Tank hitting the ugly stage?

[Moshizzl3]

Hello fellow reefers!

 

So i think my tank is starting to hit the "ugly stage" that i have been hearing and reading about.

 

Starting to see brownish stuff on my sandbed, and on the rocks. 

 

Parameters:

Nitrate: 2 PPM

Phosphate: 0,12 PPM

Using the red sea testkit, but i find it a bit hard to read the exact colour.

 

As i understand it, algae is controlled by these to parameters mostly.

 

Yesterday i added Phospathe minus: https://aquaforest.eu/en/product/phosphateminus/ But in a filtersock (i know that it is not the optimal way to use it but dont have a big sump) 😞

 

Any other advice on how to deal with this, or should i just let run its course?

 

 

[j.falk]

You should let it run it's course...all tanks go through this.  

[Tired]

Don't try to get rid of algae. The tank needs to go through the ugly stage, so non-pest algaes can get established. If you've started with dry rock, it'll be much longer. 

 

Leave it alone. Up your nitrates slightly, if possible, to encourage the less hardy non-pest algaes. Until your tank has matured somewhat, with a good layer of non-pest algae and other microorganisms on things, it's going to look kinda ugly. Don't scrub anything (except the glass), don't try to starve it out. You will always have algae in a healthy tank, the goal is to establish the slower-growing, non-pest algae types that you just won't notice. Let the algae go wild, and, assuming you have a decent cleanup crew, the tank maturing will settle it back down. If you used dry rock, try to add algae seed colonies from elsewhere- shells or empty coral frags from an established tank are good. The more colors you get on that rock, the better.

[Charith1986]

Its part of the game. I started my tank two weeks back and now I can see my live rock getting brownish and the tank glass too. Interesting to watch it.

 

And if you switch on your lights the algae population will increase. I keep my reef light on for 14 hours according to four light slots.

[Clown79]

As others have said- don't starve the tank. Using phosguard can rapidly drop phosphate and stripping the tank. Will that get rid of some algae, yes but it will encourage nuisance algaes and other issues.

 

This is a natural process to a new tank. Just use a cuc and normal husbandry to maintain the tank.

 

 

[Moshizzl3]

Allright, thanks guys! I'll let it run its course and keep monitoring my levels! but arent my phosphate abit too high?

[Tired]

Some people try to keep their phosphate lower, but all that "high" phosphate does is potentially encourage algae. Since part of what you want to do right now is grow non-pest algae, you don't want to reduce that. Plenty of nice reefs have phosphate at that level, or higher, with no problems.

 

What you really need to do is up your nitrates a bit. Trying to fiddle with getting phosphates down at the same time will just cause more trouble than it's really worth, and potentially throw something more delicate out of whack.