New tank, 3 weeks into cycle. Whats this?

[KDS]

Is this brown stuff on my dry rock good or bad? If its bad, how to remove? Currently 3 weeks into a cycle w/1 oscellaris clown and 4 small hermit crabs.
Thanks in advance!

Kevin

 

[Reefpete]

looks like you are having a diatom bloom which is good and it will go away as your tank cycles....your pH might be low due to your cycling....just make sure that you are around 1.023 or so specific gravity with the correct salt mix and sit on your hands for six weeks or more with regular water changes


also get a turkey blaster as you can just blow it off the rock when you clean your tank and do water changes....

just keep testing for ammonia which will go up then down followed by the same with nitrates, then nitrites...testing once a week is plenty, as the big thing you need right now is to just wait for the cycle to complete which can take 4-6 weeks or more

 

[carey]

I would recommend testing for ammonia more frequently than once a week since you have fish in the tank. When you get ammonia readings you really need to do a water change so that the fish can survive.

 

[mhayes462]

I would recommend testing for ammonia more frequently than once a week since you have fish in the tank. When you get ammonia readings you really need to do a water change so that the fish can survive.

+1 it might not go up now since you're 3weeks into it but like Carey said, since you have livestock you should check to make sure. Do a water change if there is ammonia. Have you already had an ammonia spike? The brown is diatoms and is perfectly normal. You could remove it, but it will go away on its own. Sometimes it will disappear over night. What is your light cycle?

 

[KDS]

Thank you both for the advice! Will update soon.

Kevin

 

[KDS]

My light cycle is on for about 12 hours. It is a simple 48" florescent light. I do not appear to have had an ammonia spike yet; I added Bio-Spira about two weeks ago, not sure if that makes a difference.

Kevin

 

[mhayes462]

I'd say take the lights down to 9-10 hrs. It will help with the algae. Don't have personal experience with bio spira, I just used the ole cocktail shrimp to kick start my cycle. It seems to be doing what it advertises for you though. How much live sand and rock do you have?

 

[jwalsh]

+1 on dialing back on the light cycle. Especially until your tank is better established. mine has been up for 6 months and algea still gets out of hand sometimes. Just be sure to keep up on the water changes and use ro water it helps keep the algea down due to the lower phosphate

 

[KDS]

I have 50# dry rock, 60# of aragonite sand, an Aquamaxx HOB-1 skimmer and an Emperor 400 filter.

Kevin

 

[mhayes462]

What size tank?

 

[KDS]

75 gallons.

 

[carey]

Since you don't have any corals you can cut the light completely.

 

[jwalsh]

Since you don't have any corals you can cut the light completely.

I think it might have even been you carey who told me to cover my tank with a towel during ny cycle when I asked that question

 

[Jason M]

Astera snails eat that stuff if like crazy. Get one a rock if they are big rocks and when u put them in set one one each and they will probably stay there till it is gone. I wish I still had diatoms or another algae they eat because I gave to supplement. I am pretty much algae free except for some macros