Cg’s 1 month rapid reef cycle

[burningmime]

I had a similar algae bloom when I turned my lights on, in a bare bottom dry rock tank. That was following the BRS/WWC 4 month cycle.

How long did yours last for? This is going on about a week.
I guess it could be worse. There are no dinos, no cyano, no GHA waving in the flow.

 

[Acros]

How long did yours last for? This is going on about a week.
I guess it could be worse. There are no dinos, no cyano, no GHA waving in the flow.

It won’t subside until you get a UV. At least mine did not.

What setting are your lights at?

 

[Screwgunner]

GFO. Granulated Feric Oxide .

 

[burningmime]

It won’t subside until you get a UV. At least mine did not.

You weren't kidding about the UV. Finally* got one installed and turned it on this morning. Holy cowfish the tank is already nearly clear; it's only been running about 10 hours!

I still don't have a speck of GHA. There's a biofilm, fish are all doing fine, diatom bloom came and went, and I can see pods. Is it possible that I just didn't introduce any GHA spores, or the few that were in fish poop got out-competed by the phyto and heterotrophic bacteria? Or is the lack of GHA a bad sign and I'm about to see more dinos than Jurassic Park?

* Pentair was tripping GFCI because of a bad ballast. Seems like a common problem. BRS wouldn't let me return it because I was outside the return window. Ended up replacing it with a LifeGuard Aquatics 40W which looks and feels better built (not just a giant black tube, but a really solid unit with an attractive ocean-like color). And Pentair is replacing the bad ballast, so I might end up with a backup UV.

 

[Acros]

GHA will come. You just wait.

 

[Acros]

Make sure you have detectable nitrates and phosphates. That will keep dinos away. UV will help with certain kinds of dinos.

 

[burningmime]

GHA will come. You just wait.

Looking forward to it!

Make sure you have detectable nitrates and phosphates. That will keep dinos away. UV will help with certain kinds of dinos.

Thanks! They were 0 last time I checked, but probably they were bound up in the phyto, so now that it's been UVed away maybe they will start coming back.

 

[Timothy Davis]

Any update to this?

 

[LegendaryCG]

 

[Acros]

Thought I would provide an update here.

Cali Tort, April 28th

Aug 27th:

Not bad for 4 months, huh!

 

[bozo]

I will be using your method for this new tank I am starting.

Hows the tank so far?

Thanks

 

[t5Nitro]

Could you dose ammonium chloride to the tank and add a bacterial source from an existing setup, whether a single piece of LR or some sand? Wondering how long a system can go fishless before needing to add more or some other food source before you start having diminishing returns and your bacterial colony starts to decline?

 

[bozo]

Do you still add phyto after adding pods?

 

[t5Nitro]

Phyto is good to dose daily, IMO.

 

[bozo]

@LegendaryCG

How come you take out the GFO and move to carbon?

I'm on week three and I'm dosing phyto everyday. I just added live rock from a 20 year old tank and also added some dragons breath.

I've been running a skimmer for about a week to break it in. Its pulling gunk.

Thanks!

 

[bozo]

I followed this guide exactly how @LegendaryCG explained it.

Very minimal ugly stage. Clean up crew took care of everything.

Tank has been taking off.

Thanks again