New tank syndrome???????

[Aidanflower]

So i have a 90 gallon saltwater reef tank. It has been running for a few months now and i cycled the tank. I have just stated to add fish. I waited a while expecting to see new tank syndrome but havnt gotten it. I have plenty of live rock and a live deep sand bed. I visited a few lfs and they said it was fine to add fish and i should eventually get new tank syndrome. Could it have any effect that i dont have lights. The tank only gets direct sun in the morning but gets indirect almost the rest of the day.

 

[JonathanG]

Forgive my ignorance but what are you expecting to happen?

 

[Aidanflower]

An algae spike ir growth. I have been told by everyone to expect algae every where or at least a little on the top of my sand bed

 

[bribo12]

An algae spike ir growth. I have been told by everyone to expect algae every where or at least a little on the top of my sand bed

Did you use live rock? What are your water parameters? Did you see a rise in ammonia and nitrite before they went back to 0? Since you really didn't have light in your tank for the cycle it is not uncommon to not have algae. You should have at least gotten a diatom algae bloom by now.

 

[Aidanflower]

Yes i did use live rock but not all of it was live. Yes both ammonia and nitrites spiked and drop to zero since then they have remained at zero. My nitrates remain on average at about 20 ppm. Forgive me but I am not quite sure what diatoms look like will you please explain to me, thanks

 

[bribo12]

Yes i did use live rock but not all of it was live. Yes both ammonia and nitrites spiked and drop to zero since then they have remained at zero. My nitrates remain on average at about 20 ppm. Forgive me but I am not quite sure what diatoms look like will you please explain to me, thanks

No problem diatoms look like a brown dust, they usually signify the end of the cycle and feed off silicates. They usually coat your sand and rocks and then go away on their own. With nitrates that high you should be seeing algae pretty soon.

 

[jeffaquarius]

Gee, your fish has a cozy place without lights. I hope they still see and know what they eat. You actually need lights so your rocks can produce good and beneficial algae such as coraline and those which are food for fish. Diatoms are not really that bad. They will disappear in a day or 2. You are just delaying the process of cycling without lights. Ultimately, all new tanks will have the same route before they become stable.

 

[Aidanflower]

Okay thanks, do you suspect that when i get lights (im ordering them within the next week) that i will have algae blooms?

 

[jeffaquarius]

If you are using ro/di, the only algae bloom you have to worry about are those caused by over feeding and/or imported via new livestock. The kind of lights and their duration also contribute to the problem. Actinic is a good choice to minimize unwanted algae.