A couple of questions

ckprax · 08/22/2007, 10:03 PM

So I have a few questions, I have had my tank set up for a little over a month now, I bought a new rock that I really wanted for my aquascaping, the only thing is it had a little hair algae. Now it has a ton of it. What can I do to get rid of it, I heard that emerald crabs will do the trick but I also heard that they can be aggressive. I don't have anything in the tank now except 3 snails but I dont know.

Also I have quite a few purple sponges (i think) that are starting to take over another rock. How would I go about ridding these, I dont like how they look. I tries to siphon them out but they come back within a day or so b/c I cant get them entirely.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Some pics are below so you can see what I'm talking about.

The hair algae

The sponges

Thank you again. I also have to add... my gf is letting me get another tank!!! I think im going for an 80 gal!

ckprax · 08/22/2007, 10:06 PM

oh and I also am having another diatom bloom. I am thinking about adding a mj606 and convert my secong chamber into a fuge with cheato. I hope this will help too.

ckprax · 08/22/2007, 10:06 PM

oh and I also am having another diatom bloom. I am thinking about adding a mj606 and convert my secong chamber into a fuge with cheato. I hope this will help too.

big_s · 08/22/2007, 10:07 PM

get some blue hermits and some more snails. And esy on the light. What kind os lights r u using and how long r they on for?

big_s · 08/22/2007, 10:07 PM

get some blue hermits and some more snails. And esy on the light. What kind os lights r u using and how long r they on for?

scotmc · 08/22/2007, 10:08 PM

thats a lot of growth for a young tank. It 's part of the cycle. I would bet your nitrates are high. What did you seed your rock with?

ckprax · 08/22/2007, 10:49 PM

big_s, I have the stock lights that came with the nanocube, They are on for about 9hrs a day

scotmc, i figured that the diatoms were just b/c my tank is new but my nitrates were at zero, i added three snails and two days later I did a 20% water change, although I have not tested my water, the hair algea has been spreading slowly for about two weeks now even when my nitrates were zero.

any other suggestions? And thanks for the quick responses!

ckprax · 08/22/2007, 10:51 PM

i didn't seed my rocks to my knowledge, I bought live rock from the lfs thats about a mile and a half away.

Should I cut my lighting cycle to maybe 5 or 6 hrs? or should i cut my lights for a few days and do a big water change after that?

schoch79 · 08/23/2007, 12:31 AM

I would try to pull out most of the hair algae. Also are you using tap water? That could help to fuel the algae. I personally would keep the lights on around 8-10 hours a day but for now maybe it would be good to cut it down to 6-8 to control the algae. The "sponges" I believe is actually cyanobacteria. Continue to remove it from your tank the way you have been. Both things are a normal part of a new aquarium and will go away on their own with time.

clown2be · 08/23/2007, 12:39 AM

If you don't have coral you don't need lights. Just keep reading on here and it will all be fine. get lots of snails-different kinds, crabs- different kinds, and other inverts . make your tank an invert tank 1st for months and you will be happier. Learn yourself what each does by watching . Emerald crabs rock. they are way to slow to hurt anything. I big TURBO SNAIL. watch it works. Let me know.

Eric55 · 08/23/2007, 05:03 AM

Big Turbo Snails are great!

Davidb6 · 08/23/2007, 06:20 AM

ckprax wrote "I have had my tank set up for a little over a month now"

Only add a crab abd a crew if your tank has cycled. As note, none of these guys will eat hair algae. If you trim (pull) it back, turbo's will eat the small pieces left.

Algae blooms are normal for a newly cycled tank but they normally takes a few months.

You may have other issues - RO/DI water, over lighting, water circulation or lack of.

bill37 · 08/23/2007, 06:42 AM

if it is not too much trouble, you can pull the rock out with the hair on it and scrub it off. You should also use RO/DI water instead of tap.

XSiVE · 08/23/2007, 07:03 AM

I see my blue-leg hermits chewing through algae like yours daily... my coral beauty also picks at it.

clown2be · 08/23/2007, 10:37 AM

My purple tang eats it. Its a hit and miss with fish eating that stuff.

ckprax · 08/23/2007, 04:35 PM

Thanks for all of the responses. I am thinking of adding a few crabs and snails to the mix. The only problem is I am leaving on a two week vacation in about a week and a half and don't want too much in the tank in case they run out of food and all die. My tank has a hood so top offs are only about every two weeks, I plan on doing a water change b4 I leave.

Also I use RO water that I buy from the LFS, I live in apt so I cant really get my own RO/DI so this will have to do for now. I have never added tap water to my tank.

I will probably take the rock out and scrub it to get rid of the hair algae. One question, will this kill the good bacteria in the rock or is it ok as long as I scrub it in some saltwater?

I also plan on increasing my flow with a mj606 in the near future. If this is cyno, why is it purple? I have read about it and it has always been red. Also shouldn't it be in places of low flow? These Sponges are on a rock that get a lot of flow.

