Ugly Stage need help!!

[Exotrezy]

This looks pretty good! don’t stress over it too much, just keep your nutrients in your range and dont let them bottom out. And keep up your maintenance schedule. Your doing a great job.

I personally love astrea and the really small cerith snails, they get into all the little nooks. Blue leg hermits are in my opinion are work horses eating everything.

Ok, I just get "PTSD" lol from my last tank as I had a saltwater about 2 years ago where I didn't know much and the whole tank got consumed by diatoms. I am going to do 5 gallon water change every week as its only a 30 gallon tank no sump. I should add a clean up crew though right? I don't want this to spread as these spots just came and will most likely get bigger.

 

[Cichlid Dad]

Ok

This is only if you are going through the ugly stage, if not they will starve

 

[Exotrezy]

This is only if you are going through the ugly stage, if not they will starve

The ugly stage is I guess starting out as I just started seeing the spots come in maybe 1 day ago. Should I wait till it spreads? Also it should go away on its own without a clean up crew as well right?

 

[Cichlid Dad]

The ugly stage is I guess starting out as I just started seeing the spots come in maybe 1 day ago. Should I wait till it spreads? Also it should go away on its own without a clean up crew as well right?

Every setup is different. If you add to soon they starve. To late and they may not eat the big stuff and it gets out of hand. I would make this a list and add a few at a time as needed . Nori and algae wafers can supplement them if not enough algae and left over food for them

 

[thatone08]

Ok, I just get "PTSD" lol from my last tank as I had a saltwater about 2 years ago where I didn't know much and the whole tank got consumed by diatoms. I am going to do 5 gallon water change every week as it’s only a 30 gallon tank no sump. I should add a clean up crew though right? I don't want this to spread as these spots just came and will most likely get bigger.

Like the other poster mentioned start Small. Get like 2 hermits, and astrea snail. See what they are picking at and adjust from there.

We all hit this point, and we all battle something through our entire time in this hobby. Whether it’s uglies, pest, nutrients, ph. Like I said you’re doing a good job your nutrients are in a good spot. You have the the thin green algae on most the rock that coralline will take over eventually. Just don’t rush in trying to fix the problem and throw five different things at it. That’s when we run into bigger issues. Small batch of clean up crew, ideally quarantined or at very least scrub the shells, and transfer method into different containers of water a few times. Clean up crew won’t touch it Manual removal new cheap toothbrush and brush of those spots. While siphoning for water change. Stay away from additives like vibrant for now.

 

[Lavey29]

Perfect, you cleared everything up. I was just saying to get a clean up crew as I have coral so I don't completely want to turn the light off and need the clean up crew to make the tank still look somewhat nice.

You build your cleaner crew at the tank needs it. Start slow with some snails and hermits. Then keep building, different types of snails, hermits, tuxedo urchins. Serpent star, pods, pithos crabs, etc... just depends on the need and add more as you need them

 

[Exotrezy]

Like the other poster mentioned start Small. Get like 2 hermits, and astrea snail. See what they are picking at and adjust from there.

We all hit this point, and we all battle something through our entire time in this hobby. Whether it’s uglies, pest, nutrients, ph. Like I said you’re doing a good job your nutrients are in a good spot. You have the the thin green algae on most the rock that coralline will take over eventually. Just don’t rush in trying to fix the problem and throw five different things at it. That’s when we run into bigger issues. Small batch of clean up crew, ideally quarantined or at very least scrub the shells, and transfer method into different containers of water a few times. Clean up crew won’t touch it Manual removal new cheap toothbrush and brush of those spots. While siphoning for water change. Stay away from additives like vibrant for now.

You’re the best! So I should siphon the sand and brush off the rocks, do my 5 gallon water changes, and just kind of ignore and don’t get too stressed out.

You build your cleaner crew at the tank needs it. Start slow with some snails and hermits. Then keep building, different types of snails, hermits, tuxedo urchins. Serpent star, pods, pithos crabs, etc... just depends on the need and add more as you need them

Every setup is different. If you add to soon they starve. To late and they may not eat the big stuff and it gets out of hand. I would make this a list and add a few at a time as needed . Nori and algae wafers can supplement them if not enough algae and left over food for them

Y’all are amazing!

 

[Exotrezy]

Every setup is different. If you add to soon they starve. To late and they may not eat the big stuff and it gets out of hand. I would make this a list and add a few at a time as needed . Nori and algae wafers can supplement them if not enough algae and left over food for them

Some people also said to add them immediately when I looked at other people who started getting some spots. So should I start adding some or still wait. I don't want it to be too late.

 

[unchainedcoot]

Some people also said to add them immediately when I looked at other people who started getting some spots. So should I start adding some or still wait. I don't want it to be too late.

So from my experience astrea snails aren’t going to help the sand. They’ll do a heck of a job on your glass.

Cerith have been hit or miss for me on sand. I feel like if it’s a big enough bloom of diatoms I’ve seen them pull up a seat but if it’s a dusting they tend not to bother.

 

[gregrock68]

It doesn't look that bad, I would just increase the turbo snails for now, maybe also some sandsifting snails like nassarius snails.

One of the interesting things that I saw online from one of the guys that I follow on how to treat diatoms is to vacuum the sand with the water and diatoms into a bucket but filter the outflow of the water with the diatoms through a filter. You can remove the diatom algae using a small micron filter, clean the water then put the water back in the aquarium. This seemed to help me quite a bit in addition to UV and copepods with other bacterial dosing of microbacter7 and Dr Tim's

 

[gregrock68]

Ok, I just get "PTSD" lol from my last tank as I had a saltwater about 2 years ago where I didn't know much and the whole tank got consumed by diatoms. I am going to do 5 gallon water change every week as its only a 30 gallon tank no sump. I should add a clean up crew though right? I don't want this to spread as these spots just came and will most likely get bigger.

Add a oversized cleanup crew but don't do water changes. The water in the tank needs to balance. I had some microbacter7 and Dr Tim's.

 

[Exotrezy]

Add a oversized cleanup crew but don't do water changes. The water in the tank needs to balance. I had some microbacter7 and Dr Tim's.

Ok, I have a clean up crew but its on the smaller side. Most people recommended to let the diatoms be as they should most likely go away.

 

[Sleeping Giant]

looks great

 

[gregrock68]

Ok, I have a clean up crew but its on the smaller side. Most people recommended to let the diatoms be as they should most likely go away.

They will subside once things balance, but you can assist with the clean up process in the mean time. Dosing good bacteria and copepods help as well