Pics:New CUC + algae aaaaah

[expo703]

So my tank has been stable now for last 2-3 weeks. Past two weeks I have crazy algae bloom idk if its green hair algae or not might just be normal algae but its green :P

I have:
two clowns
6 cerith snails
12 margarita snails
3 scarlet hermits
12 nerite snails

Click the photos to see them bigger:














My tank is 6 foot 135gal tank so I will probably need more but this was just a start..I noticed my tank the last two days seems a lot more cloudy? I looked closer and some pods very small on all over the glass today as I was checking out my CUC basically look like microscopic white bugs/ants and 1,000's of them hopefully that's a good thing (you can see them in one of the pics actually.. to the right of one of the margarita snails.)

Used my API test kit for phosphates its somewhere between 0.25 and .5 which is bad right? (I used prime and tap to fill the tank and have been topping off with RODI now that I have a unit.) I also added GFO and carbon dual reactor today..

what else should I do I tried to siphon and pick the algae off by hand and didn't go to well on the rocks but did okay on the sand..I put a power head and tried blasting it off still didn't work very well.. suggestions should I do a water change I have 20 gal of saltwater ready to go my nirates are about 20ppm? Do you guys stir up the sand bed( mine sand is .5-2" deep) everytime you do a water change? Should I do this or wait?

Once my QT tank is cycled and my DT has been running a another week or so i'm going to get a skunk cleaner shrimp, what other shrimps or livestock should I look at? I plan on adding a yellow tang, blue tang, maybe a wrasse,firefish,royal gramma, not sure what else would be helpful.

Thanks,

[vooDoo213]

I wouldn't worry about that green algae if you're getting a yellow tang, leave it there and once you plop him in, he'll start gazing and feel right at home.

Another fish to consider is a lawn mower blenny, I cycled my 100g tank and got the same amount of algae you have, with a LMB, yellow tang and two turbo snails, all that algae will get destroyed in a few days. This combo will let you have a smaller CuC.

If you're running GFO, your phosphate wouldn't be an issue, most of us don't even test for it when we run GFO.

Will you have a sump later? If not WCs can be used to bring nitrate down. Add a sump, skimmer and chaeto and you won't have to deal with nitrate much

[whosurcaddie]

Its gonna take time. Starting out with tap water wasn't the wisest choice but its not a deal breaker for you. I would do several large water changes over the next few weeks in the range of 50 gallons or more.

Also that dry rock is probably leaching. GFO will need to be used to take up the leaching phosphate. This takes some time. The first year of a tanks life is really hectic so don't get discouraged. The tank has to balance and you will go through many types of algaes during this time.

I would also look into a GFO reactor for a tank this large you will definitely need one. You want your phosphate to be around .03-.05. I would pick up some more dry rock as well. You need a total of at least 135 pounds.

[expo703]

Originally Posted by vooDoo213

I wouldn't worry about that green algae if you're getting a yellow tang, leave it there and once you plop him in, he'll start gazing and feel right at home.

Another fish to consider is a lawn mower blenny, I cycled my 100g tank and got the same amount of algae you have, with a LMB, yellow tang and two turbo snails, all that algae will get destroyed in a few days. This combo will let you have a smaller CuC.

If you're running GFO, your phosphate wouldn't be an issue, most of us don't even test for it when we run GFO.

Will you have a sump later? If not WCs can be used to bring nitrate down. Add a sump, skimmer and chaeto and you won't have to deal with nitrate much

I have a sump RS-200 eShoppes(no refugium though I did buy a 8x8x1 MarinePure Plate i'm going to try to fit under my skimmer or filtersocks should get it wednesday),vertex omega 150 skimmer, and already running with a dual brs reactor carbon/gfo(i bought the cheap carbon and cheap gfo though). So my next additions should be a law mower blenny and yellow tang? What if I want to have a blue tang shouldn't they go in together and last?

Its gonna take time. Starting out with tap water wasn't the wisest choice but its not a deal breaker for you. I would do several large water changes over the next few weeks in the range of 50 gallons or more.

Also that dry rock is probably leaching. GFO will need to be used to take up the leaching phosphate. This takes some time. The first year of a tanks life is really hectic so don't get discouraged. The tank has to balance and you will go through many types of algaes during this time.

I would also look into a GFO reactor for a tank this large you will definitely need one. You want your phosphate to be around .03-.05. I would pick up some more dry rock as well. You need a total of at least 135 pounds.

I did about 5gal water change already just attempting to siphon some of the algae..I thought I was suppose to wait longer to do my 1st water change should I do one next weekend?

I have a BRS dual reactor with gfo I hooked it up on yesterday after this post and tested my phosphate it was around .25-0.5. I was going for a minimalist look do you really think I need more rock? I planned on getting a blue/yellow tang and I know they like swimming room. I'm totally new to this aquascaping and corals so maybe I do need to pick up some more?

This pic was a weekish before the algae bloom

[Sk8r]

GO light and slowly on the fish load with that little amount of live rock: it'll improve with time and good management, but don't stress it early.

