Adding Fish With Algae Present

TL44

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Hello all,

I’m in week 4 of a new set up. I have brown algae growth on my sand bed and rock. My CUC is in and working - looks like they’re currently on a union break but that’s besides the point.
should I wait until the brown algae clears or can I still add fish now?
there’s currently no fish and corals in the tank.
 

Azedenkae

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Hello all,

I’m in week 4 of a new set up. I have brown algae growth on my sand bed and rock. My CUC is in and working - looks like they’re currently on a union break but that’s besides the point.
should I wait until the brown algae clears or can I still add fish now?
there’s currently no fish and corals in the tank.
You can add fish now.

Presence of algae does not interfere with the health of fish, at least unless things go super awry and things are too cray cray. Like if cyanobacteria releases cyanotoxins (probs ain't gonna happen), or if they overgrow everything and produce too much CO2 when they are not photosynthesizing (probably ain't gonna happen).
 

brandon429

why did you put a reef in that
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this is where disease starts though, by skipping fallow

you can add more than one fish, but should you - considering the rate of new posts from the fish disease forum


*recently someone designed a new tank to move over their existing stuff, that's not the same risk. but if coming from a pet store...
 
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TL44

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I’ve read a lot of material on disease and fallow including here. It’s been wildly suggested , as far as Uronema goes, to not add fish that are at high risk to that disease. I asked a bunch of questions here in order to learn the proper steps moving forward. It’s literally split down the middle on what to do and that included two LFS.
Trust me, I’m all ears
 

brandon429

why did you put a reef in that
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nice. I think its a legit aspect of planning. Im into studying patterns from what web folks type online for twenty years and I can assure you that on any page of the fish disease forum, with ten new help threads a day or so on average, 60-70%+ will be a tank under eight months but well past cycling. on dry rock, that's the pattern.

Its to the point i recommend preps to 100% of cyclers now, or they can just cheat and order already prepped fish which is what I'd do if I had a reef large enough to house fish. one neat aspect to a dry start tank is you get to skip fallow/80-90 days wait if we just add in prepped fish. (fallow purists will only add fallowed corals and hardscapes, however so there's also merit in stocking the tank shy of fish + fallow)

*caveat, so that searchable patterns dont refute claims. You can see at nano-reef.com anyones two clown setup might live years wo disease, they're toughish. make a nano, add two clowns and no more plus corals and rock, feed well, change water, a high % will be ok and not die in eight months. two clowns.

but who stops at two clowns I ask you, other than groups working in solely nano reefs...ya'll large tankers will inevitably diversify, and that means I think preps are required or massive loss w happen by month eight.
 
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TL44

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That’s another debate right there; already prepped fish.
I like the idea but does it guarantee health? As a new reefer ( I don’t even want to call myself that) I don’t think anything is guaranteed. So savvy owners even suggest what Happens to a newly QT fish in transit? — great question IMO.

I wish I never added the Chromis. But I did and here we are. I was actually going to break down the tank and start over but the guy at my LFS spotted me buying all new sand and rock and asked me what I was doing ? He said put that back and listen up. Fast forward and he said to leave it be; sold me some CUC for the algae and said fallow wasn’t necessary because to eradicate the tank and live 100% disease free isn’t practical.
Good advice ? I can’t say but it echoes a lot of what I read here and from reputable experienced reefers.
 

brandon429

why did you put a reef in that
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only accept advice if it comes from a logged forum where you can track outcomes, like the fish disease forums.

that claim made at the lfs is air, not trackable for patterning.


what's in the fish disease forum as stickies is even a tighter relay of best practices. I believe that if anyone is following that lfs's disease prep advice, their melafix and garlic food preps sales must be astounding. folks are reporting back ich and crypto, so they're sold better feed as a loop thats the bet.

its patently wrong info but that depends on context, its wrong only because it matches nothing from the fish disease forum where a man that runs an aquatics zoo recommends best practices

requiring forum logs for claims is excellent, its a primary reason those folks with excellent reefs that truly did skip all preps only have their own tanks to show for it, never a pattern of even ten other reefs copying the method from startup for us to read. air claims make up the skip preps side; logged works makes up whats in the disease forum is how I see it.
 
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