brown algae on my sandbed and aquascape

[Mark Novack]

If you are going to grow corals you will need alk, calcium and magnesium supplements and test kits. How you decide to add them depends upon the corals, soft or lps or sps or mixed. Some can be dosed as needed, some will need a steady supply. Even growing coralline algae will require that these elements be maintained. I suggest basic powder supplements with a 150 gallon tank to start with.

 

[airvicconcre]

Do I need to start dosing Magnesium, Calsium and Alkaline with the setup I have at the moment (fish only) or I can just start with dosing these supplements. Will it affect my fish? Which brand do you suggest I buy?

 

[Mark Novack]

If you are going to do corals, then getting the parameters correct before is a good idea. It will also give you a feel of what you need to do. Its good training. I use Columbo powder Calcium, Alk, and Magnesium, the cheapest on the shelf.

First make sure that alk is around 8 to 9, then get magnesium between 1350-1400, and then calcium 425-450. Make note of what they are. Once the levels are correct, test alk daily to see what that needs for maintanence. Calcium you can test weekly and magnesium too although as time marches on magnesium becomes more stabile.

The fish won't really care but you should notice a good deal more coralline algae growth. For a tank of soft corals you could continue manual dosing forever. For lps and sps corals you will want something to maintain it daily, dosers, by hand, or by calcium reactor if the tank is a large consumer. If you start with the powdered sups, you can get a feel for it and then choose your long term solution with a much better understanding of what you are doing.

 

[airvicconcre]

If you are going to do corals, then getting the parameters correct before is a good idea. It will also give you a feel of what you need to do. Its good training. I use Columbo powder Calcium, Alk, and Magnesium, the cheapest on the shelf.

First make sure that alk is around 8 to 9, then get magnesium between 1350-1400, and then calcium 425-450. Make note of what they are. Once the levels are correct, test alk daily to see what that needs for maintanence. Calcium you can test weekly and magnesium too although as time marches on magnesium becomes more stabile.

The fish won't really care but you should notice a good deal more coralline algae growth. For a tank of soft corals you could continue manual dosing forever. For lps and sps corals you will want something to maintain it daily, dosers, by hand, or by calcium reactor if the tank is a large consumer. If you start with the powdered sups, you can get a feel for it and then choose your long term solution with a much better understanding of what you are doing.

its been 6 weeks i setup my tank now. should i wait or should i start dosing right now. im going through the diatoms phase, should i wait to let that pass or it doesnt matter? i can buy dosing pumps however can i use powder products in dosing pumps or do you believe its better to do things manually? i would love to learn it all honestly.

 

[Mark Novack]

6 weeks is a good time to see what the levels are. I would go ahead and at least test it. It's usually around weeks 4-6 where coralline starts to consume some elements.

I use a calcium reactor for calcium/alkalinity and add Mg by hand when needed. Dosing pumps seem to be more popular. A 150g tank can go either way.

 

[airvicconcre]

6 weeks is a good time to see what the levels are. I would go ahead and at least test it. It's usually around weeks 4-6 where coralline starts to consume some elements.

I use a calcium reactor for calcium/alkalinity and add Mg by hand when needed. Dosing pumps seem to be more popular. A 150g tank can go either way.

can you tell me which testing kits i should order? i already have Salifert Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, Phosphate and Ph kits. i was looking into Hanna checkers, can you give an insight about which checkers are a necessity?

 

[Mark Novack]

Salifert normally makes good kits for Ca and Mg. I prefer a simple alk kit like JBL. A single reagent count the drops type. For Hanna, the phosphate checker is nice. Phophate kits are usually terrible to read by eye.

 

[airvicconcre]

Salifert normally makes good kits for Ca and Mg. I prefer a simple alk kit like JBL. A single reagent count the drops type. For Hanna, the phosphate checker is nice. Phophate kits are usually terrible to read by eye.

i should get Phosphate kit from hanna? Salifert kits are not readily available where i live (india) Hanna checkers are readily available. the salifert kits i have is what i bought when i was traveling in the States last month. is it feasible to buy all those tests from Hanna?

 

[BaliReefBox]

imo go for the hanna ulr phosphate and the dkh alk if you can get them easily...
I use salifert for Ca and Mg and the hannas for PO4 and Dkh. From my readings here on r2r salifert, redsea, nyos, and most things except API seem to be ok. again imo even if the kits and slightly off if they are consistent you can see trends in the readings and adjust accordingly.. please take my advise with caution as I am only new

 

[mellowyellow]

While I hate the site of it, it is diatoms and associated with new/mewer tanks and derives from developing organics and and silicate. Diatoms are a brown algae that typically appear in a reef tank that has just completed its cycle but they can also appear in an established reef tank. They can cover sand, rock, pumps, glass, you name it. Diatoms look ugly but in most cases they are harmless so the key is to not panic when they appear.
Diatoms feed mainly off of silicates but also consume dissolved organic compounds, phosphate and nitrates. Unfiltered tap water can contain silicates and is a good way to jump start a bloom if you use it to mix salt or to replace water that evaporated from the tank. The best way to prevent this from happening is to filter water through a RODI unit, although you can still get a diatom bloom when using RODI if the cartridge that removes silicates expires.
Diatoms are typically harmless to a captive reef and can be beaten once their food source expires. Once you put the end to the source, the outbreak should last a couple of weeks so just be patient and it will pass.

For major outbreaks you may want to consider the three day blackout. Diatoms are easily wiped from the glass with a mag float, a turkey baster or a toothbrush can access other areas of the tank. Be prepared for them to re-establish themselves quickly, they are likely to be able to resettle and have exponential growth rates.
To prevent their return, practice good aquarium husbandry by doing regular water changes, keep the substrate clean, don’t overfeed the fish, ensure your skimmer is running at an optimal level and rinse out filter socks and sponges on a regular basis.

Some cleaner crew to help control it are : Cerith snails, Nerite snails and Trochus snails and also Astraea snails are effective at removing diatoms.

Hi,
Will you please explain a 3 day black out? Thank you!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hi,
Will you please explain a 3 day black out? Thank you!

A blackout is a process of turning all lights off for 3 full days as the cells thrive off light and blackout takes away their reproductive source for energy. IF you have light dependent corals, you can offer 10% blue but they can make it 3 days with no light,

 

[mellowyellow]

Thank you very much for the explanation! I appreciate the help.