Red Algae?

[L2]

Hey again,

So I think I have red algae on my live rock, right at the base by the substrate. It's very dark red and plant like... Sort of looks like it's just sprouting. Is it red algae or am I wrong? Is red algae bad?

I know I have brown algae and green hair algae... A third algae!? ai yai yai. Maybe I should throw in the Phos-Zorb.

Lloyd

 

[Hara]

pictures would help us ID a little easier....any chance of getting any?

 

[L2]

This is a MACRO shot of some of the rock. Now that I've zoomed in I think I can even see some bubble algae... hmmmmm... Maybe I really should use some Phos-Zorb... I've got Chemi-Pur in my filter... The tank is 16 DAYS old. I think I have every kind of algae (brown, green, red and now tiny bubbles)... But it hasn't taken over my tank. I try to keep it under control as best I can.

Do you think I should put in the Phos-Zorb...?

Lloyd

 

[Hara]

If your tank is only 16 days old, it needs to cycle.

 

[L2]

Ok, I'll hold off for a bit... and see what happens before putting in at Phosphate abosorber like RowaPhos and the likes.

Thanks!

Otherwise, my Amonia is 0. NO2 is 0. And NO3 is almost 0 - less than 10 for sure. pH is at 8.0. SG is at 1.024. How do you know when a tank has fully finished cycling?

 

[tecwzrd]

It could be crano from the photo you provided. Your snails usually won’t touch it and you may have to remove it manually. I’d keep the lights off or at the most a couple of hours since you don’t have corals/fish yet for the next couple of weeks so you don’t encourage it to grow further. Get that po4 test so you at least know if you have po4 in the tank.

Also keep in mind that you can get a 0 reading when testing for po4 in the main tank and still have po4 in the tank that is getting used by the algae. That’s why it’s always a good idea to test the pwc water, food, & storage containers to rule them out as a po4 source.

As far as cycling, you never had a nh3/no2 reading that was significant so that leads me to believe your tank has never fully cycled but does have significant bacteria to support going very slowly forward with any additions.

 

[L2]

I'm getting a PO4 test kit today.

What brand do you guys reccomend as a PO4 absorber?

RowaPhos
Schem Phos-Guard
or Phos-Zorb

?

 

[tecwzrd]

I’ve only used the Phos-Guard personally and it reduced a tank reading of .2 to 0 within 3 days. Not sure how well it would have done with a higher reading.

I haven’t any experience with the other brands so hopefully someone who does will chime in.

 

[L2]

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/june2004/review.htm

So hmmmm... Are you guys suggesting I not use any PO4 remover if I get a high reading when I get a kit and test for PO4 and wait a few more weeks?

Could using a PO4 absorber hurt my tank if it's only 3 weeks old? I just want to make sure this algae problem doesn't get out of hand and I know that part of that is trying to control it before it does. Right now I'm looking at 3-4 different kinds in my tank that are slowly developing.

 

[seaham358]

Dont rush into buying things you may not need. New tanks go through stages and the algae may burn out on its own. Sit back and relax during the cycle and read read and read some more about the hobby..
Get used to the tank, test the water on a regular basis, get a schedule for the top off of the tank and wait and see what happens. If you still have issues after the cycle then start working on a cure. Are you using Tap water??

 

[L2]

I'm getting a PO4 test kit today so I'm going to test my tank and then my tap water before and after ROI/DI.

 

[seaham358]

Test kit is a great idea..

 

[L2]

Well, I got my PO4 test kit today!!! Finally! And tested my tank water... It was about 0.25.

My filtered water had no PO4 at all.

Unfiltered tap water had a significant amount of PO4... about 2. But that was no surprise. At least I know the test kit works! I still put in some Rowa Phos though (a very small dose) to absorb whatever PO4 and Si that is leaching out of my live rocks and substrate.

Think I'll get a fish this weekend. Maybe a clown.

 

[tecwzrd]

lr/substrate usually only leach very small amounts of po4 and is easily controlled by a good 10% pwc each week. More then likely your po4 is accumulating from whatever food you put in the tank. Flake is the worst offender IME and why I stick to frozen more which seems to get eaten more quickly and contains less po4 if properly thawed/rinsed.

The Rowa Phos is really only a Band-Aid solution to keeping po4 to a minimum. I’d try feeding more frozen and less flake and reduce your feedings to every other day and the quantity to what your tank consumes in <5 minutes.

Since you only have snails (hermits??) you should only have to add about ¼ of a cube or less of frozen every other day at this point.

 

[L2]

Well actually I was thinking of adding 1 fish this week. Maybe a perculia clown or a yellow tail damsel or a royal gramma or.... a dwarf angel fish. i was going to get the dwarf last... from what i've read... it seems to be the last fish you should drop into the tank because of his behaviour even though he's very hard. i also had my eye on a 6 line wrasse or maybe a gobie.

out of those fish... which would be the best starter fish? i was thinking a clown or a damsel - leaning more towards the clown seeing as damsels are so aggressive and i don't think i want him in my community tank. though the damsel does eat algae... hmmm... thoughts?

thanks!
Lloyd

 

[tecwzrd]

I’ve never seen my damsels eat algae either on the lr or the nori I feed my tang. ime they are strictly carnivores and will even snub flake unless that is all you feed. I am quite fond of my yellow tail damsel which is fairly small and has a great personality. They can get aggressive as they mature but mine is quite laid back. It often varies from fish to fish though.

I also have a Blue Green Chromis which is considered a damsel but is the least aggressive fish in my tank. It has grown 1” in the last 9 months and maxes out around 3”

I’m not a huge fan of clowns myself but they are entertaining to watch with their bobbing motion. They do fine without anemones and I would get a “tank raised” False Percula if you do get one. They are prone to getting ich also and since you don’t have a qt tank I’d personally avoid them.

The Six Line Wrasse would be a good addition but some can be picky eaters.

 

[L2]

Blue Green Chromis are gorgeous fish. I love them but I hear that they are schooling fish and you need to get at least three.

What's the difference between a true perucala clown and a false one?

You've sort of sold me on the yellow tail damsel. We'll see... If I get two very tiny fish then maybe I'll opt for him and a clown. Otherwise, just a clown. I just can't help it they are such cute fish. If it means getting a qt eventually then so be it! I'm a sucker.

 

[tecwzrd]

Blue Green Chromis are gorgeous fish. I love them but I hear that they are schooling fish and you need to get at least three.

What's the difference between a true perucala clown and a false one?

I have also heard that getting them in odd pairs is better but I’ve also heard that they can pick on others of their kind and often kill them. That’s the main reason why I only have one and it has worked out very well for me. It’s a very active fish and is a joy to watch.

The only difference in the clowns is the True Percula is slightly smaller and usually slightly more money. Both can be purchased as tank raised and usually the tank raised fish are less ich prone and generally will eat better since growing up in a tank is all it’s known. Wild caught clowns are generally more picky eaters, more ich prone, and if habited an anemone in the wild will likely miss it.

Edit:
Also if you do get 3 Blue Green Chromis which max out at 3” then that puts you at 9” total which considering your tank size (12 gal) it would exceed your fish limit. I would stick to one so you could enjoy other fish.

 

[L2]

Thanks for the download of info.

Most small fish get as large as 3" so if I want to stock my tank with 3 fish. 1 clown, 1 dwarf angel and 1 (something else, maybe a royal gramma or other)... then will that max out my tank? what is the maximum amount of fish i can really go for? am i screwed? and can only get 2 and not 3?

thanks!
LL

 

[ryguy]

True perculas have thicker black bands than the false's do. FYI, Nemo, is a false.