Young Biocube tank with brown algae bloom

muppet · 05/18/2010, 05:13 AM

I've got a tank full of inverts right now:

6 red banded trochus snails
3 bumblebee snails
5 scarlet hermit crabs
1 emerald mithrax crab

They're doing an insanely good job of getting my algae under control. My water parameters are good with nitrates not going much over 1.5. 0 Nitrites, 0 ammonia, SG 1.024.

My problem is that none of the snails wants to go up on the plastic back wall that separates the DT from the filter/pump area, and it's covered in brown hair algae. More every day.

Trying to "anchor" snails manually on any vertical surface is apparently impossible because they retract when I pick 'em up.

They seem to prefer to hang out on the LR and the glass. Will they ever get around to that back wall when they've picked the rest clean?

redlabel · 05/18/2010, 06:31 AM

i would try some algeafix works pretty good

muppet · 05/18/2010, 06:41 AM

I don't think I'm at the point of dosing just yet. The water is clear, just the back wall is being taken over by hairs of brown algae and it's not very aesthetic.

Palting · 05/18/2010, 08:12 AM

I'd leave them alone, muppet. Those are diatoms, not algae, and will go away as the tank matures. They will be replaced with true algae, either the bad kind or the coralline kind. In fact, the sign of a maturing tank is when the brown diatom bloom goes away.

You can also get one of those cleaners with a wand that can reach back there and just clean them off. However, as the tank matures, multicolored algae on the back wall actually looks good, IMHO.

muppet · 05/18/2010, 08:13 AM

Do snails typically eat diatoms? Because the same stuff is all over my LR and the snails and hermits are going through it voraciously.

There doesn't seem to be any change in the character of the stuff day or night. I thought diatoms had some sort of cycle.

Fizz71 · 05/18/2010, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Palting

I'd leave them alone, muppet. Those are diatoms, not algae, and will go away as the tank matures. They will be replaced with true algae, either the bad kind or the coralline kind.

You can also get one of those cleaners with a wand that can reach back there and just clean them off. However, as the tank matures, multicolored algae on the back wall actually looks good, IMHO.

+1

Just clean it off yourself for now and see what happens as the tank matures.

muppet · 05/18/2010, 08:14 AM

I'm not disagreeing, just making sure.

Fizz71 · 05/18/2010, 08:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by muppet

I'm not disagreeing, just making sure.

We know.

I basically ignore any diatom or cyano bloom unless it lasts more than a few weeks. I had my first cyano "outbreak" last week on a year old tank because I screwed with alk and calc settings...I just cleaned it off and moved on. As long as you're using RO, have good flow, you're not over feeding, have a good cuc in place and lighting is current then these things tend to come and go and take care of themselves.

muppet · 05/18/2010, 08:32 AM

I haven't started feeding the inverts yet as they seem to be feasting on the brown stuff. They've been in the tank 3 days now. Should I be dropping in some meaty foods?

I have a TINY spot of what looks like cyano on one of my LR, but it's not spreading at all. It's just there. It's definitely not coralline like I have all over the place. It's smoother, rubbery and slick looking with air bubbles on it. There's probably less than a square centimeter of the stuff and the size of the "colony" has been stable for 2 days.

muppet · 05/18/2010, 08:33 AM

Also, it's a 14g tank. Is my CUC sized appropriately? LFS wanted me to buy twice as many red banded trochus (they were out of nassarius).

muppet · 05/18/2010, 08:35 AM

I'm also using distilled for evap replenishment but I was told not to do any water changes while I'm still cycling. Now that I've added inverts, should I be doing changes?

I've got 2 gallons of seawater left over from filling the tank. Can it be safely used for changes if it's been sealed (screw lid) since the fill, or should I toss it?

Fizz71 · 05/18/2010, 08:40 AM

Cyano has an unmistakable red slime look and feel. It should blow right off with a turkey baster and stick together like wet TP.

You can suck it out if you want.

Feeding or not feeding inverts is a tough call...If you're really worried about algea then don't bother. You're scarlet hermits would probably eat it if you put it in, but only if they found it before it broke down into ammonia....which wouldn't be bad either if you want to boost your live rock's bacteria load. How much live rock do you have in there?

muppet · 05/18/2010, 08:42 AM

About 11 pounds counting the DT and the crushed LR I replaced all the bioballs in the back with.

Fizz71 · 05/18/2010, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by muppet

I'm also using distilled for evap replenishment but I was told not to do any water changes while I'm still cycling. Now that I've added inverts, should I be doing changes?

I've got 2 gallons of seawater left over from filling the tank. Can it be safely used for changes if it's been sealed (screw lid) since the fill, or should I toss it?

