This hobby is so damn thought consuming!

[trmiv]

I setup my 16g bowfront a week ago. While it's been cyling I've battled aiptasia already, which is still starting to take hold. I managed to kill the big ones, but a few remain.

 

Well now as my ammonia and nitrite levels are falling, I'm starting to get hit with this short, brown, hairlike algae that is beginning to cover a few rocks. I'm worried this stuff could take hold. I realize this stuff is all part of setting up a new tank, but I don't want it to get out of hand.

 

The problem is, thinking about what I'm going to do to get this tank right consumes my thoughts! All day at work I'm sitting here waiting to go home so I can work on tank. I'm thinking of ideas to work on the problem. I'm considering making a trip to an LFS on my lunch break for supplies. I'm not interested in working, I'm only interested in thinking about, and researching problems related to my tank! Ahhhh!!!!!

 

Anyone else have this same affliction? (Like I don't already know the answer to that!)

 

Also, any suggestions on my budding algae problem are welcome. I am using RO/DI I get from an LFS (two actually) for top offs and saltwater.

[Aiptasia]

Patience grasshopper...

 

Your tank is cycling along just as it should. What you're looking at is a diatom bloom of brown algae and it's very normal for a cycling tank. At this point, you should consider adding your reef janitor crew, which will consist of a few different species of reef safe snails and reef safe hermit crabs. The best assortment i've seen in a janitor pack is from GARF (www.garf.org) which sells four different types of reef safe snails and true mexican red legged hermits, which are very active, small, and will not irritate or harm live corals at all, like bigger hermits and blue legged ones can.

 

With four different types of snail species, they will hungrily graze down your brown diatom algae, eat the next phase of algae (green algae) your tank is going to experience and even eat cyanobacteria (problematic "slime" algae). The hermit crabs will also graze down problem macroalgaes, such as debrasia and hair algaes.

 

The nerites and smaller species in the GARF janitor crew are really good. They live a lot longer than Astrea tectum and Turbo snails and are much smaller, which means they won't accidentally knock over corals or re-arrange your decor as they move. Several of the snail species also burrow in sand layers, keeping your LS/upper plenums pliable. Nerites also breed quite readily and spawn often in established reef tanks, which means as they reproduce, free food for your corals.

 

Go with a 1 snail per gallon ratio, and one true mexican red legged hermit per 2 gallons, as your clean up crew. Once again, www.garf.org can overnight a janitor crew to you and they guarantee live arrival.

 

Algae of all types is very normal in a reef tank, and even with the janitor crew, you will always have some diatom, some green and some cyanobacteria someplace in the tank. The janitors keep them in check, and give a chance for macro algae and corraline algae to become the dominant algae in your tank, which is the "pretty" algae and what reef keepers want.

 

Everything is going along just as it should. Just keep monitoring the water quality and do your 10% per week water changes. Add your calcium/magnesium/strontium/coral vite suppliments to your evaporation make up water and use a good synthetic sea salt for mixing up your change water and you'll be all good mang.

[trmiv]

So this is diatom algae? I thought that was more slimy looking? this stuff looks like a short, brown crewcut of hair on some rocks.

 

I just did my first water change yesterday. I'm not planning on dosing right now, just going to do weekly 2 gallon water changes and see how that goes. I'm using Bio-Sea Marine Mix salt.

 

I added two Peppermint shrimp a couple of days ago (they were free, I said what the hell), to eat some of the aiptasia, and they have done a great job so far, and seem to be doing OK. Maybe I'll pickup my janitor kit. My nitrites are at 0, but I'm not 100% certain my ammonia is 0. It looks damn close to zero to me, but the colors on the Aquarium Pharaceuticals test kits are so fricking close together, I can't tell .25 from 0 that well.

[Aiptasia]

It could be a hair macro-algae, even so the hermits will eagerly eat it. Diatom algae is usually a golden brown color and is usually the first "bloom" in a newly cycling reef tank. It will cover everything if left unchecked, like unicellular green algae.

 

The ammonia will be the first thing to spike in the tank. As nitrosomonas bacteria consume it (in your LR and LS) and grow, they will convert it to nitrite. At this point, you will see decrease in ammonia to at or near zero and begin to see a spike in nitrite. Nitrobactir bacteria will then begin to eat the nitrite and turn it into nitrate. This whole process takes about 4-6 weeks for the tank to cycle. When nitrate is present, anerobic bacteria deep within your live rock will begin to neutralize it.

 

Yes, go ahead and get your reef janitor crew going, but avoid putting any corals in the tank for a little longer. Patience is the key, and regular water changes is absolutely crucial to success. If you are using a skimmer, you will need to start dosing iodine and suppliments, as the skimming process also removes some helpful nutes/minerals as well.

 

I use seachem's reef essential pack. It has three liquid suppliments that will provide all your reef will need (akalinity booster, calcium/mag/stront suppliment, vitamin/iodione,iodide suppliment) and you can add small amounts to a gallon of evap water and "dose" as you add RO/distilled water to your tank. For me, it simplifies things.

