria is typically a darker purple.

 

[Susan Edwards]

The tank went thru it's cycle (used a piece of jumbo shrimp and a bottle of biospira) All numbers have been good since the beginning. One small nitrite spike, no ammonia spikes and nitrate holding at 10-15. Started the tank Dec 15th. Added 2 clowns and 3 corals on the 23rd (torch, clove, xenia). All doing well. More corals on the 25th as xmas gifts (zoos & green star). Hubby got me the GBTA and the fan on the 26. Fan very happy. No idea what it is. BT nestled in a deep crevice in a separate piece of rock (pukani)
Here are 2 pics

 

[Techie_]

The tank went thru it's cycle (used a piece of jumbo shrimp and a bottle of biospira) All numbers have been good since the beginning. One small nitrite spike, no ammonia spikes and nitrate holding at 10-15. Started the tank Dec 15th. Added 2 clowns and 3 corals on the 23rd (torch, clove, xenia). All doing well. More corals on the 25th as xmas gifts (zoos & green star). Hubby got me the GBTA and the fan on the 26. Fan very happy. No idea what it is. BT nestled in a deep crevice in a separate piece of rock (pukani)
Here are 2 pics

Nothing good happens quickly in this hobby. All the numbers being good since day one makes me believe that there could be some operator error in the test kits. But since the fish are living, that's a good sign. The biggest concern that is to be had is that your corals, fish, and nem could die due to an improperly cycled tank. As stated earlier, the BTA has a pretty low survival rate being added into aquariums too early. Fish added too early to the tank can also have issues with ammonia burns on their gills. Hence why it is not considered humane to cycle a tank with Damsel or Chromis...

Watch your numbers and pray for the best!

 

[ahiggins]

Nothing good happens quickly in this hobby.

+1000
and if the nem starts looking really bad...pull it because it will start another ammonia/nitrite/nitrate cycle in your tank if it dies (most likely nuking all the living things in the process)
It does look like a sea fan/worm. I love those guys
You added quite a bit all at once. Monitor your ammonia and nitrate every day, that way if you see a spike you can change water accordingly. The nem will not like nitrates BUT all of your other coral like them in moderation. Ie-5-10 ppm. Your biological filter may not be able to handle two clowns at once. Especially if all your rock is dry rock.

 

[Susan Edwards]

the stuff on my rocks is a bright hot pink. Not a darker purple

 

[Techie_]

the stuff on my rocks is a bright hot pink. Not a darker purple

That is how cyano starts out. It is not coralline. You want to remove it as soon as you can. A new tank, no matter how well it is set up, will not have coralline grow at that rate. Your tank has hardly had a chance to stabilize Ca and KH levels, which are the major contributing factors in coralline growth.

 

[Susan Edwards]

I think the tank cycled fast due to the biospira and the shrimp I added. I've had no ammonia since I started testing, one large nitrite spike, a smaller one, and that number is currently at 0. I'm testing every day right now using the red sea test kit. Numbers still same today. Will do a 10 % water change. Also, not seeing that pink on the sandbed. Thought I had but don't see any more. Just on a few rocks,and some of those spots are where I was trying out the coral frags for placement .

 

[ahiggins]

That is how cyano starts out. It is not coralline. You want to remove it as soon as you can. A new tank, no matter how well it is set up, will not have coralline grow at that rate. Your tank has hardly had a chance to stabilize Ca and KH levels, which are the major contributing factors in coralline growth.

I agree-WITH live rock to seed my tank, I saw coralline growth around 7 months.

 

[MaiReef]

More flow also helps with cyano

 

[ahiggins]

Coralline algae is a plating type of algae. Youll see white around the edges as thats "new growth". its a very calcareous hard algae. What you have is a dusting.
Visual aid: Look at the background, behind the crab. Thats coralline.

 

[ahiggins]

Heres another:

 

[ahiggins]

Ok apparently R2R doesnt want you to see that one haha

 

[Brew12]

I think the tank cycled fast due to the biospira and the shrimp I added. I've had no ammonia since I started testing, one large nitrite spike, a smaller one, and that number is currently at 0. I'm testing every day right now using the red sea test kit. Numbers still same today. Will do a 10 % water change. Also, not seeing that pink on the sandbed. Thought I had but don't see any more. Just on a few rocks,and some of those spots are where I was trying out the coral frags for placement .

There are many "cycles" that a tank goes through. The ammonia-nitrite-nitrate cycle that Biospira helps with is only one of them.

It takes months before all of the rock, sand and salt reaches an equilibrium with all of the different buffered chemical reactions that occur. There are also nutrient cycles that a new tank goes through as it populates with more diverse bacteria, algae, and other simple life forms.

What you have is likely cyanobacteria. It will come and go on your sandbed and rocks. Typically it will go away overnight and grow back during the day. If you want to verify it for sure, try to use a brush and sweep it off your rocks. If you can brush it off, it is cyano and not coralline.

And keep a close eye on that BTA. They very rarely do well in a new tank. Typically, they move around and hide in a darker parts of the tank. They also seem to rarely feed so without light they waste away. Just monitor it to keep it from crashing your tank.