Retired reefer

[Billldg]

Welcome to R2R!!!

 

[Manny’s Reef]

Hello and welcome to the R2R family.

 

[G Santana]

Welcome aboard
The uglies will fade, it's the green hair algae that likes to stay a while lol

 

[Jeffcb]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!!

 

[Bj’s Reef]

Welcome to R2R you can do it we can help.

 

[MaxTremors]

Thanks hope it will be soon it’s been about 7-8 days now so will have to be patience thanks again

It’ll be a few months. It’ll go through phases. First diatoms, and if you used dry rock it’ll probably go through green hair algae, and probably some cyano. If you use live rock, the surface is usually already colonized by coralline or bacteria or sponges and so algae has a harder time, if you use dry rock algae is usually faster growing than those other more desirable organisms, and so it will grow first, but as your water stabilizes and you get your nutrient import/export balanced, the algae will eventually get starved out and replaced with coralline, bacteria, etc. Every tank is different, but be prepared for it to potentially be months before it looks like we all want our tanks to look. Also, I can’t stress this enough, make sure you have an adequate clean up crew and keep up on your maintenance.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Although I will give you a little insight, it is nothing of high concern but rather cosmetic. You likely have Diatoms which
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 kibosh on 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.

 

[vetteguy53081]

 

[BaysEndReef]

Welcome to R2R!! Always here to help!!

 

[danieyella]

Hello and welcome! Generally you just have to wait it out...

 

[|Frank|]

Welcome to R2R!

 

[MERKEY]

Hello and welcome to R2R!

 

[Fish Think Pink]

Hello, I’ve got the problem the ugly stage any one now the best way to deal with this in my new Red Sea max 170 and how long does it supposed to last I can see why it’s called the ugly stage .

Welcome

Ugly stage may last different times for different tanks, but just know eventually you WILL get to the other side. Keep us posted - we'll be rooting for you! Glad you joined

 

[ShepherdReefer]

Hello and welcome to the channel.