HELP!!!

[nodoubt471]

i have a ton of questions!!!

first, when i purchased my LR (about 3 weeks ago) it was beautiful with purple and green algae coating it, but now it seems to be growing brownish fuzz. is that a normal part of the aging process? is it harmful to the fish, ie will it spike my ammonia?

second, i have on order a green star polyp coral, i dont remember the exact name. my LFS reccommended it to me. is there anything in particular i should know about it? this is my first piece of coral. are there any general rules of thumb in coral location?

also, i have a 10 G tank and i was wondering if i should add a powerhead when i add the coral. the lead from the filter back into my tank causes some agitation, but im not sure if it is enough. i know that corals like currents.

finially, my LFS reccomended Kent coral-vite as a food source for the coral. is this stuff any good? is there anything else that you guys would reccommend that i feed it? i have looked through several books, but the ones i have read don't have much information on feeding corals and the like.

thanks so much!

 

[Wally]

I would put a power head in there asap Kate. Also what kind of substrate are you using and what kind of light do you have you will need quite a bit for the coral.

What town in Connecticut are you in? I used to live in Manchester.

 

[nugrad2005]

A good thing to know about green star polyps is that they grow like weeds under the right lighting, but they sure are pretty!

Alot of people compare coral-vite to coral steroids. We've used it in our tanks and we haven't noticed any above average growth, but it seems to work well

-Dan

 

[Wally]

Sorry I did not answer your first question. The coraline (spelling?) will die off then regenerate when your ae first cycling your tank. What is your amonia testing at?

 

[fishfreek]

The brown fuzzy stuff is algae probably. Was the rock cured? Its not uncommon to have extra algae growth during the first few months of a tank as the rock and substrate mature. Be very cautious with such a small tank of excessive temperature changes and salinty changes due to evaporation.

What kind of lighting do you have over the tank now? If all you have is a hang on power filter then yes I would avocate adding a medium powerhead to the mix.

 

[nodoubt471]

ok for the hood i have two 10 watt 50% 10,000k daylight/50% Actinic O3 blue. i was limited in my options, since i had a hood that required two fixtures (not the bar style) and i dont have the $$ for one of those snazzy halide hoods!!

yes, the dealer told me the rock was cured. i purchased it in store, so it was only out of the water about 20 mins, so he told me it was safe to put right in the tank.

for a substrate i have 2in LS mixed with fiji pink argonite sand (its about half and half).

i think i am going to purchase a 20 G tank to accomidate a little more livestock. can i just move everything (ie LS, LR) into the new tank? will it still have to cycle?

oh and wally, im from harwinton, which is up in litchfield county. know any good LFS around here??

 

[nodoubt471]

oh and my ammonia levels are fine, i checked them today