 

Give the tank time to cycle and mature before you think about adding corals. You can use your pink/red corraline algae as a good gauge. When all other algaes are in check and the pink corraline algae starts growing like wildfire, you can think about adding one or two corals at a time.

 

I have no idea what kind of lights you're running, but you'll need to stick to deep water coral species more than likely. Inverts that live in deeper or more turbid water away from the reef generally do better in tanks with less intense lighting. The three main groups worth looking at are: corallimorphs (mushroom anemones), zoanthids (button polyps) and leather corals.

Although there are a few exceptions, most of the inverts in these groups are easy to keep, and will do well in tanks lit by a small bank of good tubes.

 

Peppermint shrimps will eat aiptasia, but shrimps of this type aren't to be trusted around corals. They will eat polyps, i've had them and seen them do it. If you think about it, aiptasia are a small polyp anemone, and if they'll eat those... they'll go after zoo's and other corals. Remove them before adding your corals. If you have another aiptasia outbreak, simply cover their hidey holes (touch them and they'll retract into their hole) with marine epoxy or a well chewed piece of sugar free gum. It plugs their holes and prevents them from emerging and feeding. Buried alive, they will die in a few weeks, and you can remove the gum plug or let your corraline algae grow right over it. It's safe and simple.

[trmiv]

My lights are a CSL 2x40w PC hood with moonlite. No skimmer. I have a 12" HOB fuge (from Reefer_Buddha) with a 13w jalli light that will go on the thank as soon as the powerhead arrives.

 

The problem with the aiptasia was that it was tiny, way too hard for me to handle myself. I nuked the big ones with boiling water, but the tiny ones were everywhere. In two days, the shrimp have cut the aiptasia population in half.

 

My tank is cycling rather quickly since my rock was cured, and I used that bio-active aragonite sand. My levels spiked, and are now declining every day. Not even close to wanting to put any corals in there though.

 

I'm planning on sticking with mushrooms, zoos, and some other softies when I do. I might eventually venture into the LPS realm, but I doubt I'll take the SPS plunge until I move and am able to get a bigger tank ( I used to have a 100 g FO that is in storage at my parents house, one day it will be a reef).

[reefdamsel]

I, too, spend WAY too much time thinking about this hobby, but that's what I like about it. There's always more to learn. And who wants to think about work all day anyway?

[trmiv]

I'm confused about the GARF order form. The 30 gallong kit is way too much for my tank, so I guess I have to order individually. It says "algae eating snails for -- $2.98 each, plus shipping and handling" If I order say 16-20 of the snails, do I get a mixture of the kinds they discuss, or just one type?

 

I think I'll also pickup about 8 of those hermits they talk about.

 

Damn, now that I look at it, it is probably better to just get a 30 gallon kit, and sell off the extra. Buying the snails indiviually breaks the friggin bank.

[Isaka]

I think most of us here spend too much time thinking about modifications and additions to our tank, LOL. What you might have is a mix of diatoms and hair algae (which is what makes the hair algae appear to be brownish). These are both VERY common when ending a cycle. I had the same thing. I got 1 turbo snail to clean the hair algae of the rocks and glass, and 2 nassarius to clean the sand and keep it stirred to reduce algae growing on the sand. Even with the small clean up crew, patience is your friend. I noticed that some was being taken care of by the snails, and some was just slowly fading as my tank stabilized.

[AnthonyNguyen]

yup, its cost a punch of money ..and a lots of patience, when your tank done with the cycle, and after 6 months, man, trust meeh dood, its gonna be awsome, and its will worth the time you put it in right now, majority is everyone is have to goes through this stage, dont feel bad. i has 20 L and i think i spend almost 1 G on it already.

[trmiv]

Well if I order the snails individually, its $2.98 each, so like $59.60 for 20 snails! then add another $23.84 for the 8 hermits, and you're up to $83.44!! plus shipping!

 

Or, i can get the 30 gallon kit for $45 plus shipping. The 30 gallon kit is WAAAAY too much stuff for me, but I could either find someone to split it (dont know anyone), or sell the extras to an LFS.

[Jim J]

Call garf at the 800 number listed on the site. But also keep in mind that shipping can add $$$ (shipping on 5 lbs of grunge was $25 from Idaho to Kentucky, don't know what it would be to CA.)

 

Blue legs at my local LFS are $1 each, snails are $1-2.

 

Garf= $45+shipping

LFS= $15-20+tax

 

In this case LFS wins (imho)

 

But still, I would call garf and see it they will make a deal on smaller amounts.

 

Open a box of grunge at work and everybody thinks it low tide on hooker beach )

[trmiv]

Maybe a trip to the LFS is in order. I've got 4 to pick from, so I should find some decent prices.

 

I'm not sold on hermits though. I've heard sometimes they don't pull their weight, and that they will kill snails for their shells. Maybe I should stick to like 20 ceriths and 1 or 2 turbos?