Re-introducing bio balls?

[Shane1]

So I took the bio balls out of my bio cube. It seems that since then i have developed this redish/brown stuff that sits on the top of the sand. I just kind of put 2 & 2 together and realized that the redish/brown stuff started showing up the same time i removed the last of the bio balls. Do you all think I should put the balls back in or is the problem somewhere else. I just did a water change today so i dont have any real current test results. The last bio balls have been out of the tank for at least 1.5 weeks.
Any help would be appreciated

 

[Smitty]

I wouldn't place them back in there...if you removed them too quick, then you may have taken a lot if the bacteria out, causing an increase of nutrients, which caused the algae growth. Did you replace the bio-balls with something else like live rock rubble. For now, just siphon as much out during the water changes, and increase the flow to that area.

 

[little_fish]

+1 Smitty

Also new tanks go through lots of algae blooms, and this is probably one of them.

 

[wontonflip]

+1 everyone....give it time. Nothing in this hobby is quick.

 

[Shane1]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I woke up this morning thinking the sand would still be pretty clean since I just did a water change last night but the sand is allready covered in algae!
@ Smitty, I did not place any rock rubble in that chamber. I could move a small chunk from the display and put it back the if you think it will help. I took out about a cup a week of balls. The process took about 4 weeks I think.
@ Little Fish, the tank is about 2 years old I think but its newish to me.
Here are my test results as of this afternoon.
PH 8.0
Ammonia .50
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10

 

[marcah]

sounds to me like you may have started a mini cycle removing the bioballs.. that would explain the algae and the ammonia in the tank. the ammonia has to come down or anything in the tank could die off on you. I would do a good size waterchange and then recheck it again in a day then do another and continue that pattern until you get the ammonia down..