My tank looks carbonated.

[Guest Keyoke]

Ok, so it's been about 3 wks since the tank's been up and running. No live stock unless it's hitched a ride in on the LR which was added a little here, little there over the last oh 3 or 4 days (I'm up to about 50 lbs or so in a 90G). Hictch hikers include Acropoa, a small bit of plate coral, some large brown polyps, some small red-centered button polyps, a shroom, something wedged into the crack of a rock that looks like a small anenome, a small branch of Capenella, lots of Macros (grape and 'feather' calurpera, bits of cheato, and some tough-looking sea grass)

 

Oh, and _LOTS_ of great sponges.. sponges EVERYWHERE purple, green, brown, black, blue, white.. The darn things are taking over.. I like 'em excpt for the white and yellow kind, which look a lot like snot. The purple/lavender stuff has just blown up on my rock tho, some of it has inflated really well and appears to be thriving. Got lots of 'pods, some mini-brittle or serpent stars, couple of the larger dime sized stars, teeny snails, and I've actually seen JELLY FISH. Teeny little brown ones (pinhead sized).

 

So all and all, I think things are turning out rather well for a tank with no real livestock. I've got lots of bristles, and spaghetti worms (they go nuts at night) and pods and small shrimp or whatever running around like mad.. (BIG thanks to MichaelG, Lee and Gusthaforandi (I know I spelt that wrong) for the sand - i think that really got things going for me)

 

 

I even got polyp extension on the Acros (brown/green with purple tips) under my 4x 55W PC lighting... which I didn't expect I'd get at all... figured those'd die out almost instantly.. And the Capanella seems to be flourishing too, it's not fully expanded @ proly about 3/4hs of the size it could be, but I think that' sbecause I keep moving it...

 

My question is, is that the tank is starting to look like it's been carbonated. The substrate is _covered_ in brown micro-algae - I asume it's either a diatom bloom, or some sort of brown algae. The only places that are clear is those by the LR. The algae/diatoms themselves are _covered_ in teeny bubbles... these are being released to the surface anywhere from 3 to 6 bubbles every few seconds. It reminds me of the way a light beer bubbles if you pour it into a glass and let it sit for 5 minutes.

 

So I'mm wondering if it's about time to add some sand critters - hermits, snails, a conch or cuke or the like to the tank. I haven't taken any measurements yet, figuring that the tank would take about 4 wks to cycle completely.. it's been almost 3, so maybe it's about time to start.

 

Can anyone just confirm that this is normal? Is it something I ought to be concerned about, or will things just balance out?

[michaelg]

You are probably close to being done with a cycle. bubbles are probably o2 from photosynthesis.

Cool on all the hitchhikers you scored! Sounds like the tank is off to a real healthy start. I would just check ammonia and nitrites, then start adding some snails. I would test about 6 of them to start.

[Lee Stearns]

Very standard, Diatom bloom is the first and lasts anywhere from a few days to a few weeks- Next is cynobacteria- Will be a red film, might form long strings. Again a few weeks. I am not a big hermit crab fan but in a large tank a couple redlegs(3-5)- less aggressive will do fine at this stage. Next bloom after that will be an algea bloom and then it will will be a matter a reaching a balance between producing nutrients- food, fish poop, ect and algea growing to use those nutrients on one side and on the other side what creatures eat the algea be it snails crabs pods or manual removal in the form of one of the Macro algeas from the fuge. Sounds like you are right on track and actually have a foot up on most folks start in the bio-diversity. Once the algea bloom stage arrives look for the little snails I sent you home with to really start repoducing. Enjoy the evening show.