Yellow Star Polyps Not Doing Well...

[Bethany97]

I purchased a LR with a lot of yellow star polyps on it three months ago, and they continued to thrive for two months in my tank. The past month they seem to have been competing with some sort of algae and are being smothered.

This was what the polyps looked like one month ago. (Pardon the seahorse.)

And these are the same exact polyps today.

The algae growth that seems to be covering them does not siphon off with a baster so I'm not sure how to help my polyps. I feel like pulling the algae off might hurt the colony beneath? I've fragged a piece of the colony just in case I am not able to rescue the rest.
Note: this green grass algae is only appearing on this particular rock.

Any suggestions about how I can save my colony? Thanks in advance.

 

[Untamedrose]

Pull it out take a soft toothbrush to it...not Hard but get the algae off of it. Bowl with some tank water to swish it in every one in a while will help. Stick it back in the water to check you got it all before putting it back.
The suviving polys will pull up tight protecting them from the brush, they should come back out in a few hours.

I cant imagine a toothbrush is "great" for encrusting leather corals....but better then being smothered out and I've done such myself with green stars.

 

[Surfandturf]

So this is interesting because the same thing happened to mine except they never grew at all after being introduced to my tank! I have heard that these babies grow like weeds. I asked my LFS and they told me that they were not growing because my tank was too clean. After some months of not growing they started getting covered with algae. The algae started to spread and I got rid of the star polyps. To clarify I had green star polyps. Did you change the way you clean your tank at all? I think if your tank is super OCD clean like mine, you will not be able to grow them. Just my opinion.