Tank cycling - help....

[MandarinFish]

My tank has been cycling about 3 weeks.

Today I came home to find nasty brown wispy stuff all over the place and air bubbles all over my rock.

Is this normal? What stage am I at?

Should I do anything to eliminate the brown nastiness and air bubbles that materialized?

 

[MandarinFish]

Is this cyano?

Anyone?

 

[kipreefer]

It may possible be a form of diatomic algae. It come around alot when you are cycling your aquarium. Sicne it is still cycleing i wouldnt worry about a whole lot yet.

 

[Rich-n-poor]

I doubt it is cyno from your description. Cyno looks more like flat sheets of slime.

sounds like normal hair algea which grows when the level of nitrates increase which is a naturall part of the cycle. ammonia->nitrite->nitrate. the bubbles are probably the bacteria converting nitrate to nitrous oxide gas.

I always see this as the last stage of the cycle when i start up a new tank. time to test your water and start looking at hermits and snails as a cleanup crew

HTH

_________________
Honda Jazz

 

[MandarinFish]

Already?? Wow - it's only been like 3 weeks.

I may get the 9 for $99 from IPSF next, as well as pick up some snails.

This brown algae won't harm my coralline, will it?

 

[cubera]

Your best bet is to add (2) snails per gallon and do it now. www.reeftopia.com will hook you right up

 

[MandarinFish]

135 gallons + 30 gallon sump + 18 gallon supplemental sump + 5 gallon refugium = 396 snails?!?!?

That's a lot of snails....

Should I get a single lettuce nudibranch? Is it likely to starve quickly?

 

[Gatortailale1]

First: are you running your lights yet, if so how many hours?

I have heard and read threads where peeps get all this nasty algae during cycling. Generally it's from the fact that peeps run their lights 10 hours from day one. My advice is to run light 4 hours first week. Then each week add an hour if things look and test out in the good range. The more time you take to build up to photo period the better off you are IMO - gives water chance to balance out.

Second: IMO I don't think you need to add 396 snails. At a max just calculate volume of water in tank. Don't forget you are losing volume of tank water from live rock and CC/DSB. Unless it's totally out of control, I would just start with 100 or less snails and 20 red leg herms. You also might be better off to buy first batch of snails at LFS (Buy 20) so you don't have a big bio load increase at once, then wait a few days and add more either LFS or mail.

Just my opinion

 

[MandarinFish]

Gator - I'm using natural sunlight, not lighting. I figured the supplemental lighting can wait.

My only concern is my coralline. I love the stuff and don't want it to decline because of the brown algae.

I'm sketched out about hermits. They kill snails and each other. They also eat fish eggs, and I want to breed my fish once I get them.

I do need snails though.

Do saltwater snails multiply? Freshwater snails are a scourge.

 

[carolinaclown]

Sounds like diatoms and it is natural give another 3 weeks and another type of algae will grow and get rid of it. It may come back depending on how much lighting you have and if you have any snails to keep the sand mixed. If you don't have any snails just take your hands make sure they are clean and dry and mix the sand yourself. Again this is a normal stage in the cycling process I wouldn't worry to much.


good luck cclown

 

[MandarinFish]

I keep blowing the air bubbles off the rocks and sand with a dedicated tank turkeybaster.

I had to bring my salt level up. I was keeping it low to reduce ich, but the macroalgae I have suffered greatly as a result. I hope it lives, but it looks kinda bad.

Now my gravity is closer to 1.2 and I will bring it up more if necessary. The new macroalgae I just added looks fine.

The brown wispy stuff detached and floated to the top of the tank in small clumps, but there is brown crud on my sand and rocks.

Time to add the IPSF 9 for $99? Or snails? Or both?

IF 9 for $99, then what do you recommend?:

* Coral Heaven Complete Coral Polyp Food (makes 2 quarts; instructions),
* 6 Baby Bristle Worms (captive-bred),
* 6 SandBed Clams (captive-bred),
* Tang Heaven Red,
* Tang Heaven Gold,
* WonderMud,
* N-Reducer,
* Feather Caulerpa,
* Tang Heaven Green,
* Tang Heaven Nori (dried seaweed fish diet),
* 6 Nerite Grazers,
* 6 Adult Strombus Grazers (captive-bred),
* 6 MicroHermits,
* Floating Sargassum (macroalgae),
* Reef Amphipods (20+ specimens),
* 6 Baby Hawaiian Turbo Grazers (captive-bred),
* Anthelia Polyps (captive-bred & hardy),
* Live Sand Activator (includes live sand,
* 6 Grazing snails,
* 6 MicroHermits and tiny worms)

 

[esmithiii]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote

Do saltwater snails multiply?

Under the right circumstances, yes.

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote

Now my gravity is closer to 1.2 and I will bring it up more if necessary. The new macroalgae I just added looks fine.

I think you mean specific gravity. It should be at 1.024 to 1.026 depending on how your hydrometer is calibrated.

Diatoms can take a while to run their course. I am in the 5th month on my 180, and they accumulate in low flow areas. Be patient and they usually run their course.

E

 

[clyde]

ich ? you got fish in the tank ?

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by MandarinFish:
<strong>I keep blowing the air bubbles off the rocks and sand with a dedicated tank turkeybaster.

I had to bring my salt level up. I was keeping it low to reduce ich, but the macroalgae I have suffered greatly as a result. I hope it lives, but it looks kinda bad.

Now my gravity is closer to 1.2 and I will bring it up more if necessary. The new macroalgae I just added looks fine.

The brown wispy stuff detached and floated to the top of the tank in small clumps, but there is brown crud on my sand and rocks.

Time to add the IPSF 9 for $99? Or snails? Or both?

IF 9 for $99, then what do you recommend?:

* Coral Heaven Complete Coral Polyp Food (makes 2 quarts; instructions),
* 6 Baby Bristle Worms (captive-bred),
* 6 SandBed Clams (captive-bred),
* Tang Heaven Red,
* Tang Heaven Gold,
* WonderMud,
* N-Reducer,
* Feather Caulerpa,
* Tang Heaven Green,
* Tang Heaven Nori (dried seaweed fish diet),
* 6 Nerite Grazers,
* 6 Adult Strombus Grazers (captive-bred),
* 6 MicroHermits,
* Floating Sargassum (macroalgae),
* Reef Amphipods (20+ specimens),
* 6 Baby Hawaiian Turbo Grazers (captive-bred),
* Anthelia Polyps (captive-bred & hardy),
* Live Sand Activator (includes live sand,
* 6 Grazing snails,
* 6 MicroHermits and tiny worms)</strong><hr></blockquote>

 

[MandarinFish]

Thanks Ernie.

I finally got off my lazy butt and read in The Mondern Coral Reef Aquarium the cycling section again to refresh myself, and they indicate the diatom cycle like you mention.

They suggest calcareous macroalgae to keep the blue-green algae down in the next stage.