What is this? Algae?

[DoriReef]

Algae growth? Rest of sand is white

 

[keepingfishwithnoidea]

Algae growth? Rest of sand is white

Dinos

 

[Tinnerito]

Algae growth? Rest of sand is white

Looks a lot like either early case of dinoflagellate, or return of diatoms. You likely introduced some silicates. Old/unchanged RODI filters are a common cause of diatoms in mature tanks because they don't fully filter the water. Also, if you added any new rock or sand, they would introduce silicates as well.

 

[DoriReef]

Algae growth? Rest of sand is white

Looks a lot like diatoms. Is your tank new? If not, you likely introduced some silicates. Old/unchanged RODI filters are a common cause of diatoms in mature tanks because they don't fully filter the water. Also, if you added any new rock or sand, they would introduce silicates as well.

Yes it is new been up for about 3 weeks

 

[DoriReef]

Algae growth? Rest of sand is white

Dinos

What do I do???

 

[Tinnerito]

Yes it is new been up for about 3 weeks

Yeah don't worry about it right now. If your nutrients are consistent, I highly doubt they are dinoflagellates, and diatoms will dissappear once the silicates run out.

 

[Justfebreezeit]

Just new tank stuff. Its going to get worse before it gets better most likely. Just read up on the ugly stage and be patient.

 

[DoriReef]

Yes it is new been up for about 3 weeks

Yeah don't worry about it right now. If your nutrients are consistent, I highly doubt they are dinoflagellates, and diatoms will dissappear once the silicates run out.

What nutrients do i have to watch for Dino

 

[keepingfishwithnoidea]

Yes it is new been up for about 3 weeks

In that case, yeah it's diatoms dw abt it, it's happens in every tank

 

[keepingfishwithnoidea]

What nutrients do i have to watch for Dino

Usually nutrients bottoming out

 

[DoriReef]

What nutrients do i have to watch for Dino

Usually nutrients bottoming out

What like nitrates and phosphates?

 

[keepingfishwithnoidea]

What like nitrates and phosphates?

Yes

 

[Tinnerito]

What nutrients do i have to watch for Dino

Nitrates and phosphates. It's not about their numbers, it's about their ratio and consistency. For instance, 5ppm nitrates and 20ppm nitrates are bith just as harmless as eachother. But if nitrates rose from 5 to 20ppm in the span of a week, that calls for algae like dino's real quick.

Dinoflagellates are microscopic organisms, that respond to changes in water chemistry a lot faster than large organisms like seaweed and coral do. Therefore, a sudden drop or increase allows these algae to take advantage of it. In contrast, a gradual increase in nitrates(as long as your tank demands it) is perfectly safe, because it gives your coral and other photosynthetic life to adjust, and compete against the nuisance algaes.

Also I had an instance where my nitrates went up, but my phosphates went down. That disrupts the phosphate to nitrate ratio and I ended up with a worse ugly phase than was necessary.

So just keep watch of those two nutrients, and never chase a number. You tank will greatly appreciate consistency, and gradual change. :)

 

[DoriReef]

What nutrients do i have to watch for Dino

Nitrates and phosphates. It's not about their numbers, it's about their ratio and consistency. For instance, 5ppm nitrates and 20ppm nitrates are bith just as harmless as eachother. But if nitrates rose from 5 to 20ppm in the span of a week, that calls for algae like dino's real quick.

Dinoflagellates are microscopic organisms, that respond to changes in water chemistry a lot faster than large organisms like seaweed and coral do. Therefore, a sudden drop or increase allows these algae to take advantage of it. In contrast, a gradual increase in nitrates(as long as your tank demands it) is perfectly safe, because it gives your coral and other photosynthetic life to adjust, and compete against the nuisance algaes.

Also I had an instance where my nitrates went up, but my phosphates went down. That disrupts the phosphate to nitrate ratio and I ended up with a worse ugly phase than was necessary.

So just keep watch of those two nutrients, and never chase a number. You tank will greatly appreciate consistency, and gradual change. :)

Interesting thank you! So no specific ratio or numbers are good just what works for ur tank?

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

It looks like diatoms to me

 

[DoriReef]

What nutrients do i have to watch for Dino

Nitrates and phosphates. It's not about their numbers, it's about their ratio and consistency. For instance, 5ppm nitrates and 20ppm nitrates are bith just as harmless as eachother. But if nitrates rose from 5 to 20ppm in the span of a week, that calls for algae like dino's real quick.

Dinoflagellates are microscopic organisms, that respond to changes in water chemistry a lot faster than large organisms like seaweed and coral do. Therefore, a sudden drop or increase allows these algae to take advantage of it. In contrast, a gradual increase in nitrates(as long as your tank demands it) is perfectly safe, because it gives your coral and other photosynthetic life to adjust, and compete against the nuisance algaes.

Also I had an instance where my nitrates went up, but my phosphates went down. That disrupts the phosphate to nitrate ratio and I ended up with a worse ugly phase than was necessary.

So just keep watch of those two nutrients, and never chase a number. You tank will greatly appreciate consistency, and gradual change. :)

Hey so just jumping back to this. Tested water today and beginning of this week and phosphates have been at 0. Today nitrates are around 75-100. Is that ok? Cycle just finished last week, have two Duncan’s and a mushroom and one clown.

 

[Tinnerito]

Hey so just jumping back to this. Tested water today and beginning of this week and phosphates have been at 0. Today nitrates are around 75-100. Is that ok? Cycle just finished last week, have two Duncan’s and a mushroom and one clown.

What test kit are you using? If your tank actually has 0 phosphates, that'll starve your coral. Adding coral right after the nitrogen cycle is pretty risky.

It's the same mistake I once made with seaweed, because the most important thing to do after your tank cycles, is to continue the cycle. This is done with bioload from fish, and your bacteria will cycle the ammonia from them, and the final products of the ongoing cycle are your nitrates and your phosphates. Adding things like coral will consume these nutrients, and adding them too early, or with not enough bioload will deplete them.

75-100ppm nitrates?? That's extremely high, but also you gave me a broad range. That sounds like an API issue. If that's the test kit you are using, ditch it. I used to use them and I got similar results. When i switched to Hanna testers, It showed 7ppm; a precise, and more accurate reading.

PS: Hanna is among the best testers, but are extremely pricey. If you want a reference, my testers consist of Hanna for Nitrates, Phosphates, and Alkalinity. Salifert for pH, magnesium, and calcium. API only for ammonia and nitrite because those must always be 0.

I hope you find the information useful, I want to help simplify help as much as possible.