Tank cycled, now brown alge

[Donna Harris]

hi guys, I have finished cycling about a week or so. Now I have this brown alge all over. I got a couple each of turbo snails no hermmit crabs. Doesn't seem to be making much difference. Any suggestions ??

 

[143MPCo]

Any chance we could get you to post a picture of the nuisance algae, Will help if identification and further assist with recommendations on what to do.

 

[bobman]

It is diatoms not much you can do. I have never seen a turbo eat that stuff and will probably starve to death in a new tank. Hermits are your best choice. Diatom consume silicates which are present in the tank. All part of new tank ulglies. Good news is it should go away on its own.

 

[Donna Harris]

Oh awesome, thanks. Do I need to get more hermits then I have 4.

 

[Donna Harris]

Here is a pic

 

[143MPCo]

Here is a pic

Oh yeah you still have a few more stages to go through diatoms being one the first then other forms of algae coming into play as well.

 

[Donna Harris]

Oh ok, so it's moving right along like it should. What is going to be next and so on

 

[bobman]

Yep diatoms how big is the tank but yes you can add a few more than for with no problem. I dont like to tell people a exact number especially for diatoms as they will clear up on there own usually. They are just consuming silicates and silicates will always be present to some degree and so will diatoms but they will go down to unnoticable amounts after a while

 

[KJ]

First welcome to R2R my suggestion to you is to take your time , this is normal ,you will see all different kinds of algae the first couple of months till it matures. Do regular weekly 10% water changes using RO/DI water and slowly add more clean up crew. This is the hardest time when getting your first tank started,patience is the key! Post your water perameters and what kind of tests are you using?

 

[KJ]

Pre-Algae Cycle:

If your lights have not been setup yet do so now. Set your timers as you would for a reef tank. Anywhere from 6-12 hours is a good amount of time. Set the photoperiod to be on during the hours you will be viewing the tank most. If you work 2nd shift it is OK to have the lights come on after you get home from work or when you wake up in the morning. As long as there is not a supply of sunlight near the tank you wont have a long term battle with algae.

Stage 4: Diatoms

diatom algae image via reef2reef member Steven R

Diatoms are a brown dusty life form that consumes silicates. There is no avoiding Diatoms during their initial bloom. Leave it be. Let it go crazy. Before you know it, the brown stuff will soon start to change colors. Generally red, this is the start of the next stage!

Stage 5: Cyanobacteria

cyanobacteria image via reef2reef member murfman

Cyanobacteria will now begin its course. Again you will let the slime just do its thing. This will be the nastiest of the stages. Cyanobacteria can gross some people out, especially if they catch a whiff of it. It is best to leave it be. It will start to clear up eventually. The clearing of the slime makes way for yet another stage.

Stage 6: Green/Brown algae

hair algae image via reef2reef member johnmaloney

If you have made it this far, give yourself a round of applause. This is the final “battle” of the cycle process. When the slime is gone you will see your first signs of plant life, algae! Green Hair algae is usually the type that you see, but some other types have been known to occur. This stuff will grow like mad. At this point you are ready to move on to the next phase.

The cycle is a long process in terms of hobbies. Find yourself a good rhythm for testing. Get yourself in the habit of staring for long periods of time. Practice observation by watching as life forms start taking foot in the aquarium. You will see things from dust sized particles to worms that reach a foot long. There really is no telling what could form in your tank. This is a great time to prepare for the animals you will get. Knowing how to describe things and being able to correctly test the water will help you get the information you need. Your parameters are perfect now. You are now ready to move on to the next section. You should actually study the next section during your cycle, since you will have quite a bit of time on your hands with all that waiting.

Cycles can be artificially induced, but it is always preferred to use as little foreign liquids as possible. Another thing you can do during the cycle is preparing your clean up crew and first fish, but be prepared to keep them quarantined for a prolonged time since the cycle is unpredictable.

 

[Donna Harris]

I guess it would have helped to say what size my tank was I had a duh moment sorry. It's a 92 gallon bow front. I have been testing very few days and results are the same
Ammonia 0
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 0
Calcium is 400+
Phosphate 0
Salinity is a little high at 29
Ph is 8.0
I do use only RO/DI water

 

[Donna Harris]

Oh thank you so much. I am happy you told me about all this I would've wigged out had I not know this was coming and got up and saw this in my tank. I have worked so hard to do everything right and do it the right way. I do not mind the wait. I look at it as a learning experience and I want to learn to set it up right without shortcuts so I know exactly what's in my system. Thanks agin I'll probably read this over and over again.

 

[KJ]

Just sit back and let the tank do its thing and just do the water changes until it goes through the cycles that it needs to go through before it gets better,be patient and you will be rewarded. I have been there before in your shoes so I know it gets hard waiting for things to get better.Patience is the main ingredient in this hobby.;)

 

[KJ]

Oh thank you so much. I am happy you told me about all this I would've wigged out had I not know this was coming and got up and saw this in my tank. I have worked so hard to do everything right and do it the right way. I do not mind the wait. I look at it as a learning experience and I want to learn to set it up right without shortcuts so I know exactly what's in my system. Thanks agin I'll probably read this over and over again.

https://www.reef2reef.com/blog/291/

 

[143MPCo]

https://www.reef2reef.com/blog/291/

Now you're just showing off!:p:D

 

[KJ]

Now you're just showing off!:p:D

:cool:

 

[BRB]

hi guys, I have finished cycling about a week or so. Now I have this brown alge all over. I got a couple each of turbo snails no hermmit crabs. Doesn't seem to be making much difference. Any suggestions ??

itll turn all brown then yellow and then the colors you want

 

[salty150]

1/4 teaspoon of Fleischmann's Rapid Rise Instant Yeast per 400 gallons total volume every other day.

Within 5 – 7 days rocks/sand, etc. should be clear.

 

[Purpletank]

My Marguarita snail are eating my diatoms. They clean it right up off the glass.

 

[Brian Kim]

Hi Donna,
What kind of filtration do you have in your system? Any protein skimmer, reactors or refugium?