Live Rock Problem?

[brianguz760]

Hey Guys so I just noticed on my purple rock something new to me. Is it dying. Is It loosing its color? Is It algae? . Thanks in advance. I am a "newbie". Been in for 3 months

 

[saltyphish]

Is it a new tank? I see some light green looking spots which could be algae starting to grow or coralline algae even. Mine started out bright green. Does it rub off easily?

 

[brianguz760]

Is it a new tank? I see some light green looking spots which could be algae starting to grow or coralline algae even. Mine started out bright green. Does it rub off easily?

Yeah ive had it set up since about mid march I havent stuck my hand in there. Ive had the rick for about 2 months now

 

[Akida17th]

could be a type of sponge

 

[brianguz760]

could be a type of sponge

Is that a good thing? I have another rock like it just not as bad

 

[Harold Green]

Try blowing it off with a turkey baster. Sometimes you'll get slime growing on the rock if it's fresh and a sponge or some other life has died there.

 

[brianguz760]

Try blowing it off with a turkey baster. Sometimes you'll get slime growing on the rock if it's fresh and a sponge or some other life has died there.

Thanks I'm going to try that

 

[Diesel]

Did you do a WC in the last three months?
If you do a WC you can rinse your rock in the bucket with old tank water and set them back.
IMO, it's detritus and starting algae on your rocks.
Adding some good flow to the tank can prevent that too.

 

[mr.reeferman]

your live rock looks like it has fake coraline in other words painted when it starts to break down nitrates then for some reason it starts to get a white powder on it i have yet to find a reason but the lfs i bought my rock from said its natural for this to occur

 

[mr.reeferman]

the powder comes from inside the rock i guess its micro bacteria exporting mass to create space but that was my only guess but it blows off easy with a power head atleast thats what i did

 

[brianguz760]

Did you do a WC in the last three months?
If you do a WC you can rinse your rock in the bucket with old tank water and set them back.
IMO, it's detritus and starting algae on your rocks.
Adding some good flow to the tank can prevent that too.

Yeah I do water changes every 2-3 weeks but yeah ima rinse it out with tank water thanks man

 

[brianguz760]

your live rock looks like it has fake coraline in other words painted when it starts to break down nitrates then for some reason it starts to get a white powder on it i have yet to find a reason but the lfs i bought my rock from said its natural for this to occur

Why would they paint fake coraline on the rock ?

 

[mr.reeferman]

to make it look pretty for impatient reefers that dont wanna wait for natural growth but wanna start with dry rock the paint is made from natural dies found in coraline

 

[haleyf1024]

I agree, looks painted, maybe you got Real Reef Rock, Life Rock, or a similar brand. That's not a bad thing though, I have 80 pounds of it myself that was seeded by florida aquacultured rock. Now the real coralline is growing everywhere and overlaps the paint, looks pretty cool!! You may be starting your "diatom phase". Diatoms are a brown algae that will likely cover everything, and die on their own within a few weeks. It is something most new tanks go through. Check your ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, and phosphate levels.

 

[mr.reeferman]

you can tell if its painted real coraline has almost like a velvet look to it on a rock out of water if its painted well it looks like a painted rock out of water

 

[brianguz760]

I agree, looks painted, maybe you got Real Reef Rock, Life Rock, or a similar brand. That's not a bad thing though, I have 80 pounds of it myself that was seeded by florida aquacultured rock. Now the real coralline is growing everywhere and overlaps the paint, looks pretty cool!! You may be starting your "diatom phase". Diatoms are a brown algae that will likely cover everything, and die on their own within a few weeks. It is something most new tanks go through. Check your ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, and phosphate levels.

Yeah bro its Life rock they told me down at my LFS whwn I bought it. And thabks for the great info helped me out alot. I test all of that witnh a strip. What do you recommend as far as accuracy goes. What product do you use ?

 

[brianguz760]

you can tell if its painted real coraline has almost like a velvet look to it on a rock out of water if its painted well it looks like a painted rock out of water

Lol. Sounds simple enough to detect yeah now that I look closely at it it kind of looks painted. I want mine all natural . Is that a bad thing if it's painted. The brand Is life rock

 

[haleyf1024]

Don't use test strips unless it is to double check your more accurate tests. I use Red Sea kits, and double check with API. Many people also like the Hanna checkers, but they are more pricey and can wait for when your reef gets more established. If you can't afford to get all of the Red Sea kits, get as many as you can and get an API set for the less important tests. Eventually, you will need to test Magnesium, dKH, and calcium so keep that in mind (use Red sea or another good brand for these)

 

[haleyf1024]

Lol. Sounds simple enough to detect yeah now that I look closely at it it kind of looks painted. I want mine all natural . Is that a bad thing if it's painted. The brand Is life rock

It is not a bad thing. If you have real live rock with real coralline, it will eventually spread and cover the paint

 

[brianguz760]

Don't use test strips unless it is to double check your more accurate tests. I use Red Sea kits, and double check with API. Many people also like the Hanna checkers, but they are more pricey and can wait for when your reef gets more established. If you can't afford to get all of the Red Sea kits, get as many as you can and get an API set for the less important tests. Eventually, you will need to test Magnesium, dKH, and calcium so keep that in mind (use Red sea or another good brand for these)

Wow I guess Im going to have to change it up asap. . Thanks.