Brown algae

[Brian]

Ok so I'm pretty much at the end of adding my snails and such. So what is the next step? I have noticed that now that I have my lights on for an extended period I have developed brown algae on the tank and sand. What to do? I do have some pumps coming in to increase the flow around the tank but wondering what is the best option. I talked to Johnny at the BRK and he said I low on phosphates and kalk or calc wasn't sure. Wasn't Johnny's fault I just didn't have time for along conversations and what my options would be with an 18month old in the store.

 

So what does everyone do to battle the brown algae? I do see the snails and emerald crabs eating it so not sure the algae is a bad thing. I do not have an auto top off system yet so can I just dose kalk/calc and what is the best way to do it?

 

Also I know I will have to get a pair of clown fish for my daughter so what is the best way to acclimate the fish to my tank? I'm used to fresh water but I don't think the whole let the bag bob in the tank for a while does the trick. My sump is too small to put fish into and I would be worried they would get sucked up by my return pump. So how does everyone else do it?

 

Thanks I'm sure there will be more questions to come

[Highland Reefer]

Sounds like you have diatoms. keeping low levels of silica helps to get rid of them. It is not uncommon to have this happen in a new system. It usually will correct itself, by the diatoms using up all the silica and it pretty much goes away. If however, you are using tap water, you can introduce more silica and it could be an ongoing problem. In that case, you would want to use ro/di water. Here is a link to explain what I am talking about: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/jan2003/feature.htm

 

Also, you want to be checking all your water parameters, such as ph, kh, salinity, nitrate, amonia, and a few others. Here is a link to help out with that: http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php.

 

Lightly stiring the substrate will help out and make it look less offensive. If you are using sand lightly stir. If you are using crushed coral, stir vigorously.

 

Good luck.

 

Edited March 10, 2008 by Highland Reefer

[Brian Ward]

Ok so I'm pretty much at the end of adding my snails and such. So what is the next step? I have noticed that now that I have my lights on for an extended period I have developed brown algae on the tank and sand. What to do? I do have some pumps coming in to increase the flow around the tank but wondering what is the best option. I talked to Johnny at the BRK and he said I low on phosphates and kalk or calc wasn't sure. Wasn't Johnny's fault I just didn't have time for along conversations and what my options would be with an 18month old in the store.

 

So what does everyone do to battle the brown algae? I do see the snails and emerald crabs eating it so not sure the algae is a bad thing. I do not have an auto top off system yet so can I just dose kalk/calc and what is the best way to do it?

 

Also I know I will have to get a pair of clown fish for my daughter so what is the best way to acclimate the fish to my tank? I'm used to fresh water but I don't think the whole let the bag bob in the tank for a while does the trick. My sump is too small to put fish into and I would be worried they would get sucked up by my return pump. So how does everyone else do it?

 

Thanks I'm sure there will be more questions to come

 

 

 

Brown algae is probably diatoms and a normal part of cycling the tank. It should go away on its own, just keep your parameters in check. You don't need to worry about calcium levels until you add corals.

 

You can dose kalk to adjust alkalinity but make sure you test before you do this. Also monitor pH. Make sure you drip the kalk appropriately. You dose only the effluent, and do it very slowly. kalk is very caustic, a solution typically has a pH of 12 or 13. You can use a 2-liter bottle to dose. Add kalk and RO water, shake it up and allow it to sit for a while so the residual powder settles out. Insert a tube into the bottle - get a tight seal (probably drill a hole in the cap, insert the tube and seal with silicone). Make sure the end of the tube is about halfway up the water column. Then allow the kalk-saturated water to drip into the sump and be mixed in.

 

Alternately, you can dose a 2-part mixture or just use an alkalinity supplement from a company like SeaChem. Your alk really shouldn't change much since you don't have any corals to consume it.

 

For adding fish, having a QT is always preferrable. To add fish to the tank, you'll want to place the fish in a bucket and drip acclimate the fish. You're looking to slowly allow the fish to adjust to the salinity, pH and temperature of your tank. Order of importance is typically pH, salinity, temperature but balancing all 3 to avoid shocking the fish is the goal. Ask about the salinity of the water in the system you purchase the fish from. You can ask about how long to acclimate. Typically an hour is plenty but if you purchase them straight out of hypo you'll need to acclimate for 4+ hrs. Clownfish are pretty hardy so they can tolerate some error. Clowns don't typically get along with each other unless you purchase a mated pair. You'll want to be sure to purchase one of them larger than the other - the smaller one will become the male, the larger will remain female. This is your best bet in getting them to live together.

 

I think that answered all your questions?

[Highland Reefer]

I am using a photoperiod of about 10 hrs. I don't know how long you keep your lights on, If you are keeping them on for more than 10 hrs, you may want to cut back some.

 

If you can't afford a quarantine tank right now, then the next best thing is to ask your local fish dealer if he can hold the fish for you for a period of time in his system. That way you can let him quarantine the fish for you. He may ask for a deposit and that is fair.

Edited March 10, 2008 by Highland Reefer

[Brian]

Right now I have my lights on for about 10 hours with the antics on an hours before and after the main lights go off. I did get some RO water from BRK this weekend and will be using that from now on to top off the tank. I do have a RO/DI filter but have yet to hook it up and start making my own water.

 

So it looks like the brown algae or Diatoms is just part of the "process".

 

Thanks for the information.