Got a 72 gallon saltwater about a month old. Have 4 fish and I noticed yesterdayI have some algae growing on the bac of the glass. Do I let this algae grow or wipe it down? I don't know if it is the coraline algae, it looks to be very faint spots with a brown tint compared to the coralin algae I see in stores.
algae growth
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AdeptMrSniffles
I have a Blue Thumb
What your seeing is common for a new tank. You'll be going through many different algae cycles. I would recommend scrubbing the algae off the glass. It's more than likely on all sides. What's your setup? Lights, lbs. of live rock, any sump? I'm not trying to discourage you but i'd like to say you jumped the gun on adding those fish so early. Hopefully your tank has gone through it's ammonia and nitrite spikes. Do you have any test kit to check your water?
yote
In Memoriam
+1 Sniffles.
You'll have some algae blooms,aint no way around that.
You'll have some algae blooms,aint no way around that.
I just ordered a better test kit, should be here next week. I took a sample of water to the store and had them test it for me both times when I added the fish, they said everything looked good. I have some test strips that I have been using a couple of times a week. Each time I have tested, it reads zero for nitrites and nitrates. I currently have a sump, 85# of live rock, and a regular 2 bulb fixture that has a white light and a Antinic blue light. I leave the light on for about 7 or 8 hours a day. The live rock came from an established aquarium and it has some coraline algae on it when I got it. After reading, I think one of my issues is, I used tap water to start it and top it off. I am going to the store today to pick up some RO/DI water that I can start using to top things off. Also, I only feed the fish once a day. Do you have any other suggestions on how to get rid of the algae and get the corlaine algae to grow? Also, when should I do my first water change?
AdeptMrSniffles
I have a Blue Thumb
You should be doing water changes once a week, it'll help replenish trace elements. It's going to take awhile to get out the contaminents from the tap water. Keeping with water changes will remove them though. Sounds like you've got a nice setup. If it's hair algae on your rocks you can remove it by hand, as much as you can, then scrub the rest with a toothbrush. Scrub the coraline with a toothbrush as well to get it to spread if you'd like.
bjohanson1234
.........
I do a 5 gal a week change on a 30 gallon tank Just out of convinience of a 5 gal bucket
but 10% is normal. On a 72 gal, I would just do 10 gal easier than trying to measure out 7.2 gallons of water:mrgreen:
but 10% is normal. On a 72 gal, I would just do 10 gal easier than trying to measure out 7.2 gallons of water:mrgreen:
daugherty
part time reefer
i change 10 to 15 gal a week on my 75
project5k
Reef enthusiast
im lazy, i'm doing about 25 gallons every other week...
dcantucson
Reef pro
I'm even more lazy. I do it when I feel like it. :shock:
project5k
Reef enthusiast
i think thats probably a more accurate description of my habits as well...
i actually got all motivated last night ad was gonna do one, but when i went into the closed, there was brown stuff floating in the "new" water,
i dont know what it was, i didnt look up, i didnt investigate, i didnt nothing, i just closed the closet door and went back to my tv show...
i'll just dump it and start with some new tonight... let it mix till the weekend, and go from there... think ill clean up the lids for the cans and use one of them in the closet, just so there's less evap..
i actually got all motivated last night ad was gonna do one, but when i went into the closed, there was brown stuff floating in the "new" water,
i dont know what it was, i didnt look up, i didnt investigate, i didnt nothing, i just closed the closet door and went back to my tv show...
i'll just dump it and start with some new tonight... let it mix till the weekend, and go from there... think ill clean up the lids for the cans and use one of them in the closet, just so there's less evap..
project5k
Reef enthusiast
as soon as the conditions are right...
really depends on your tank.. i started my tank with tap water, and i didnt notice any coraline growth untill i had all that tap water changed out + about a month...
then the stuff just started spreading like wildfire.. then i tore down the tank to putit on the new stand, and that stunted the groth again... thats been over a month now, and i'm just starting to see signs of new growth..
really depends on your tank.. i started my tank with tap water, and i didnt notice any coraline growth untill i had all that tap water changed out + about a month...
then the stuff just started spreading like wildfire.. then i tore down the tank to putit on the new stand, and that stunted the groth again... thats been over a month now, and i'm just starting to see signs of new growth..
How do I know I have all the tap water out? What am I looking for in my tests that means the tap water has yet to been completly changed out? Also, from setup, ow long before I should have waited to add fish? THe only reason I added fish is becuase the store me the tests looked good.
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bjohanson1234
.........
Your nitrates and phosphates will start going down and the alea will stop growing back when you pull it out.
Keep an eye on your feeding also, that is another source for nutrients in the water
Oh and Project, try cleaning your mix buckets with some vinegar. It'll help disinfect the buckets if the brown stuff that was floating on the water was either bacterial, fungal, or algal.
Brian
Keep an eye on your feeding also, that is another source for nutrients in the water
Oh and Project, try cleaning your mix buckets with some vinegar. It'll help disinfect the buckets if the brown stuff that was floating on the water was either bacterial, fungal, or algal.
Brian
project5k
Reef enthusiast
yea, i didnt look into it last night, i as too busy doing other things, getting ready to transport the dog, stuff like that...
i really think that its probably some dust or something that i knocked down off the shelf above, but untill i investigate i wont know for sure, but i do have some vinegar water mixed for cleaning off the calcium deposits i get on everything, so i'll use some of that, and wash out the cans before i start the next batch a mix'n
i really think that its probably some dust or something that i knocked down off the shelf above, but untill i investigate i wont know for sure, but i do have some vinegar water mixed for cleaning off the calcium deposits i get on everything, so i'll use some of that, and wash out the cans before i start the next batch a mix'n
my test kit in. Had a little difficulty trying to color match because some of the tests were in between. Anyways these are the results:
pH: 8.2
Alkalinity: 9dhk
Calcium: 400 ppm
Nitrate: 20
Phosphate: .5-1
Nitrite: 0 mg/l
Ammonia: 0-.25
I have been using tap water up until last week. So I hope my phos will come down as I keep using the water from my LFS, but how does everything else look to you all? Is the ammonia a little high?
pH: 8.2
Alkalinity: 9dhk
Calcium: 400 ppm
Nitrate: 20
Phosphate: .5-1
Nitrite: 0 mg/l
Ammonia: 0-.25
I have been using tap water up until last week. So I hope my phos will come down as I keep using the water from my LFS, but how does everything else look to you all? Is the ammonia a little high?
yote
In Memoriam
The only thing I can see,is the nitrates need to be lower.20's not bad,but its right at the edge of being bad.
Run some kind of phosphate media to.I'm betting that the ammonia reading is in the test kit.A lot of times they'll show a trace when it actually shouldnt.
Other then that,just give it time.If you've got any coralline in the tank,use a hard bristled tooth brush and lightly scrub it.That'll cause it to release spores into the water and help it spread.
Run some kind of phosphate media to.I'm betting that the ammonia reading is in the test kit.A lot of times they'll show a trace when it actually shouldnt.
Other then that,just give it time.If you've got any coralline in the tank,use a hard bristled tooth brush and lightly scrub it.That'll cause it to release spores into the water and help it spread.
Got some coraline on some rock someone gave me. I will try what you suggested. Do you know where I can find pictures of different algae, the kind I don't want growing in my tank? I assume what I have is brown algae but somewhere I read brown algae is stringy. What I have is not stringy, it looks like dirt on the glass and on the sand.