When you say "seawater" do you mean actual "sea water" or salt water you mixed. I have 0 experience with sea water..but if you mixed it..then yes..it's fine to use, just aerate it a bit. If your nittrates are below 2 you can change the water if you want, but I personally don't think it needs it.

How long have you had 0 ammonia?

sedor · 05/18/2010, 08:44 AM

The water should be fine just make sure you test the salinity and make sure it matches. Also don't forget to aerate the water with a powerhead or something before you change the water. With a 14G you have a lot less room for error when it comes to water changes since only a few gallons is such a big percentage of the tank.

As far as feeding the CUC goes, don't worry about that they will find plenty of food on their own and when you introduce fish, they will get plenty of food from the extra that the fish don't get.

Just leave the diatoms on the back of the tank, they will go away in due time. Your algae problems will get worse before they get better, its just part of starting up a new tank.

muppet · 05/18/2010, 08:45 AM

I've had 0 ammonia for over a week. All of my LR was cured from the LFS and the ammonia has never been very high.

I mean actual sea water taken from someplace in the ocean and sold in big 4.5 gallon jugs.

I still have about half a jug just laying around screwed shut.

muppet · 05/18/2010, 08:46 AM

I should aerate the water I'm ADDING, right? With an air stone or something?

I guess I should buy a cheap aquarium pump and an airstone.

How long should I bubble the water for before doing the swap?

muppet · 05/18/2010, 08:46 AM

Oh you said powerhead. I'm not sure how that would work. Aim the powerhead at the surface from below for awhile?

I guess I need to buy a powerhead.

Fizz71 · 05/18/2010, 08:47 AM

There is a constant debate about how many snails and crabs you should have. For now I think you're fine. I would get some nassarius snails when they have them though; they're great for keeping the sand moving. You may want to toss some larger empty shells in your tank too or you may find your scarlets wearing a shiny new trochus shell some day..that's one of the the dangers of having both snails and crabs.

muppet · 05/18/2010, 08:50 AM

The LFS gave me a few "freebie" shells for the scarlets but they are about the same size as the ones they're already wearing. They're nice, though. Covered in coralline and one hermit actually has two feather dusters living on his back. :-)

If my scarlets are in 3/4" shells right now, should I be looking for 1" shells, or...?

muppet · 05/18/2010, 08:57 AM

Also, I know this thread is becoming dense with questions, but will any of my CUC above start picking at my coralline algae? I know the emerald crab might.

Right now they seem content to clean up the brown stuff and leave the pretty green/pink/purple coralline alone.

muppet · 05/18/2010, 09:02 AM

AND

I have a polyfilter and a Seachem "sponge" (I keep forgetting the trade name for it) in there. Should I be worried about adequate iodine for the crabs? I assume I can't really test for it.

Fizz71 · 05/19/2010, 06:44 AM

The poly filter is fine, I'm not sure what that Seachem sponge does so I can't answer that.

As for iodine, as long as you keep up with water changes I wouldn't worry about it. I don't dose anything in my tank that I can't test for, so I don't dose iodine.

As for the shells..I've never actually "measured" a shell, I just have quite the collection after the 10 years doing this. I've seen crabs upgrade to MUCH larger shells than their original so I don't really know what's in that head of theirs. I just know they'll kill a snail if they feel like upgrading.

I actually have 55g of water change water that I mix and keep heated and moving with a Koralia 5 and I won't answer a question I'm not confident about......I've never used NSW (natural sea water) so I don't know what is the best way to keep it and for how long. My concern is NSW will contain bacteria and other things that might change the rules...regular RO+Salt made SW just needs to have a little movement/rippling from a powerhead and heat to keep it around for weeks. Sorry. I only know what I have experience with!

And finally (I think), don't be concerend with coraline algea. I don't personally know what in your list eats it or not (but I don't think anything will), but the bottom line is it will grow much faster then anybody can eat it if the tank is healthy. You'll be cursing it as it grows on your glass.

One more note..I'm not a bumblebee snail fan. I've never been able to keep them long term and they have a reputation of killing other snails and other beneficial organisms because they are carnivores. I'm not saying get rid of them, I'm just sayin'. ..you may want to read up on them.

Good luck.

