problem with live rock.

soo i started this tank a month ago. and the rocks i got...
there has been a whole bunch of crap growing on it since.
the stuff in the cup is what i ripped off the rocks..
is it algae..what is it? how do i get rid of it. do any fish eat it?


120 gallon tank with 30 gallon sump
100 pounds of live rock.
50 pounds of coral reef base rock
cycled for 1 month
2 clownfish, 1 lawnmover blenny, 2 damsels, 15 snails, 5 hermit crabs.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/AzNan5r3w/SNV32422.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/AzNan5r3w/SNV32426.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/AzNan5r3w/SNV32430.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/AzNan5r3w/SNV32433.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/AzNan5r3w/SNV32434.jpg

please advice.

 

It looks like you got some bad turf algae and other macro algae. You have two choices, I don't believe much eats the turf algae the purple stuff. If that were my tank, I would take it down, nuke the rocks and start over. mainly because it is still very new and you don't have much in there. YOu could also try to combat the nutrients, feed less and less often, make sure bulbs are new, phosphate reactor would help, a refugium too. As I said, i would nip this in the butt before it gets worse, or you may be combating it for a very long time. (also, you may find hermits and snails may eat the green stuff, but Im not exactly sure what that is)

 

so...take them out.(scrub them i guess) what should i get to scrub with. and how about the water? this is my first tank. pretty much doing this with a blindfold.

 

algae woes

Mmmm my tangs would sure like to spend a few days in your tank Yes you could take it out,and scrub it with some tank water.But,it will just come back,there is a lot of things that can contribute to algae.I swear by a phosban reactor,but that's after your sure that your lights, not frequent water changes,to much food,crap bound in the rock,is not to blame.

 

What type of water are you adding..is it RO/DI? How old and what type is your light and bulbs? How long is the lights on during the day? How much water flow is in the tank? How much are you feeding your fish...with that bioload you should only be feeding VERY small amount of food (couple flakes no more then 2-3 weeks)

Have you tested your water lately? What is your phos level, mg level, nitrite, nitrate levels?

I would kill the lights completely until others chime in....I had MASSIVE hair algea on my first tank so much so that it looked like my tank was covered in grass, very long grass that needed to be mowed....I killed lights for 1 week total and it really reduced the algea.

I would also run some type of phosphate remover....I love Pura Phoslock

good luck

 

I like the control the nutrient approach at this point. I like the refugium method myself. Or you could go with the phoshate reactor and coil denitrator.

 

Wow, you have quite a few species there

Just about anything will eat the Ulva
Once Caulerpa gets their holdfasts into LR, it's darn hard to keep it from returning
The Padina is similarly difficult because it's holdfasts are hard to remove too
Snails will take care of the Derbesia
Rabbitfish will eat the Gelidium

 

Wow, it's nice to see someone started with a forgiving tank I like the look of some macros in the display. The Tank of the month on reef central actually has some of your species intentionally grown in the tank

 

I like your rock! Lots of sea lettuce. The CUC should do something for you. I'm always against nuking rock... takes all the hidden life away. Try letting it go until you can add the right fish or other creatures to help you control it. Like I said I like your rock. I'f I ived closer I would take a samle of some of this algae.

 

Man I would kill for those rocks! almost all of those Algae are macros that I have paid allot of money to get. Except for having to trim it occasionally I don't understand what the big deal is? Those are mostly desirable Algae except for the Caulerpa which as inwall75 said can be a bit of a PITA to completely remove. I say just continue to pull it off the rocks and you will eventually get ahead of it and it will be gone.

Also I would get myself a tang, I have Hippo and he has cleaned off every rock in my display tank that had even the smallest piece of algae on it. it even ate the Caulerpa Mexicana that I put in there and NOTHING eats that or so I have been told.