Green algae outbreak in my one month old cycled 14 gallon biocube

[Clown79]

Diatoms definitely react to light. I had diatoms on and off for 2 mnths and noticed when lights were off - it disappeared and when the lights came on the diatoms worsened as the hours went by.

 

In the pic it doesn't look to be a major algae issue. Looks to be normal, especially in the new tank.

 

I think you may be over worried.

 

Not all tanks get the same algaes. Its a big misconception that one will get diatoms, it isn't the case.

 

Algae is a normal factor in aquariums, lakes, rivers, oceans.

In aquaria algae becomes an issue when it takes over, from your pic, its not.

 

Good husbandry prevents algae from taking over the tank but having some algae is completely normal.

 

Seabass gave you excellent advice.

 

1. Use ro/di, ro, or distilled

2. Do weekly water changes and test weekly

3. Use a turkey baster to blow detritus off rocks and vacuum the sand with every water change

4. Clean filter intakes, pumps, hob's, powerheads monthly

5. If you have aio tanks, clean the chambers, they get filthy- i have 2 snails in mine to help

6. Change filter floss 1-2 times a week

7. Rinse carbon bag at water change and change out completely monthly(depends on product chemipure is a few mnths)

8. Feed lightly don't over stock

9. I'd ditch the bioballs, if they aren't cleaned regularly they apparently become a nitrate factory

 

Doing all these things will help control your nutrient levels and keep algae levels low.

 

I would not advise running out to get treatments. Treatments are band aids, they don't fix a problem. Its advised to only treat the tank for cyano with products when it becomes an issue and all other manual methods and nutrient export isn't working.

 

The cause of the algae you have is the age of the tank. Its a new tank.

[ReeferBrian]

Yeah ill get pics tommorow,I'm definitely not over reacting,it got pretty bad yesterday,but the pic I showed earlier in the thread didn't show up due to my camera on my kindle. I understand that tanks go through ugly tank syndrome,I've been trying to find out if diatoms go away after the lights go off then gets bad after lights come on but haven't been able to find anything.I do honestly understand that algae happens in tanks but I'm having to wipe the glass 4 and five times during 6 hours of the light being on,ill work on getting a powerhead and put the dry rock in a bucket but I just spent 100 bucks yesterday on tank stuff,so ill have to run it by the wife,lol.I'm taking the patient way and going to give it a col weeks and if it stays the same or gets worse ill take additional steps,but right now I'm going with water changes.I guess ill gets a good pic and post later tomorrow night.I do appreciate all the help,it's just low funds right now,so I gotta be conservative in my methods,having said that,it did look a bit better today,so I'm keeping positive but I do thank everyone for their help

Sorry I forgot I'm using the same di water I use on my other tank without I ssue

[msparklym13]

I have relied on Sea Bass for so much advice- As others mentioned some pictures would be awesome- Also just to rule out- is your tank by a window?

Also- I have Bio Balls still in my 29. I know others have recommended taking them out but I honestly don't know how to do it :-) Yes I know how to physically remove them just don't completely understand what is best instead :-) We are all really new and trying our best!

[ReeferBrian]

Well ill wait it out hopefully it's just the diatoms, maybe I'm a bit parnoid as this was a gift for my wife and I didn't kow if I could?should get her a fish?cuc has been in there for a few days without issue,it does calm me a bit knowing now that diatoms react to light.so ill just be more patient and wait it out.ill p o st a pic tomorrow night if it gets bad again,it did show some improvement today so thank you everyone for your very helpful info,I know I'm being a pain but your time and info are very appreciated

I have relied on Sea Bass for so much advice- As others mentioned some pictures would be awesome- Also just to rule out- is your tank by a window?

Also- I have Bio Balls still in my 29. I know others have recommended taking them out but I honestly don't know how to do it :-) Yes I know how to physically remove them just don't completely understand what is best instead :-) We are all really new and trying our best!

yeah I have buybacks in mine too and have thought about putting in the basket,but I'm hesitant to cut my tank up ,lol I am trying my best and hopefully I'm overreacting

[seabass]

Thanks msparklym.

 

I have Bio Balls still in my 29. I know others have recommended taking them out but I honestly don't know how to do it

First, the reason why we take them out is that they are for tanks that don't have a natural bio-filter (live rock). We want the bacteria to establish on the rock where some denitrification is possible (and becomes part of the bio-film that can help support other life).

 

While the bacteria will still establish on your rocks, part of it will establish on the bio-balls (which definitely won't support denitrifying bacteria, and can be a place where detritus collects, which tends to result in higher nitrate levels). This can be largely avoided if you keep the chambers and balls clean; but this is more maintenance for something that just isn't necessary.

 

However, since part of the bio-filter is already established on the bio-balls (and you have some livestock in your tank), you don't want to remove them all at once. I recommend taking out a third of them, wait a week, take out half of the remaining, wait another week, then remove the rest (waiting another week before adding anything else). This will give the bacteria some time to compensate for the changes.

 

Now you have room for other filtration (like an inTank media basket, protein skimmer, or refugium). I do highly recommend an inTank media basket. It provides an excellent place to run mechanical (filter floss) and chemical media (like activated carbon, Phosguard, ChemiPure Elite, etc).

