Finished Cycling - Added pair of Clowns and turning on the lights..what items do I need on-hand to prep for algae and other short term issues?

[joe-ejs]

Hello. I just set up a new 90gl and finished cycling with Dr. Tims and have added a pair of Clowns. Also did 100% water change prior to adding the Clowns. With that said, what should I have on hand proactively to help with any algae/diatoms,etc or anything else that I may encounter over the next 30 days? Want to make sure I order things ahead of time rather than reactively when needing to deal with something.

I have a new Skimmer that I will turn on soon and at some point I would assume I should start up my refugium compartment sooner than later to update nutrients, correct?

Suggestions/Recommendations are much appreciated.

 

[lapin]

Stuff is going to grow and you will need to manually clean. Something to clean the glass and a vac like the python is good to have. Also a turkey baster to blow stuff around so it gets filtered out if you have dead spots.
When algae grows then add some different types of snails to help you clean. I would avoid chemical cleaners as they might work or not and usually kill off good stuff in the process. Also some test kits to monitor the water quality will be a good thing to start using.

 

[joe-ejs]

Stuff is going to grow and you will need to manually clean. Something to clean the glass and a vac like the python is good to have. Also a turkey baster to blow stuff around so it gets filtered out if you have dead spots.
When algae grows then add some different types of snails to help you clean. I would avoid chemical cleaners as they might work or not and usually kill off good stuff in the process. Also some test kits to monitor the water quality will be a good thing to start using.

 

[joe-ejs]

So I have the test kits and siphon, but have not put any snails in yet. When is a good time to add a clean up crew and what would be recommended?

 

[lapin]

When algae grows then add some different types of snails to help you clean.

Snails have different preferences as to where they like to hang out and what they eat.
Astrea
Astrea (mexican turbo)
Cerith
Nerite
Nassarius
Bumblebee

Here is a link to some info on what snail does what and if it likes to eat on rock, glass or sand.

Saltwater Snails|18 Best Saltwater Aquarium Algae Snails|Saltwater Snails for the Reef Tank

Dramatically improve your aquarium algae cleaning with the right saltwater aquarium snails. Many aquarist's have the wrong idea when it comes to choosing the correct algae cleaning snails.

www.aquariumcreationsonline.net

 

[Big Bosha]

I would say add snails when they have enough waste and food lying around to sustain themselves. One piece of equipment I cannot speak enough about is an affordable and tuned uv sterilizer. It will be such an aggressive tool for beating nuisance algae and pests when the time comes. I have a 50g system with a 37 gallon display. I have a 5 watt aqua top in tank uv sterilizer in my sump working wonders right now. I picked it up for $75 locally but they can be had for cheaper I'm sure. I will upgrade to an inline or pump fed uv in the coming months, but during my battle withdinoflagellates, it was the key tool that I need to finally reduce them and keep them from spreading. But like our other friend said, snails that eat specific forms of algae when the problem arises will be so beneficial. If you have a severe outbreak, they will not eliminate it. but when you have nearly beaten the outbreak, they will eat whats left.

My 2 cents:
Snails (when the problem arises)
Brush for rocks
Vaccum
Uv sterilizer