New to Marine Fish

Question
Hi I have just set up a new 80 gallon tank, I have live rock in it but it has like a white film growing on the rock. It looks a bit like fungal mat. What do I need to do to get rid of it. I have only had the tank for one week, and only have the live rock and water in it at the moment. I would be grateful if you could let me know what I need to do.
Thanks

Answer
Hi Donna. Chances are that the white slime you are seeing is fungus growing on your rocks due to a large amount of decaying organisms with in the rock. If your rock was not fully cured when you bought it there may be a lot of organisms going through a die off due to the stresses from shipping and relocation from the ocean. Some times the addition of a few small hermit crabs will help to clean this up however if there is too much decay going on then the ammonia may be pretty high and unable to support the hermit crabs. Check your ammonia and if it has not gotten  too high at this point then add just a few small hermit crabs. You could siphon it off the rocks to get rid of it or you can also just wait it out and as the tank cycles and becomes more stable it should eventually clear up on its own!