Do I dare?

[rdahlke1105]

Add some CUC to combat the hair algae that is starting to form? Today is the first day that the the nitrites have been zero, but the rates are still around 10. If its safe what should I look for? I'm thinking minimal cuc maybe 1 dwarf cerith, 1 nassarius, 1 florida cerith, 1 nerite.

 

[bjohanson1234]

I would add a bit of food or table shrimp to make sure the cycle is complete. If you dont see a jump in ammonia or nitrites, go ahead and add a fish.

I have always added fish before the CUC because the CUC needs something to clean up after. That is my own thinking though.

 

[BL1]

If it were me, I'd still wait another week before adding them. But even so, most snails won't even touch hair algae when it gets to a certain length. Also, a CuC that small, you'd might as well nit even have one. They wouldn't have much of an effect in a 28g.

 

[rdahlke1105]

Actually I did the shrimp to get my cycle to even start. :)

 

[Smitty]

Have you done a water change after your nitrates have gone down to 10ppm? If not, do a 10% wc and then you can start adding a small cuc. Start off with the small reef hermit crabs, they are very tough.

 

[rdahlke1105]

If it were me, I'd still wait another week before adding them. But even so, most snails won't even touch hair algae when it gets to a certain length. Also, a CuC that small, you'd might as well nit even have one. They wouldn't have much of an effect in a 28g.

The hair algae is just starting to grow is less than 1/4 inch.

 

[rdahlke1105]

Have you done a water change after your nitrates have gone down to 10ppm? If not, do a 10% wc and then you can start adding a small cuc. Start off with the small reef hermit crabs, they are very tough.

No they went down to 10 by itself. You know as well as I do that the 10 and 5 are the same color on the API test, I put 10 just to side on the side of caution. I haven't done a WC yet which surprised me when it registered that this afternoon.

 

[AmberSunrise]

I have the same size tank. Once my nitrates got high I did a 10% water change and 2 days later added 4 snails and 3 hermits. My hair algae is all gone the crabs did a knock out job in 4 days.

 

[lam2558]

++++1