Cycled Tank Turning Brown and Green…Help!!!

[AquaBert]

Hi gang,

New tank turning Green & Brown…

10-11 week old tank.

weeks 1-6: Did Dr Tim’s cycle twice. Also seeded with Microbacter 7, kept lights off for 6 weeks. Ammonia, nitrites at zero for weeks, and nitrates hovered around 2-5 ppm. Have done 25% water changes to bring nitrates down to 2ppm.

Week 7-8: Turned on light cycle, no algae or browning for 2 weeks. Ammonia, nitrite at 0ppm, nitrates around 2ppm. PH 8.2

Week 9 added glove polyp and discoma, doing great, also used H2O2 to clean the plugs.

week 11: I seem to have an algae outbreak. Nitrates dropped to zero… I only have the glove polyp and discoma in the tank. Ammonia, nitrite are 0, PH increased to 8.4…

what do I do? I can’t turn off the lights…corals will die no?

see before and after…I suspect I did not clean the frags well enough as the glove polyp is covered in hair algae.

 

[AquaBert]

I forgot to mention, I also dipped the coral when received…saw some nasty bugs die lol

 

[jabberwock]

New tank, too early for corals. Algae is typical with dry rock. Solution is manually removal and wait for tank to mature. Get an easy fish.

 

[Jekyl]

Agreed with above. Your tank is maturing. Clean what you can by hand, add a small CuC. Keep parameters in check, don't allow nutrients to get too high or hit zero.

 

[Tamberav]

This is normal and some algae is healthy for a reef.

You just need to scrape the glass and add some snails.

I bet the bugs were pods, they are beneficial You should dip anyways though. I am sure some will find it's way in at some point.

 

[Mr. Roboto]

Ugly phase time. It will pass.

 

[keatonmjenkins]

Is your power head in the sand? That might be a problem in the future FYI.

 

[AquaBert]

Is your power head in the sand? That might be a problem in the future FYI.

Correct I’m going to place it up higher.

 

[Rmckoy]

Looks like a normal new system
Get a mag float for scrubbing the glass .
blow What ever you can off the rocks with a turkey bastet .
increase flow and direct it towards the surface ideally the wave makers are best a few inches from the surface and pointed slightly upwards

 

[Dan_P]

Hi gang,

New tank turning Green & Brown…

10-11 week old tank.

weeks 1-6: Did Dr Tim’s cycle twice. Also seeded with Microbacter 7, kept lights off for 6 weeks. Ammonia, nitrites at zero for weeks, and nitrates hovered around 2-5 ppm. Have done 25% water changes to bring nitrates down to 2ppm.

Week 7-8: Turned on light cycle, no algae or browning for 2 weeks. Ammonia, nitrite at 0ppm, nitrates around 2ppm. PH 8.2

Week 9 added glove polyp and discoma, doing great, also used H2O2 to clean the plugs.

week 11: I seem to have an algae outbreak. Nitrates dropped to zero… I only have the glove polyp and discoma in the tank. Ammonia, nitrite are 0, PH increased to 8.4…

what do I do? I can’t turn off the lights…corals will die no?

see before and after…I suspect I did not clean the frags well enough as the glove polyp is covered in hair algae.

Looks normal for a new sterile aquarium. There might be nothing you can do

 

[Roatan Reef]

Correct I’m going to place it up higher.

Yea, you are actually stirring up detritus and silicate with it in the sand..like others have said, a few inches below water line pointed upward creating surface agitation

 

[AquaBert]

Thanks all - I’m entering the 6th month. The algae bloom or cyano I believe died down after 3 weeks. Then I started entering a brown stage.

Right now seems like brown algae that’s very fine like hair algae. The 2 corals are doing fine. Discosoma survived a peroxide scalding I gave it…live and learn. The glove polyps melted in peroxide buuut, survived. Right now it has about 20 new heads, started with 4. Added CUC in month 4.
Added a clown in month 5. Aside from an initial spike in ammonia, after A couple of days, ammonia was back down to 0 ppm.

Added a phosphorus Blocker in the filter to assist with high Phosphates.

this week I set up a sump with refugium.
All in all, everything coming along. I’m sure the brown phase will be over soon.