Orange algae/growth happening on my rocks

CocoReef

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 2, 2021
Messages
113
Reaction score
97
Location
Upland, CA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I just left yesterday for a 5 day trip and today I got these pictures showing an orange algae that was not in the tank 30 hours ago. The GHA was from my sister avoiding maintenance while I was gone for college which makes it harder to see but Im amazed by how much of the orange has grown in a 30 hour time frame. I have no clue if it is something I should worry about or if the purple helix coralline I added about 5 months back is starting to grow out and is stressed. I havent heard of coralline algae blowing up that fast as there were zero signs yesterday at 7 a.m. I had my sister touch it and she said it feels encrusted rather than being slimy or soft which Im hoping is a good sign. If anyone has any ideas they would be greatly appreciated.

I tested the parameters 5 days ago:
Temp 78°
Sal- 1.024 sg
Alk- 7.1
Calc- 400 ppm
Mag- 1350 ppm
Nitrate- 5.7 ppm
Phos- .017 ppm
Nitrite-0 ppm
Amm-0 ppm

(Sorry for the picture quality. I would take better ones if I could)
3E0039D0-89A7-4A38-B840-F21D74BCB8E9.jpeg
EF558740-A376-4982-8B63-04FF46670FC0.jpeg
 
OP
OP
CocoReef

CocoReef

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 2, 2021
Messages
113
Reaction score
97
Location
Upland, CA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
nitrate and phosphates look high to me. also the alk seems low.
phos is definitely on the higher side but from what Ive heard <.02 ppm shouldnt be a problem. My sister had it around .266 before I started slowly dropping it to get the algae under control. As for nitrates I found my pulsing xenia do best when its closer to 5 ppm but thats the highest I let it go.

I did a 20% water change the day prior to leaving though. Following my tank trends and testing after water changes the parameters should be sitting around:
Sal- 1.024-1.025 sg
Alk-7.0-7.2
Calc- 350-400 ppm
Mag- 1300-1350 ppm
Nitrate- 1-3 ppm
Phos- .0015-.002 ppm
 

jasonDeReefer88

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 8, 2021
Messages
47
Reaction score
53
Location
Manuta
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I have a pod tank that the cyano looks orange in. It’s mixed in with some green algae and appears very ‘orange’ through the glass with blues on. Will post pic this afternoon when lights come on.
 
OP
OP
CocoReef

CocoReef

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 2, 2021
Messages
113
Reaction score
97
Location
Upland, CA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
UPDATE:
Just got back from my trip. Those previous pictures were under blue light. I switched them to white and found the spots to look like early lobophora which makes sense after lowering my nutrients to combat GHA.
However, I found these, what Im assuming to be, filter feeders growing in the lower light areas of my tank on the rock. Anyone know what these are?
CC252455-D914-415E-88D7-AA3CF846E436.jpeg 488E476C-E018-478B-8E7D-23F382E61D1B.jpeg
 

jasonDeReefer88

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 8, 2021
Messages
47
Reaction score
53
Location
Manuta
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Sorry I never posted picture..life happened. I tried this afternoon but phone did not pick up color anyhow.

those look kinda like sponges. When you look top down does it look like it’s hanging off rock/glass?
 
OP
OP
CocoReef

CocoReef

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 2, 2021
Messages
113
Reaction score
97
Location
Upland, CA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Sorry I never posted picture..life happened. I tried this afternoon but phone did not pick up color anyhow.

those look kinda like sponges. When you look top down does it look like it’s hanging off rock/glass?
No worries. I got it all figured out shortly after updating. A few people helped me figure out they are pineapple sponges
 

Mastering the art of locking and unlocking water pathways: What type of valves do you have on your aquarium plumbing?

  • Ball valves.

    Votes: 73 51.4%
  • Gate valves.

    Votes: 73 51.4%
  • Check valves.

    Votes: 36 25.4%
  • None.

    Votes: 31 21.8%
  • Other.

    Votes: 9 6.3%
Back
Top