coralline dying..

[tranceFusion]

My tank has been cycling for a week. Alot of the coralline algae on the rock has turned white. When I got the rock it was quite colorful and now it is rather bland.

My alk is 11, my calcium is 450 and my pH is 8.0.

I am running my lights for 8 hours. It is a 70w metal hallide over a 12g.

Any suggestions? is this just part of the cycle?

 

[vorlx]

I have heard that the coraline can bleach itself when getting used to new light or when put under duress. (possibly from your cycle?) From what I have read it should recover. I will let some others comment in on this as well.

 

[chucke]

Yes From what i have Read It will recover dont worry

 

[Almondsaz]

Mine went through the same cycle. Nothing in my tank changed, it was quite strange. About the 6 month mark my coraline started to show signs of bleaching and then flaking off the back of the tank, floating on the surface. Now it is thriving again and going back to purple. Not sure why....but it happened. The only thing that wasn't in tolerance was that my calcium went up to 530 for two weeks.

 

[JohnLin]

have you recently added emerald crabs at all?
I've always thought they left coraline algae alone being it's too tough, but I was wrong.
Saw one literally just scrape them off with their claws and went at it.
But I would imagine it's actually spreading the coraline for me, as I doubt it could digest ALL the coraline algae it ate...

 

[tranceFusion]

well i haven't added anything but rock.. i have seen a small bivalve of some sort, a couple of snails, copepods, feather dusters.. but no crabs as hitchhickers..

 

[Grins]

I agree with others that is often typical in a new tank.

 

[BeelzeBob]

if you get all sorts of like lil tiny white spots on the coraline, look for asterna. i hate those lil stars

 

[Reefscape]

Would certainly agree with above...Happens all the time when rock is introduced to new lighting and systems..It will partly die as it acclimatises to the new system, and will grow back in time...Its all natural..

Niko

 

[Almondsaz]

if you get all sorts of like lil tiny white spots on the coraline, look for asterna. i hate those lil stars

I wondered what that was from...thanks for the info. Now I will have to look for them in the tank. I have only seen a few in the sump.