What are those red things on my rock?

[newreefguyy]

Hi I'm new and just started cycling my 30 gal tank. These red things weren't there before. I also left the rocks on a 10:1 solution of water and bleach. I thought it will kill everything but these just popped up they are pretty much popping up on my rocks like a teen with acne.

Also side question I have a couple of dead bleached algae, which are white now, covering some of the rocks is it fine to leave them be? Ive tried scrubbing them off but they just won't let go.

In terms of my cycle I'm at 2 ppm ammonia with 0 nitrates.

 

[shakacuz]

my first guess was coralline algae but the tank seems to be very new. are the rocks previously live?

 

[Court_Appointed_Hypeman]

I had this same thing on a lot of my rock before anything else started growing. I thought forbsure it was coraline since I had consumption of alk and calc before I had any corals on, BUT now that I have coraline algae growth, I suspect it's some kind of cyano that sticks into the rock. I had some algaes grow over the pink spots and when the algae died back, the color was gone.

 

[newreefguyy]

my first guess was coralline algae but the tank seems to be very new. are the rocks previously live?

They used to be in a previous tank.

 

[Jekyl]

Not coraline I don't think. Rock is too new for that. It's a form of cyano or algae. Happens in all new systems and is part of the process.

 

[newreefguyy]

Not coraline I don't think. Rock is too new for that. It's a form of cyano or algae. Happens in all new systems and is part of the process.

If this is any info at all I can't scratch it at all. Unless I remove a chunck with it

 

[Jekyl]

If this is any info at all I can't scratch it at all. Unless I remove a chunck with it

Still don't think it's coraline.

 

[chickendirt]

Might be coralline. Mine came in kinda weird like that. I’d get these spots on the white rock, then they’d fluoresce, turn white and dissapear. I think there’s a thing with coralline growth, before it like “Eureka!!! I have coralline!!!” That it comes up in little splotches and then dies back a bit. It’s less noticeable on live rock.

I’m going through stretches where is comes in and dissapears. It ussually will glow under blow lights before it dies. My tank is just shy of four months old. Maybe a little older. I think it’s just figuring out how it wants to use and how much foundation elements are needed. I have some zoas, GSP, pulsing Xenia, hammer and a goniopora frag that are all doing well. Even the nem I’ve had for a little less than a month seems really happy.

I think the coralline is just more dependent on stable parameters. All those others seem to have more wiggle room.

 

[zoomonster]

+1 coralline

 

[Dburr1014]

Coraline.


Coralline grows forming to the rock and is hard.
Cyano is more like a layer covering the rock and is slimy.

 

[Jekyl]

Easy way to tell. If it's not on your glass or powerheads, chances are it's not coraline. Also, the rocks are white. Other algae and what not show up before coraline does.

How old is the tank?

 

[Dburr1014]

Easy way to tell. If it's not on your glass or powerheads, chances are it's not coraline. Also, the rocks are white. Other algae and what not show up before coraline does.

How old is the tank?

I'm going to have to disagree.
If you added Rock slight chance of Coraline on it it's going to grow on the Rock before it ever gets a chance to grow in the power heads or glass.

 

[harrylarry]

It’s coralline algae that has stained the rock. I have old dry rock that I’ve had for 20 yeears and it’s still stained no matter how many times it been scrubbed or bleached

 

[danewguy]

Easy way to tell. If it's not on your glass or powerheads, chances are it's not coraline. Also, the rocks are white. Other algae and what not show up before coraline does.

How old is the tank?

op from other account just started the cycle but the rocks are from a friend

 

[Jekyl]

op from other account just started the cycle but the rocks are from a friend

This would just be the first time I've ever seen coraline be the first thing to present itself. Normally rocks go through all of the other stages of algae first. Never just white to coraline.

 

[harrylarry]

This would just be the first time I've ever seen coraline be the first thing to present itself. Normally rocks go through all of the other stages of algae first. Never just white to coraline.

It’s not the first thing. It on there stained permanently…. Good god ppl

 

[harrylarry]

Here’s some oldddd rock sitting in my garage. Notice the pink coralline! It hasn’t seen water in years.

 

[Jekyl]

It’s not the first thing. It on there stained permanently…. Good god ppl

He already said in the original post that it wasn't there before. This is new.

 

[Thumbster]

It’s old coralline algae. Cleaning the rocks and then putting them in water exposed the color.
I just set my tank up a month ago and used old rocks that have been setting in a basket in the basement for 10+ years. They “absorbed” water and I can see pinks and purples. I’m sure the coralline is dead but some of it still retains the color.

 

[Makara23]

Easy way to tell. If it's not on your glass or powerheads, chances are it's not coraline.

This is true some of the time, but not every time. I had coralline spread on rocks first before any glass or plastic.

Coralline growing on rocks but not glass

All my rocks have about 1/3 to 1/2 covered in coralline and seems to be rapidly spreading, although there's still some brown and green algae mixed in. What's odd to me is that there is not a speck of coralline algae on the glass or plastic parts. I thought coralline grows on powerhead and glass...

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