05/18/2010, 05:13 AM	#1
muppet Misanthrope Join Date: May 2010 Location: Plainville, CT Posts: 2,759	Young Biocube tank with brown algae bloom I've got a tank full of inverts right now: 6 red banded trochus snails 3 bumblebee snails 5 scarlet hermit crabs 1 emerald mithrax crab They're doing an insanely good job of getting my algae under control. My water parameters are good with nitrates not going much over 1.5. 0 Nitrites, 0 ammonia, SG 1.024. My problem is that none of the snails wants to go up on the plastic back wall that separates the DT from the filter/pump area, and it's covered in brown hair algae. More every day. Trying to "anchor" snails manually on any vertical surface is apparently impossible because they retract when I pick 'em up. They seem to prefer to hang out on the LR and the glass. Will they ever get around to that back wall when they've picked the rest clean?

05/18/2010, 08:12 AM	#4
Palting Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Ohio Posts: 6,912	I'd leave them alone, muppet. Those are diatoms, not algae, and will go away as the tank matures. They will be replaced with true algae, either the bad kind or the coralline kind. In fact, the sign of a maturing tank is when the brown diatom bloom goes away. You can also get one of those cleaners with a wand that can reach back there and just clean them off. However, as the tank matures, multicolored algae on the back wall actually looks good, IMHO. __________________ Anything I post is just an opinion. One of many in this hobby. Believe and follow at your own risk of rapid and complete annihilation of all life in your tank :) Current Tank Info: Incept 3/2010, 150 RR, 50g sump, 20g fuge, 150w 15K MH x3, T5 actinics x8, moonlight LED x6, 1400gph return, Koralia 1400 x4, 300 g skimmer, 4 tangs, 2 mandarins, 2 perc, 6 line, 3 cardinals, 2 firefish, SPS, LPS, zoas, palys, shrooms, clam

05/18/2010, 08:44 AM	#15
sedor Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 4,689	The water should be fine just make sure you test the salinity and make sure it matches. Also don't forget to aerate the water with a powerhead or something before you change the water. With a 14G you have a lot less room for error when it comes to water changes since only a few gallons is such a big percentage of the tank. As far as feeding the CUC goes, don't worry about that they will find plenty of food on their own and when you introduce fish, they will get plenty of food from the extra that the fish don't get. Just leave the diatoms on the back of the tank, they will go away in due time. Your algae problems will get worse before they get better, its just part of starting up a new tank. __________________ Ryan

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
29g biocube brown algae	Hurricanes24	Nano Reefs	10	05/10/2010 07:42 PM
Brackish tank brown algae bloom	equine622	New to the Hobby	0	01/25/2009 01:34 PM
brown algae bloom in new tank	RaddReef	New to the Hobby	11	09/04/2008 09:57 AM
Brown algae blooms on live Rock	SaltyBrock	New to the Hobby	12	06/12/2006 08:18 PM
Brown Algae Blooming	jumatomar	Marine Plants & Macroalgae	4	10/30/2004 07:59 AM

05/18/2010, 06:31 AM	#2
redlabel Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 72	i would try some algeafix works pretty good

05/18/2010, 06:41 AM	#3
muppet Misanthrope Join Date: May 2010 Location: Plainville, CT Posts: 2,759	I don't think I'm at the point of dosing just yet. The water is clear, just the back wall is being taken over by hairs of brown algae and it's not very aesthetic.

05/18/2010, 08:13 AM	#5
muppet Misanthrope Join Date: May 2010 Location: Plainville, CT Posts: 2,759	Do snails typically eat diatoms? Because the same stuff is all over my LR and the snails and hermits are going through it voraciously. There doesn't seem to be any change in the character of the stuff day or night. I thought diatoms had some sort of cycle.

05/18/2010, 08:14 AM	#7
muppet Misanthrope Join Date: May 2010 Location: Plainville, CT Posts: 2,759	I'm not disagreeing, just making sure.

05/18/2010, 08:32 AM	#9
muppet Misanthrope Join Date: May 2010 Location: Plainville, CT Posts: 2,759	I haven't started feeding the inverts yet as they seem to be feasting on the brown stuff. They've been in the tank 3 days now. Should I be dropping in some meaty foods? I have a TINY spot of what looks like cyano on one of my LR, but it's not spreading at all. It's just there. It's definitely not coralline like I have all over the place. It's smoother, rubbery and slick looking with air bubbles on it. There's probably less than a square centimeter of the stuff and the size of the "colony" has been stable for 2 days.

05/18/2010, 08:33 AM	#10
muppet Misanthrope Join Date: May 2010 Location: Plainville, CT Posts: 2,759	Also, it's a 14g tank. Is my CUC sized appropriately? LFS wanted me to buy twice as many red banded trochus (they were out of nassarius).

05/18/2010, 08:35 AM	#11
muppet Misanthrope Join Date: May 2010 Location: Plainville, CT Posts: 2,759	I'm also using distilled for evap replenishment but I was told not to do any water changes while I'm still cycling. Now that I've added inverts, should I be doing changes? I've got 2 gallons of seawater left over from filling the tank. Can it be safely used for changes if it's been sealed (screw lid) since the fill, or should I toss it?

