What is this pink stuff?

[7digits]

I'm getting this pink stuff on my sand.

My tank is just over 3 months old, and I am experiencing a coraline algae explosion. It's been here about 3 days. Could it be coraline, or is it cyanobacteria? If it's cyanobacteria how do I get rid of it? My water flow has been lower this week due to a bad powerhead, and a new one is on the way.

[Steve McKay]

I'm getting this pink stuff on my sand.

My tank is just over 3 months old, and I am experiencing a coraline algae explosion. It's been here about 3 days. Could it be coraline, or is it cyanobacteria? If it's cyanobacteria how do I get rid of it? My water flow has been lower this week due to a bad powerhead, and a new one is on the way.

It does look like cyanobacteria,I would get some flow on it.Other than that I don't know,I never have had any.

[7digits]

So I should siphon it out right?

[MyNameIsJoe]

It kinda looks like coralline. If it starts getting darker purple or redish, its prolly cyano. I have similar algae growing on my sand bed, but mine is darker red. also have some green spots. I would just siphon it out with the water change to be safe. Even if it is coralline, you prolly dont want it growing on your sand bed. Low flow is one of the culprits in algae growth....

[Parrothead]

It is cyano, try to get some additional flow on that area somehow till you get you new powerhead, if nothing else go to wally world they got some cheapy's for about 20 bucks that will do, and after your new one gets there, you can use the wally world one to mix saltwater. Coraline algea is hard and usually appears on rock, glass, powerheads etc. rarely on the sand, also cyano can be caused by high nut., check your water parameters, and post the actual results, I'd also start brewing up some saltwater for a water change

[Parrothead]

Another quick question, Where did you get your sand, and what kind did you get???????????

[7digits]

The sand is 20 lbs of Nature's Ocean Bio-Activ Live Aragonite Reef Sand and 20 lbs of Nature's Ocean Premium Marine Substrate, which I'm pretty sure didn't come from the ocean but is safe for use. The first came with alot of shells in it. Should I try to get those out? I've got about half of the shells out, and most of the rest moved to one corner waiting to be removed. I'll check the water as soon as my daughter goes down for a nap shortly.

[Parrothead]

Shells won't hurt anything, I was just curious as the sand looks kinda fine, it will be ok, I believe it is just a flow issue, but check the water anyway...

[7digits]

Ok, I forgot to mention that the light has been off on my fuge for 3 days. I knocked it into the water but I got it pretty quick. I had to dry it out, so my cheato hasn't had much light. I'm sure that didn't help any.

[returnofsid]

Definitely Cyanobacteria. Increase flow, to the effected area and gently siphon it out. The increased flow will help keep it from coming back and spreading.

[7digits]

Thanks , I ordered a Koralia 2, and UPS is supposed to be delivering it today. That should take care of my flow issue.

[7digits]

OK here's my test results:

SG - 1.023
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 0
PH - 8.0
Alk - 3.5 mEq/L

[Parrothead]

based on those readings, it's def. a flow issue, get your k-3 in there and rock on

[twisted]

i really cant add anymore than what these guys have said, so ill just say" hey all"

[7digits]

Powerhead is in. Hopefully I can start adding coral soon. If the wife don't complain too much. Anyway I may start my build thread tonight or tomorrow so everyone can see my tank. Not much too look at yet, but I've been through some growing pains, and I think I'm finally ready for some coral. SWEET!

[twisted]

are you rid of phosphates and good tank parameters? if everything is good and you have competed your cycle maybe a few. just remember to go slow. i would get a few cheaper corals to start like shrooms,zoas. just remember, nems and lps and sps take great water quality in an established matured tank. take your time. good luck! i got your friend request so maybe ill catch you on cod....boom!...headshot!

[MyNameIsJoe]

I'm afraid to get on COD again...... Cuz once I start, I cant stop...

And my wife's mad at me cuz I spend more time with my tank than with my dogs......


Good Luck.

[twisted]

I'm afraid to get on COD again...... Cuz once I start, I cant stop...

And my wife's mad at me cuz I spend more time with my tank than with my dogs......


Good Luck.

thats why i wake up at 4 and have 3 hrs before the mrs wakes up...she use to get so mad cuz i was on it all the time. once i figured out the early deal, she is alot happier

[Ninong]

I'm getting this pink stuff on my sand.

It's Cyanobacteria. If you do a search on Reefland using "Cyanobacteria" as your keyword, you will get lots and lots of links to previous detailed discussions of this topic.

So I should siphon it out right?

Yes, it's always a good idea to physically remove as much of it as possible; however, this is not absolutely necessary. What is necessary is that you deal with the underlying causes of the Cyanobacteria bloom.

