# Is my Live Rock OK?



## mt0218463 (Mar 24, 2008)

Hello Everyone,

Im Missy,
I am a new owner of a 55 gallon Saltwater Tank. I have took some pictures of what i have so far and i am planning on creating a Reef and Fish Tank and i have everything i need except for a protein skimmer which is on it's way in the mail. I have had my live rock in for about 5 days and i was just wondering if it looks healthy? Is it doing what it's suppose to be doing? Please let me know if Im doing good or need something else. Thankz y'all!


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## mt0218463 (Mar 24, 2008)




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## DJOstrichHead (Feb 29, 2008)

i have the same thing going on in my tank. 

Everything i've read points to a build up brown diatom algae who are feeding on excess silicates in your water. One way to clear this up is to use Reverse osmosis water instead of tap water. Another would be to up the lighting on your tank, that clears up some algae. 

What is your tanks size and lights wattage


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## mt0218463 (Mar 24, 2008)

I have a 55 gallon with 260 watt lighting. 2 actintic blue and 2 daylight white 12000 K bulbs that i have been trying to have on for about 10 hours a day and then i have 8 led moonlights on at night.


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## mt0218463 (Mar 24, 2008)

Where could i get Reverse Osmosis water or how would i make it???


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## conger (Feb 2, 2008)

reverse osmosis (RO) water can usually be bought from your local fish store (mine sells 5 gallons for about $2), or alternately you can buy an RO/DI unit for your home, probably anywhere from $150 and higher, and make your own RO water.

I'll second DJOstrichHead's suggestion to use RO water for a saltwater tank. In addition to silicates, I believe phosphates are typically high in tap water, and those also contribute to algae growth and poor water quality. Just more motivation to use RO water


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## mt0218463 (Mar 24, 2008)

What about a clean up crew? what species of snails, hermits, or other crabs are best for eating this algae?


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## papap (Aug 3, 2008)

*red spot*

My rock also has the red spots starting to grow. What is it and is it good???


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## conger (Feb 2, 2008)

well, red spots likely either mean coralline algae, which would be good, or cyano (red slime algae, though its not really algae but bacteria), which is bad/a sign of something being off in the water. Can you give us more info on the red spots, or a picture? Does it looks like something slimy (red slime), or does it look like hard stuff (coralline) that won't come off if you rub it?


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## papap (Aug 3, 2008)

*hard*

I stuck my scraper in the tank. Its hard. You can not move it. I'm guessing it is the good kind. Thanks


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## conger (Feb 2, 2008)

yeah it sounds like coralline algae which is good. Hopefully in time all of your liverock will be covered with red and purple (coralline) algae, and it will look beautiful! It might even start to grow on your glass, which is not bad but might be unsightly to you, in which case with a little elbow grease you can scrap it off the glass.


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