My mother's new tank.. Any ideas what this is?

[Tasty Burger]

My mother just cycled her 14 gallon biocube, and is very excited about the new life popping up. She sent me a picture of "something" in her tank, but I'm at a loss...

She says it's purple, and has "strands" coming off of it.. but now they're gone.
I'll try to get better pictures this weekend, but in the meantime I figured I'd post the photo I have now, and get some input..

 

[Ace25]

a patch of cyano perhaps?

 

[Jody]

Yea maybe red slime , i had some before and found i had a dead spot in my aquarium so i adjusted my power heads and it went away. It might just go away after the tank is all set up you well find out soon anyway its spreads fast or mine did

mine would just about disappear when the lights went out but appear again when the they switched on

GL

 

[greech]

It does look like cyano but the GHA and algae on the sand looks like she may not be cycled yet. Also, the rock itself looks fairly fresh. Could be a decaying sponge? As other mentioned you may want some more flow in the tank to combat the cyano if that is what it is. Water changes and not overfeeding are good ideas too.

 

[Amphiprion]

I see lots of sponge growth around that spot, which makes me suspect that it may be that. Any way to get a clearer shot?

 

[Cerianthus]

Whether it is cycled or not, testings will tell.

I really cant see clearly but are there bubble algae (valonia?) or is it just me???

 

[RiVerfishgirl]

I think it's probably a patch of red slime algae (cyano). I see a few pest algaes in the pic, so the tank may not be cycled.

 

[Tasty Burger]

She had an ammonia spike last week, and all levels are 0 now.. (ammonia, nitrates, nitrites)

I know that it can be deceiving, since the algae lives off the buildup. She has nothing in the tank other than rock at the moment, so there are no feedings going on.
She used a shrimp for cycling, FYI..

 

[greech]

That being the case just give it time and stay on WC's to keep nutrients down. Also keep an eye on your flow. If she just has the stock pump, chances are you will need to add more flow somehow.

 

[dixienut]

thats how my red slime started,..i thought it was a sponge of some sort but boy did i get a suprise