Three part question with pics...

[skank-a-holic]

I currently have a 75 gal salt aquarium thats exactly 2 weeks old today. I have 80 lbs of cured live rock (that all went in on day 2), a live sand bed & 3 Damsels. I have a wet/dry filtration system (common blue filter pad and bio balls with a Surge 3500 return pump) and 24 hr compact lighting (4 x 65W, 2-Dual Daylight/2-Dual Actinic). The daylights run approx. 10 hrs and the actinic runs 2 hrs in the morning and 1 hr in the evening. I, for now, only have the 1 return for circulation. No added power heads as of yet. My readings are as follows:

NH3 - 0
N02 - 0
N03 - 20
PH - 8.4
ALK - high
SG - 1.021
Water top offs are with distilled water.

Part 1: Common problem with red/brown? algae. I believe this is Diatoms. Besides cutting down on light time, How do I control this or do I just wait it out in hopes that it will/should go away.

Part 2: With that said, My biggest issue is with my water clarity. From a distance, the water appears to be clear but up close it looks more so dusty and a bit cloudy (shown above the rocks in one of the pics, very tiny dots blowing around everywhere). My friend has the exact set up but approx. 60 lbs less rock and his water is crystal clear now and was at 2 weeks. How do I clear up my water?

Part 3: Which now brings me to... Is the cured live rock still seeded with the coralline algae even though its been "cured"? If so, I take it it will return and spread in the tank to most rocks? Reason why is I am starting to see pastel green colored spots showing on my rocks (along with some pink) everywhere in the tank. Is this Coralline coming back?

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated! Lando... I need your help as well on this one!

Thanks!

 

[ellisz]

I would think the diatoms would subside but it might depend on the quality of the distilled water you are using.

The coralline will return so be aptient on that one. Sometimes it can take awhile. Depending on the salt you are using, the Ca levels could be low.

As of clarity, try running some carbon in the wet/dry. I would also add at least 2 powerheads at some point. I run 3 in my 75 gal.

Sucks seeing established reef tanks when yours is new. I have been there Just takes time.

 

[skank-a-holic]

As of clarity, try running some carbon in the wet/dry. I would also add at least 2 powerheads at some point. I run 3 in my 75 gal.

How do I go about doing this carbon? Where do I place it in my filter and what to purchase?

Thanks!!

 

[ellisz]

A filter sock and carbon can be purchased at any LFS. Just put the carbon in the filter sock and place it some where where water flows. I place mine on the drain into the sump. Could be placed in the tank too but normally people don't want to see it.

 

[skank-a-holic]

Thanks... what exactly does it do? I mean how does it clear the water?

 

[ellisz]

Removes impurities, I believe. Not exactly sure how it does it though. Water filters always have a carbon filter though

 

[JG]

Activated Carbon is porous and so it kind of acts like a solid sponge. The open spaces between the carbon atoms provide a lot of surface area to attract and trap other unwanted molecules. So a lot of the gunk that clouds up your tank will be filtered out.

These spaces do fill up , so you have to replace it periodically.