green algea

Question
i have green algae growing on my live rock is that good or bad in my salt water tank?

Answer
Hi Rachel,
It's fine and normal in most aquariums..... until it begins to get out of control. Algae, arent plants, they are phototropic animals, that feed on light and absorbed nutrients(nitrogen mainly) from the water. Nitrates being elevated from waste, excess food from over feeding etc and over extended photo periods(longer than 12 hours) make for a great environment. Algae can be a great thing to have(in small amounts or the beautiful macro algae you can aquascape) to help maintain water quality though. You can get it cut back by removing as much as you can by hand, then reducing lighting periods to 8 hours maximum and reducing the amount of food at each feeding(reduce the amount of food at each feeding not the number of feedings each day) for a couple weeks. But it really is just a part of what we do in this hobby. As long as it doesnt grow out of control its really nothing to worry about. Let me know if I can help further.