[Bent]

Looks pretty mild to me brah. The system looks fairly new. I would chalk it up to growin pains and not get overly concerned. As sk8r said, watch the stocking amount right now. Once the excess nutrients get taken up, it should go away on its own. If not then you have a po4 leeching problem from your rocks or sand or both.

[expo703]

Well I bought a bottle of phosphate rx I saw on melves reef and he just put a little in and was able to pluck the algae off since it was very weakened.. going to try that when it arrives next week. What do you think my next live stock should be? skunk cleaners more CUC? lawn mower blenny? yellow tang? Shouldn't yellow tang be introduced with blue tang at the same time? Should I get more dry rock?

[stingeragent]

I'd give it another week or 2 before you start adding more fish. Give the bacteria time to fully develop. Tap water was for sure a bad choice, just make sure you keep up with your RO/DI water changes.

[expo703]

Originally Posted by stingeragent

I'd give it another week or 2 before you start adding more fish. Give the bacteria time to fully develop. Tap water was for sure a bad choice, just make sure you keep up with your RO/DI water changes.

I have a 8x8x1 biomedia plate coming in on wednesday i'm going to throw in the sump hopefully that helps as you guys aren't the first to tell me I didn't buy enough live rock!

I didn't have my RODI unit at the time when I first filled it up my LFS said it should be fine with first filling and sold me prime. I don't plan on adding new FISH till my QT tank is done cycling its been only a few weeks for my QT tank. Once that is done what do you suggest I add first?

Here is list of livestock I know I want to have:
2clowns( got them)
Skunk Cleaner shrimp
yellow tang
blue tang
fire anglefish
goby/blenny
Flasher or some type of wrasse

Thinking about:

harlequin tuskfish?
fire shrimp?
marine betta?
royal gramma?
blue throat trigger fish?

Any other suggestions? Should I just get another batch of snails and wait till my QT tank is filled? Should I add coral before fish?

[stingeragent]

As long as your tank is cycled you can do the coral whenever. Same with the shrimp unless you got a fish that likes shrimp, in which case I would put the shrimp in first. The flame angel has a 50/50 chance to nip coral. I want one too but the $ amount of coral in my tank is much higher than the cost of the fish , so thus far I've chosen not to get one. If you like red fish, consider a flame hawk. I'd put in the flasher and goby/blenny before the tangs depending on the type of wrasse it is.

[expo703]

Originally Posted by stingeragent

As long as your tank is cycled you can do the coral whenever. Same with the shrimp unless you got a fish that likes shrimp, in which case I would put the shrimp in first. The flame angel has a 50/50 chance to nip coral. I want one too but the $ amount of coral in my tank is much higher than the cost of the fish , so thus far I've chosen not to get one. If you like red fish, consider a flame hawk. I'd put in the flasher and goby/blenny before the tangs depending on the type of wrasse it is.

yeah I know about the 50/50 of the fire angel but they look cool :P thanks for the advice on that. I might get my first coral then tomorrow and a skunk cleaner shrimp. I'm thinking maybe a hammer color, torch, don't want to dive right into SPS yet.. I'm open to whatever wrasse I just heard there cool I like active swimmers and the flamehawk is cool but kinda just sits around/perching on rocks idk.

[stingeragent]

Haha. I just got a flame hawk the other day. He doesn't swim much but its an awesome fish. Sits perched and you can see his eyes moving around looking at you. Very cool

[expo703]

nice what corals do you think I should start with? I want to easy LPS and some easy forgiving SPS really like the capricornis montipora

[stingeragent]

Currently only have 1 sps. I have had a monti before as well as a digitata. With sps or lps you really gotta make sure u stay up with maint. I neglected my tank for several months and lost the monti, digi, and almost a candy cane. If you like trachophylias, i have had good luck with them even when neglecting the tank. Frogspawn arent too hard as well as hammers

[expo703]

When should I do a first water change I have 20+ gal of saltwater ready to go my nirates are about 20ppm? Do you guys stir up the sand bed( mine sand is .5-2" deep) everytime you do a water change? Should I do this or wait?

[stingeragent]

You can go ahead and do one. A lot of people vacuum the sand beds for water change which works good. If you do that, don't do it like you'd do a fw tank, and jam it all the way to the bottom, just very lightly dust the surface. Depending on how fine your sand is, you can even just hover right above it.

[expo703]

Originally Posted by stingeragent

You can go ahead and do one. A lot of people vacuum the sand beds for water change which works good. If you do that, don't do it like you'd do a fw tank, and jam it all the way to the bottom, just very lightly dust the surface. Depending on how fine your sand is, you can even just hover right above it.

Cool thanks yeah I have had FW tanks but always had gravel not sand


Does anyone know if phosphate rx will stop my dry rock from leaching phosphate? I didn't cure it and reading on the forums that is probably why I have so much algae growth+ the fact I used tap to fill it up originally.