Green algae?

[LAgirlKath]

Hi All,

I have been cycling my 12 gallon for about 12 days now. My water conditions are as follows:

pH = 8.0
Ammonia = 0 (starts off yellow, but then in seconds, the test tube turns clear)
Nitrites = 0
Nitrates = 5
dKh = 9
Temperature = 79 degrees
Salinity = 1.024

I have been adding reef builder to my tank and noticing that the live rock has gotten a ton of color on it. It was usually reds, purples, pinks, and whites, but lately, it has started developing patches of light lime green. Is this the start of bad algae? If so, what should I do to take care of it? I plan on doing a water change tonite, but do my tank parameters allow for me to add some sort of clean-up crew that will eat algae? Oh, I almost forgot, I do have 4 hermit crabs in there also. Please advise.

Thanks!
Kathy

 

[Kevin1000]

Well my first recommendation is don't add anything in your tank unless your testing indicates that you need it. Many addetives do more harm than good unless your tank has a specific deficiency.

You should also be aware that coraline algae takes along time to develop and anything that has sprung up in 12 days is definitey not coraline algae.

Many tanks take 6 weeks or so to cycle. Not sure why yours is not showing ammonia or nitirite. Have you ever gotten a postive read on either of these chemicals since you started the tank?

Hope this helps

 

[LAgirlKath]

Yes, I did get positive reads on both at one point in time. Then the Ammonia slowly went to zero as the Nitrites climbed, and now the Nitrites have zeroed out.

Like I mentioned on the Ammonia test, it's odd....I use the one from Aquarium Pharmaceuticals. At first the test tube will turn yellow, then it will clear itself out within a minute. Does this happen to anyone else?

Thanks for the help!
Kathy

 

[ChrisRD]

So far nothing sounds out of wack. It's normal to see several algae cycles in the first few months the tank is setup, so I would just keep a close on eye on things and see how it goes...

 

[Anonymous]

Agreeing with Chris... just add the critters that chop on that green stuff! Don't treat your tank as a science project.. have fun with it (in moderation of course) and enjoy it!
~wings~