Green Water... YUK!!!!!

[ems3411]

OK.. I cycled my tank (Oceanic 110) with the ever popular deli shrimp and playsand. All readings went up and back to 0.. added a little liverock (15#) things were looking good. I have not 'fed' the tank anything else since I took the shrimp out.. I had a couple of weeks of bad brown algea on the sand that you could take out in sheets (real thick like cardboard) transfered a few Nassarius snails (6) and a few blue legs (4). in the last week or so the water has turned so green I can only see in the tank about 5 inches maybe.

RO water used to fill the tank. lights right now are NO only waiting for $$ to buy MH's. My next purchase will be a euroreef skimmer... but cash is tight.

Think maybe I need to do some water changes? maybe get a CHEAP skimmer to at least remove some of the crap in the water column?

Any advice will be tolerated and looked highly on..

Thanks
Bob

 

[Mogo]

IMO you needed a skimmer earlier on. Would likely have helped a few parameters in your tank. Don't buy a "cheap" skimmer. have a look at the various opinions on skimmers posted here and get yourself a good one. You will be happy you did months down the line.

 

[Anonymous]

what exactly were you cycling, the water? the sand?

I'm kinda suprised people recomend doing that still, it's so much easier to just get precured rock from someplace like harbor and be done with it

 

[ems3411]

Yes... the sand.. I know when I add the rock it will mini cycle again... I was sick of the tank sitting for so long empty... I thought I would be able to add rock in smaller amounts as $$ allowed until I reached a happy point. I wanted to get a good sandbed built up with critters while adding rock at different times from different stores.

I know I will regret a small skimmer, but I thought it would be better than nothing. I am going to have to use tax refund $ and just buy the euroreef and be happy from day one.

The tank was clear for over a 3 months once the sand settled.. I was almost ready to move my 3 green chromis from my 30 gal into the tank.. (UGF with no skimmer or water changes--the perfect F/O with minor LR tank.
Would a bunch of macro help any?? (I know I am grasping but still..)

Thanks for the input, I love this place- If only they would give me money to setup my tank..

 

[wedfr]

EMS i had the same problem in my tank, also happend about 3 months after the tank was setup. I had a few things change when it happend so i never found out what caused it. I upgraded my light from a NO 30 watt to 190 watts of VHO and i also had some big turbo snails die and pollute the water, it smelled like sewer. maybe you left the shrimp in too long? maybe we got some contaminated Southdown sand??? although i dont know why it would take 3 months to go green though.

Feel the sides of your tank on the inside, does the glass feel rough? like it has a coating of hard algae on it?

If you have nothing in the tank that needs light shut the lights completely off i know that stopped it for me but i dont know how long you need to keep them off to kill whatevers in there so it wont come back once you start the lights back up. Also put the lights on a timer a regimetned schedule seems to help so far

 

[Anonymous]

maybe now that the tank is cycled your
nitrates are rising,feeding the algae?