Thank you all for your time

bill37 · 08/23/2007, 04:58 PM

you will kill some but it will come back. Cyno is red, the purple is coraline algea, which is a good thing.,

08/22/2007, 10:03 PM	#1
ckprax Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: New York Posts: 223	A couple of questions So I have a few questions, I have had my tank set up for a little over a month now, I bought a new rock that I really wanted for my aquascaping, the only thing is it had a little hair algae. Now it has a ton of it. What can I do to get rid of it, I heard that emerald crabs will do the trick but I also heard that they can be aggressive. I don't have anything in the tank now except 3 snails but I dont know. Also I have quite a few purple sponges (i think) that are starting to take over another rock. How would I go about ridding these, I dont like how they look. I tries to siphon them out but they come back within a day or so b/c I cant get them entirely. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Some pics are below so you can see what I'm talking about. The hair algae The sponges Thank you again. I also have to add... my gf is letting me get another tank!!! I think im going for an 80 gal!

08/23/2007, 12:31 AM	#9
schoch79 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: hegins,pa Posts: 1,071	I would try to pull out most of the hair algae. Also are you using tap water? That could help to fuel the algae. I personally would keep the lights on around 8-10 hours a day but for now maybe it would be good to cut it down to 6-8 to control the algae. The "sponges" I believe is actually cyanobacteria. Continue to remove it from your tank the way you have been. Both things are a normal part of a new aquarium and will go away on their own with time. __________________ We'd better get back, 'cause it'll be dark soon, and they mostly come at night... mostly.

08/22/2007, 10:06 PM	#2
ckprax Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: New York Posts: 223	oh and I also am having another diatom bloom. I am thinking about adding a mj606 and convert my secong chamber into a fuge with cheato. I hope this will help too.

08/22/2007, 10:07 PM	#4
big_s Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 112	get some blue hermits and some more snails. And esy on the light. What kind os lights r u using and how long r they on for?

08/22/2007, 10:08 PM	#6
scotmc Moved On Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Maryland Posts: 765	thats a lot of growth for a young tank. It 's part of the cycle. I would bet your nitrates are high. What did you seed your rock with?

08/22/2007, 10:49 PM	#7
ckprax Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: New York Posts: 223	big_s, I have the stock lights that came with the nanocube, They are on for about 9hrs a day scotmc, i figured that the diatoms were just b/c my tank is new but my nitrates were at zero, i added three snails and two days later I did a 20% water change, although I have not tested my water, the hair algea has been spreading slowly for about two weeks now even when my nitrates were zero. any other suggestions? And thanks for the quick responses!

08/22/2007, 10:51 PM	#8
ckprax Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: New York Posts: 223	i didn't seed my rocks to my knowledge, I bought live rock from the lfs thats about a mile and a half away. Should I cut my lighting cycle to maybe 5 or 6 hrs? or should i cut my lights for a few days and do a big water change after that?

08/23/2007, 12:39 AM	#10
clown2be Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Corona, Calif Posts: 2,856	If you don't have coral you don't need lights. Just keep reading on here and it will all be fine. get lots of snails-different kinds, crabs- different kinds, and other inverts . make your tank an invert tank 1st for months and you will be happier. Learn yourself what each does by watching . Emerald crabs rock. they are way to slow to hurt anything. I big TURBO SNAIL. watch it works. Let me know.

08/23/2007, 05:03 AM	#11
Eric55 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Western Massachusetts Posts: 490	Big Turbo Snails are great!

08/23/2007, 06:20 AM	#12
Davidb6 Registered Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Savanah Ga Posts: 770	ckprax wrote "I have had my tank set up for a little over a month now" Only add a crab abd a crew if your tank has cycled. As note, none of these guys will eat hair algae. If you trim (pull) it back, turbo's will eat the small pieces left. Algae blooms are normal for a newly cycled tank but they normally takes a few months. You may have other issues - RO/DI water, over lighting, water circulation or lack of.

08/23/2007, 06:42 AM	#13
bill37 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Connecticut Posts: 1,201	if it is not too much trouble, you can pull the rock out with the hair on it and scrub it off. You should also use RO/DI water instead of tap.

08/23/2007, 07:03 AM	#14
XSiVE Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Waterford, MI Posts: 790	I see my blue-leg hermits chewing through algae like yours daily... my coral beauty also picks at it.

08/23/2007, 10:37 AM	#15
clown2be Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Corona, Calif Posts: 2,856	My purple tang eats it. Its a hit and miss with fish eating that stuff.

08/23/2007, 04:35 PM	#16
ckprax Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: New York Posts: 223	Thanks for all of the responses. I am thinking of adding a few crabs and snails to the mix. The only problem is I am leaving on a two week vacation in about a week and a half and don't want too much in the tank in case they run out of food and all die. My tank has a hood so top offs are only about every two weeks, I plan on doing a water change b4 I leave. Also I use RO water that I buy from the LFS, I live in apt so I cant really get my own RO/DI so this will have to do for now. I have never added tap water to my tank. I will probably take the rock out and scrub it to get rid of the hair algae. One question, will this kill the good bacteria in the rock or is it ok as long as I scrub it in some saltwater? I also plan on increasing my flow with a mj606 in the near future. If this is cyno, why is it purple? I have read about it and it has always been red. Also shouldn't it be in places of low flow? These Sponges are on a rock that get a lot of flow. Thank you all for your time

08/23/2007, 04:58 PM	#17
bill37 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Connecticut Posts: 1,201	you will kill some but it will come back. Cyno is red, the purple is coraline algea, which is a good thing.,