The sand is 20 lbs of Nature's Ocean Bio-Activ Live Aragonite Reef Sand and 20 lbs of Nature's Ocean Premium Marine Substrate, which I'm pretty sure didn't come from the ocean...

Yes, it came from the ocean. All Aragonite sand comes from the ocean. It all comes from the same place in the Bahama Banks.

The first came with alot of shells in it. Should I try to get those out?

I would leave them alone unless you're talking about a tremendous amount of shells.

OK here's my test results:

SG - 1.023
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 0
PH - 8.0
Alk - 3.5 mEq/L

Your specific gravity is low for a reef aquarium. Natural seawater around tropical coral reefs averages 35 ppt (1.0264 SG). I would suggest gradually raising your specific gravity to at least 1.025 by using saltwater instead of freshwater for evaporation replacement.

It's important that you test for calcium on a regular basis. Also, magnesium. You want to keep your calcium at least 425 ppm and your magnesium near 1300 ppm. Your alkalinity is fine at 3.5 mEq/L (9.8 dKH).

It's not likely that your nitrate is actually zero. I suspect that this is an unreliable reading. What test kit are you using for nitrate? Also, are you testing for phosphate?

Cyanobacteria are fueled by nitrate but it can also be limited by keeping phosphate extremely low. Phosphate is an indirect way of approaching the Cyanobacteria problem and it's usually easier to keep low than nitrate. Nitrate should be kept below 10 ppm (preferably below 5 ppm, with a goal of 1 ppm) for a reef aquarium. However, it's very important that phosphate be kept below 0.03 ppm. If you can keep phosphate below 0.03 ppm, you will eliminate a lot of potential problems, including Cyanobacteria. That's because the Cyanobacteria can't utilize the nitrate if there isn't adequate phosphate to go with it. Both Cyanobacteria and algae utilize nitrate and phosphate in an exact ratio. If you upset that ratio, you can screw up their game plan.

Since Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic bacteria, they are dependent on light. Not only that but light in very specific wavelengths. What often happens is that reefkeepers allow their lights to degrade too much before replacing them. As lights degrade (age), their spectral distribution shifts to the red. This benefits Cyanobacteria and can result in a cyano bloom. If your tank is new, then I doubt that this is part of your problem. It is, however, a common problem for hobbyists who forget to replace their lights on a regular basis.

The reason everyone advises you to increase water current in the direction of the Cyanobacteria is because they prefer areas of low flow. If you direct the water current at the problem area, you will physically break up the strands of cyanobacteria cells. It will make life miserable for them.

As your aquarium matures there will be less potential for Cyanobacteria to cause problems. Everyone has Cyanobacteria in their aquarium, it's just that it's under control and not usually even visible. The more corals and other lifeforms that you add to your aquarium, the less nutrients and even physical space there will be for the Cyanobacteria. In other words, there will be a lack of resources and the Cyanobacteria will be outcompeted.

To control Cyanobacteria:

Change lights on a regular basis.

Keep nitrate as low as possible. IMO, a reading around 1 ppm is ideal because it guarantees that your tank is not nitrate-starved, which is important for tridacnids.

Keep phosphate below 0.03 ppm. This is important.

Keep calcium, magnesium and alkalinity in balance. If you do this, you can forget about pH because it will always be in balance.

Keep your salinity near NSW (natural seawater) levels. It's impossible to keep your other parameters in balance if you don't maintain natural salinity.

Maintain adequate water flow in your tank, even across the sand bed.

Trivia: There are more than 7,500 different species of Cyanobacteria. They can be found in virtually every habitat on Earth, including the polar regions. Some Cyanobacteria are symbiotic and live in the coats of polar bears and a few other animals. Cyanobacteria have been around for nearly 3 billion years and are believed to be responsible for creating the Earth's atmosphere since all species produce oxygen as a byproduct of metabolism. Most species can also fix nitrogen and so play an important role in the nitrogen cycle.

The Cyanobacteria that we are most concerned with in our hobby are colonial in nature. The individual cells join together to form filamentous strands. The color of the Cyanobacteria that we usually encounter can vary from various shades of pink to dark red to maroon to reddish brown to black. We don't usually come across the blue-green color Cyanobacteria in saltwater aquariums and when we do it's almost always a dark greenish-black color.

We have unicellular Cyanobacteria in our tanks but we can't see it. The stuff that bothers us is the kind that sticks together to form sheets of filamentous strands that can cover everything if left unchecked.

[Ninong]

Have you had a diatom bloom yet? Just wondering. Most tanks experience a diatom bloom as part of the initial cycle. It can come three or four weeks after set up or three or four months. It usually lasts a couple of weeks and then goes away on its own.

Diatoms can be controlled by limiting silicates in your water. Diatoms require silica to build their cell walls. Once the excess silica is exhausted, the diatoms seem to disappear. They're not really completely gone, just unnoticeable.