New to aquariums

wet_algae · 2026-06-03T01:19:13-0400

Hi y'all.

Recently (past 2 months) I've been tryna get a saltwater tank up and running but because of my location it's been taking a long time to actually get things going.
I started with dry rock and salt as everything else was mostly out of stock and created a calibration solution for a refractometer.
Originally I had used "seachem stability" once in the beginning and I have what looks like 3 types of algae and no sign of microfauna. b/g cyano and diatoms (i think these spread from my freshwater) as well another type i couldn't identify.

There's "oceandirect" sand coming soon and I will drain the tank, put it in and doing a 50% water change.

Not sure what to do for testing yet besides gravity and can't really discern what stage the aquarium is at.

I have also been going into this not really wanting anything but macros and maybe 1 or 2 corals (20gal doesn't really suit anything).

Mr. Mojo Rising · 2026-06-03T07:12:27-0400

Not sure what you are trying to show in these pics, I see a few tiny green spots but nothing concerning. Can you show a full tank picture? You will need test kits to keep corals, and the the first question here will always be "can you share your parameters"? If you have corals, then you should be testing nitrate, phosphate, and alkalinity at the minimum.

Gumbies R Us · 2026-06-03T07:20:13-0400

I would take time and read this article! This should answer a lot of questions you might have.

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium Introduction The marine environment is one of the most complex systems on the planet. The aquarium you are about to set up is only a tiny sliver of the vast ocean, but it is nowhere near simple. This task is going to take patience, a...

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