05/18/2010, 08:40 AM	#12
Fizz71 FragSwapper Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: West Lawn, PA Posts: 5,800	Cyano has an unmistakable red slime look and feel. It should blow right off with a turkey baster and stick together like wet TP. You can suck it out if you want. Feeding or not feeding inverts is a tough call...If you're really worried about algea then don't bother. You're scarlet hermits would probably eat it if you put it in, but only if they found it before it broke down into ammonia....which wouldn't be bad either if you want to boost your live rock's bacteria load. How much live rock do you have in there?

05/18/2010, 08:42 AM	#13
muppet Misanthrope Join Date: May 2010 Location: Plainville, CT Posts: 2,759	About 11 pounds counting the DT and the crushed LR I replaced all the bioballs in the back with.

05/18/2010, 08:45 AM	#16
muppet Misanthrope Join Date: May 2010 Location: Plainville, CT Posts: 2,759	I've had 0 ammonia for over a week. All of my LR was cured from the LFS and the ammonia has never been very high. I mean actual sea water taken from someplace in the ocean and sold in big 4.5 gallon jugs. I still have about half a jug just laying around screwed shut.

05/18/2010, 08:46 AM	#17
muppet Misanthrope Join Date: May 2010 Location: Plainville, CT Posts: 2,759	I should aerate the water I'm ADDING, right? With an air stone or something? I guess I should buy a cheap aquarium pump and an airstone. How long should I bubble the water for before doing the swap?

05/18/2010, 08:47 AM	#19
Fizz71 FragSwapper Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: West Lawn, PA Posts: 5,800	There is a constant debate about how many snails and crabs you should have. For now I think you're fine. I would get some nassarius snails when they have them though; they're great for keeping the sand moving. You may want to toss some larger empty shells in your tank too or you may find your scarlets wearing a shiny new trochus shell some day..that's one of the the dangers of having both snails and crabs.

05/18/2010, 08:50 AM	#20
muppet Misanthrope Join Date: May 2010 Location: Plainville, CT Posts: 2,759	The LFS gave me a few "freebie" shells for the scarlets but they are about the same size as the ones they're already wearing. They're nice, though. Covered in coralline and one hermit actually has two feather dusters living on his back. :-) If my scarlets are in 3/4" shells right now, should I be looking for 1" shells, or...?

05/18/2010, 08:57 AM	#21
muppet Misanthrope Join Date: May 2010 Location: Plainville, CT Posts: 2,759	Also, I know this thread is becoming dense with questions, but will any of my CUC above start picking at my coralline algae? I know the emerald crab might. Right now they seem content to clean up the brown stuff and leave the pretty green/pink/purple coralline alone.

05/18/2010, 09:02 AM	#22
muppet Misanthrope Join Date: May 2010 Location: Plainville, CT Posts: 2,759	AND I have a polyfilter and a Seachem "sponge" (I keep forgetting the trade name for it) in there. Should I be worried about adequate iodine for the crabs? I assume I can't really test for it.

05/19/2010, 06:44 AM	#23
Fizz71 FragSwapper Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: West Lawn, PA Posts: 5,800	The poly filter is fine, I'm not sure what that Seachem sponge does so I can't answer that. As for iodine, as long as you keep up with water changes I wouldn't worry about it. I don't dose anything in my tank that I can't test for, so I don't dose iodine. As for the shells..I've never actually "measured" a shell, I just have quite the collection after the 10 years doing this. I've seen crabs upgrade to MUCH larger shells than their original so I don't really know what's in that head of theirs. I just know they'll kill a snail if they feel like upgrading. I actually have 55g of water change water that I mix and keep heated and moving with a Koralia 5 and I won't answer a question I'm not confident about......I've never used NSW (natural sea water) so I don't know what is the best way to keep it and for how long. My concern is NSW will contain bacteria and other things that might change the rules...regular RO+Salt made SW just needs to have a little movement/rippling from a powerhead and heat to keep it around for weeks. Sorry. I only know what I have experience with! And finally (I think), don't be concerend with coraline algea. I don't personally know what in your list eats it or not (but I don't think anything will), but the bottom line is it will grow much faster then anybody can eat it if the tank is healthy. You'll be cursing it as it grows on your glass. One more note..I'm not a bumblebee snail fan. I've never been able to keep them long term and they have a reputation of killing other snails and other beneficial organisms because they are carnivores. I'm not saying get rid of them, I'm just sayin'. ..you may want to read up on them. Good luck.