[Hammerstone]

And don't feel like your being a pain by asking questions! That's how we learn ?

[ReeferBrian]

Ill consider the media basket,and I'm running chemipure elite in one of the chambers so at least that's taken care of,I think a protein skimmer is next,sea bass read my mind on that,lol.and thank you hammerstone,I guess I just am overreacting but when your on b budget like we are and you put about 300 bucks into a gift for your wife and it looks like crap one starts to panic,lmbo! So ill cool out and just refer to this thread when I feel (stuck).I just turned the lights on so maybe ill be surprised!

[seabass]

Yeah ill get pics tommorow,I'm definitely not over reacting,it got pretty bad yesterday...

You promised pics for us today.

[ReeferBrian]

Trying to send not much algae I bet it was 50%less today after water change and new filter,looks worse in person but happy it's less.I'm being patient that it's going away or its taking a col days to regenerate after I siphoned the sand but anyhoo here it is

[ReeferBrian]

Here's a pic of my 10 gallons to show you

[seabass]

I have to say, I'm not really seeing what you're worried about. However, I'm glad you're feeling better about it. I like your 10 gallon reef.

[ReeferBrian]

Yeah by this pic it looks almost perfect,and it was much better today,I only had to clean the glass once,and the algae in the sand took 6 hours before it started showing its ugly head again,lol.I do think it's getting better ,I do thank you for putting up with my panicking.we are now talking about stocking the tank with 2 fish one at a time ,waiting a week in between buying them.although I'm not quite a total noob,my 10 gallon went so smooth that I assumed something was wrong with my new tank ,I now know that no two tanks are the same!

[msparklym13]

HI!

Not to sound dumb but I just don't see anything wrong- Your tank looks amazing! I completely understand your worry but after looking at your tank and others I personally feel you are doing great. When my tank was up and running I thought it was fine to leave for 3 days. After all, no fish/no coral- nothing! I came home to the ugliest green nasty tank and thought I was ruined. Turns out it was cycling and a few days later all was good! Best of luck but my humble opinion is you are doing a stellar job :-)

[Bcb577]

HI!

Not to sound dumb but I just don't see anything wrong- Your tank looks amazing! I completely understand your worry but after looking at your tank and others I personally feel you are doing great. When my tank was up and running I thought it was fine to leave for 3 days. After all, no fish/no coral- nothing! I came home to the ugliest green nasty tank and thought I was ruined. Turns out it was cycling and a few days later all was good! Best of luck but my humble opinion is you are doing a stellar job :-)

thank you!it's really hard to tell from these pics,but I think I'm just being overly concerned,lol,today I got some brown algae in the sand,but I didn't have to scrape the glass,so it's getting better,thank you for being so honest,ill quit worrying and start thinking about corals and fish to buy,lol

[seabass]

thank you!it's really hard to tell from these pics,but I think I'm just being overly concerned,lol,today I got some brown algae in the sand,but I didn't have to scrape the glass,so it's getting better,thank you for being so honest,ill quit worrying and start thinking about corals and fish to buy,lol

ReeferBrian?

[msparklym13]

thank you!it's really hard to tell from these pics,but I think I'm just being overly concerned,lol,today I got some brown algae in the sand,but I didn't have to scrape the glass,so it's getting better,thank you for being so honest,ill quit worrying and start thinking about corals and fish to buy,lol

HI!

Does the brown algae in the sand look dotty? If so that is a good thing!

[Bcb577]

ReeferBrian?

yes this is reeferbrian,I had some technical difficulties and ended up with this name,lol

HI!

Does the brown algae in the sand look dotty? If so that is a good thing!yeah it's not a blanket of slime it's just patches of dusty brown

 

[Bcb577]

HI!

Does the brown algae in the sand look dotty? If so that is a good thing! It's not slimey it's more powdery

 

[J-Ranko]

The extent and duration of your algae bloom right after a cycle will vary based on many factors. To me this looks pretty normal for a new tank, especially for just a month old tank that started with dry rocks. In my experience starting with cured lived rock will result in shorter algae cycle, but you will still get it when the tank is new. In this case you cycled with raw shrimp instead of live rock, but I'd say it's within the expected range of results.

[Bcb577]

The extent and duration of your algae bloom right after a cycle will vary based on many factors. To me this looks pretty normal for a new tank, especially for just a month old tank that started with dry rocks. In my experience starting with cured lived rock will result in shorter algae cycle, but you will still get it when the tank is new. In this case you cycled with raw shrimp instead of live rock, but I'd say it's within the expected range of results.

thank you j-ranko,I have a 10 gallon nano reef aquarium that's been up for almost 9months and it went so smooth that when I put this one up I panicked because I figured that it should have gone just like the last one.in the 10 gallon I used all live rock,so therein lies the difference.and now I know not everyone will have their cycle act the same way,lots of variables,thanks for you input,it's greatly appreciated!

[Bcb577]

Hey fellow reefers! I've decided after all your advise that my algae is normal in a new tank,I'm going to listen and let it work itself out.sooooo,today we added our first fish here's a pic! Yep we went with a firefish! He's doing great but can't get him to eat but that's understandable with the shock of moving and all,very pretty, pics really don't do him justice.