Bad algae!!

Manwolf · 11/30/2009, 11:27 PM

My tank has been running for about a month and a week or 2. At 3 weeks i had a bad cyno outbreak and it went away after a week, and right now i have pretty bad brown algae starting to grow on the rocks... I use RO/DI and all the perimeters are fine... I run actinics from 7:30am-7:30pm and 10k from 8:30-6:30. Im thinking it might be just part of the tank still cycling. What could the problem be?

fox2589 · 11/30/2009, 11:29 PM

diatoms,part of cycling,should go away-Drew

chow · 11/30/2009, 11:36 PM

I wouldn't think you need to have the lights on for that long if your tank is still cycling. That's waaaaay overkill I think for light while it's cycling and it's just a waste of electricity. I'm just putting my lights on for 45 minutes a day while mine is cycling since it has some live stuff on it that I don't want to die from lack of sunlight.

Just get some clean up crew to clean up the algae. Did you test your RO/DI water to see if it's been tuned properly to get 0 TDS? Just because it's from a RO/DI unit doesn't mean it's 0 TDS if the flows haven't been adjusted properly to get 0 TDS. I'm assuming of course that the membranes are in good condition.

chow · 11/30/2009, 11:37 PM

I'm in my 3rd week of cycling and I used RO/DI water and still haven't had any algae outbreak.

aaronnohren · 11/30/2009, 11:38 PM

Part a the cycling process. You're going to go through a number of different types of algae and color. Don't sweat it, just keep up with your water changes.

jenjen · 11/30/2009, 11:43 PM

Sounds like a normal part of the new tank cycle to me. There are lots of opinions on what to do during the cycle - personally I like to run all my equipment on the schedule it will be run once the tank is 'live'.

If your tank has been running around a month, you are likely finishing the cycle. Have you been checking parameters? If everything is back to zero, you can safely do a water change and add a small CUC. I would suggest using a turkey baster to stir up the diatoms right before a water change, then siphon as much of it out as you can. May not stop them, but your tank will look clean for a bit which is a nice relief.

Hang in there!

Bontrager · 12/01/2009, 06:39 AM

"O" TDS; what does that mean.

Thank you.

IDSkoT · 12/01/2009, 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jenjen

Sounds like a normal part of the new tank cycle to me. There are lots of opinions on what to do during the cycle - personally I like to run all my equipment on the schedule it will be run once the tank is 'live'.

If your tank has been running around a month, you are likely finishing the cycle. Have you been checking parameters? If everything is back to zero, you can safely do a water change and add a small CUC. I would suggest using a turkey baster to stir up the diatoms right before a water change, then siphon as much of it out as you can. May not stop them, but your tank will look clean for a bit which is a nice relief.

Hang in there!

I recently started a tank (20g), how much water should I do each water change? 2 gallons? Don't mean to hijack this thread, just a quick question since it's kind of in the same vein.

11/30/2009, 11:27 PM	#1
Manwolf Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Buffalo Grove Posts: 391	Bad algae!! My tank has been running for about a month and a week or 2. At 3 weeks i had a bad cyno outbreak and it went away after a week, and right now i have pretty bad brown algae starting to grow on the rocks... I use RO/DI and all the perimeters are fine... I run actinics from 7:30am-7:30pm and 10k from 8:30-6:30. Im thinking it might be just part of the tank still cycling. What could the problem be?

11/30/2009, 11:29 PM	#2
fox2589 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Indiana Posts: 557	diatoms,part of cycling,should go away-Drew __________________ Back in the game.and no its not the first time haha. Current Tank Info: 40 breeder,20 gallon sump,bubble magus nac 6,eheim 1250 return,175 halide on lumenarc mini.

11/30/2009, 11:43 PM	#6
jenjen Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Langley BC, Canada Posts: 1,710	Sounds like a normal part of the new tank cycle to me. There are lots of opinions on what to do during the cycle - personally I like to run all my equipment on the schedule it will be run once the tank is 'live'. If your tank has been running around a month, you are likely finishing the cycle. Have you been checking parameters? If everything is back to zero, you can safely do a water change and add a small CUC. I would suggest using a turkey baster to stir up the diatoms right before a water change, then siphon as much of it out as you can. May not stop them, but your tank will look clean for a bit which is a nice relief. Hang in there! __________________ "Challenges forge the greatness in you" Current Tank Info: 180gal softy reef (Apr '09)

11/30/2009, 11:36 PM	#3
chow Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 61	I wouldn't think you need to have the lights on for that long if your tank is still cycling. That's waaaaay overkill I think for light while it's cycling and it's just a waste of electricity. I'm just putting my lights on for 45 minutes a day while mine is cycling since it has some live stuff on it that I don't want to die from lack of sunlight. Just get some clean up crew to clean up the algae. Did you test your RO/DI water to see if it's been tuned properly to get 0 TDS? Just because it's from a RO/DI unit doesn't mean it's 0 TDS if the flows haven't been adjusted properly to get 0 TDS. I'm assuming of course that the membranes are in good condition.

11/30/2009, 11:37 PM	#4
chow Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 61	I'm in my 3rd week of cycling and I used RO/DI water and still haven't had any algae outbreak.

11/30/2009, 11:38 PM	#5
aaronnohren Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Omaha, NE Posts: 89	Part a the cycling process. You're going to go through a number of different types of algae and color. Don't sweat it, just keep up with your water changes.

12/01/2009, 06:39 AM	#7
Bontrager Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 123	"O" TDS; what does that mean. Thank you.