Help Me I have Algae Growing

SwimSwimDiego · 04/02/2008, 05:43 PM

I checked my tank early this morning took the reading and my tank seem to have finish the cycling. I found it three blocks away home my house.LOL Just kidding. It did finish cycling and about one hour ago I noticed a brown algae growing on my live rocks and on my sand also, what should I do now? Should I buy a cleanup crew and let them do there job or what? It been a long time since I had marine fish but now I am starting a reef tank. It's a 10 gallon tank. Please Me I don't want a brown reef I want a colorful one.

The reading are:
Ammonia-0
Nitrate-20
Nitrite-0
Alkalinity-300
PH-8.4

Thanks

Angel*Fish · 04/02/2008, 06:32 PM

Sounds like you're haing a diatom bloom which is a normal phase in setting up a reef tank. It will pass as things start getting closer to an equilibrium

jallen100 · 04/02/2008, 08:40 PM

I went through the same thing. I let it go for about 3 days and then blew all my LR off before a 25% water change. I did keep a close eye on all my water parameters while going through the bloom though.

D to the P · 04/02/2008, 08:44 PM

Yep, sounds like diatoms. You might have hair algae or cyano up next. If you're lucky you'll skip this part and then you'll probably start to get brown algae (not diatoms) growing on your glass or rock. Then the cycle will be pretty much complete. It's pretty predictable because everyone sets up their tank pretty much the same way.

Angel*Fish · 04/03/2008, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by jallen100
I went through the same thing. I let it go for about 3 days and then blew all my LR off before a 25% water change. I did keep a close eye on all my water parameters while going through the bloom though.

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but while a water change is almost always a positive thing, trying to actively rid your tank of the diatoms at the same time is not. These are consuming nutrients -- therefore, fine, reduce the number of nutrients with a water change, but leave the diatoms in there to do their job.

Now I wouldn't suggest that what you did is going to ruin your tank or anything, it just seems anti-good husbandry to me.

D to the P · 04/03/2008, 10:23 AM

I think the tank would cycle a little quicker if the diatoms were left in there, but I'm not sure that it would be much quicker. Also I'm not sure that when the nutrients are gone and the diatoms die that they wouldn't just release the same amount of nutrients back into the water. I'm not sure, just thinking.

04/02/2008, 05:43 PM	#1
SwimSwimDiego Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Altoona PA Posts: 60	Help Me I have Algae Growing I checked my tank early this morning took the reading and my tank seem to have finish the cycling. I found it three blocks away home my house.LOL Just kidding. It did finish cycling and about one hour ago I noticed a brown algae growing on my live rocks and on my sand also, what should I do now? Should I buy a cleanup crew and let them do there job or what? It been a long time since I had marine fish but now I am starting a reef tank. It's a 10 gallon tank. Please Me I don't want a brown reef I want a colorful one. The reading are: Ammonia-0 Nitrate-20 Nitrite-0 Alkalinity-300 PH-8.4 Thanks __________________ Must be great to be a Fish. Current Tank Info: 10 Gal with a Aqua Clear, one gallon tank with one damsel. Just to start for now.

04/02/2008, 06:32 PM	#2
Angel*Fish cats and large squashes Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Houston Posts: 5,951 Blog Entries: 1	Sounds like you're haing a diatom bloom which is a normal phase in setting up a reef tank. It will pass as things start getting closer to an equilibrium __________________ Marie So long, & thanks for all the fish! __________________________ Current Tank Info: Pairs: flame angels, cherub angels, Red Sea mimic blennies, yellow fin fairy wrasses, clowns, mandarins, blackcap basslets, shrimp gobies, damsels, dispar anthias, yellow clown gobies, threadfin cardinals --- Tanks: 100g reef, 2 x 30g refugiums

04/02/2008, 08:44 PM	#4
D to the P Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Amishville, USA Posts: 2,047	Yep, sounds like diatoms. You might have hair algae or cyano up next. If you're lucky you'll skip this part and then you'll probably start to get brown algae (not diatoms) growing on your glass or rock. Then the cycle will be pretty much complete. It's pretty predictable because everyone sets up their tank pretty much the same way. __________________ Nature V.S. Nurture: Nature Always Wins. Current Tank Info: 12 gallon Aquapod reef with LED's, multiple nano's at work.

04/03/2008, 10:23 AM	#6
D to the P Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Amishville, USA Posts: 2,047	I think the tank would cycle a little quicker if the diatoms were left in there, but I'm not sure that it would be much quicker. Also I'm not sure that when the nutrients are gone and the diatoms die that they wouldn't just release the same amount of nutrients back into the water. I'm not sure, just thinking. __________________ Nature V.S. Nurture: Nature Always Wins. Current Tank Info: 12 gallon Aquapod reef with LED's, multiple nano's at work.

04/02/2008, 08:40 PM	#3
jallen100 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Blacklick, Ohio Posts: 220	I went through the same thing. I let it go for about 3 days and then blew all my LR off before a 25% water change. I did keep a close eye on all my water parameters while going through the bloom though.