brown algae...... good or bad???

[arpanlib]

hi,

it is very strange for me, as this is my first nano tank, that i see new things everyday. thats what attracts me.

 

a few day have past and i am getting lots of brown algae. do u think it is good or bad? it is on the glass, and coral bed.

what are the uses of this algae?

if this algae is bad, then how do i get rid of it????

 

16 gallon nano tank

17 days old

1 anomone

1 clown

1 damsel

 

nitrite is   less than,   0.3 mg/l

nitrate is 5 mg/l

ph is 7.7

15% w/c are done once a week.

 

help would be appreciated.

 

thanx.

 

arpanlib

[jjharrisx4]

do you use tap water, or purified (r/o) water for your tank?  If you are using tap water, then you likely have impurities that are contributing to algae (diatom) growth.  Likely, your water has silicates (common).  Diatom algae blooms as a result of silicates in your water supply.  They usually don't harm anything, however they can cover some corals.  This is irritating to the coral (and you) and can be detrimental in the long run.  I have found that pre-mixing my change-out water, and aging it for a while (up to a couple months for me) helps reduce the diatom blooms in my system.  Of course, remember to keep the water moving with an air pump or powerhead while aging.

[jay2k2]

THEY ARE DIATOMS!!! A NATURAL OCCURANCE FOR NEW TANKS IT WILL GO AWAY IN A FEW WEEKS

[arpanlib]

hi,

thanx all for the reply.

 

yes, i use R/O water for my water changes and for toping up water.

 

arpanlib

[fishymissy]

Diatoms are a natural occurance....I wouldn't worry about it at this point.

What I am concerned about is the fact that your tank is 17 days old, you don't state your ammonia levels, you have nitrites showing, your ph is 7.7 and you have an anemone and 2 fish in the tank.

Even though you have nitrates, it would be helpful to know what your ammonia levels are to find out where you are in the cycling process.

It's unfortunate that you have chosen to start out with an anemone. They are very delicate animals that you should only be kept in an established tank by an experienced aquarist. Even then, most people have trouble keeping them alive for any length of time. With regards to your tank, anemones have a very low tolerance to ammonia and nitrites, they also will not tolerate such a low ph. You need to keep the ph up between 8.0 - 8.4. You should also know that the salinity must be kept up for the anemone to survive...1.024 - 1.025. They also require more lighting, PC's, VHO's or MH's will work.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.......

[byrself]

a skimmer would help with the brown diatoms, but if you don't have one already, i wouldn't worry with it.  definitely too soon and not enough lighting for an anemone.  ph is too low also imo.  you need to supplement with a ph buffer.  needs to be around 8.3 idealy.  you are right in the middle of a cycle more than likely.  if possible, see if the lfs where you bought the anemone will hold it for you until after you cycle.  if they knew what you were doing, they shouldn't have sold it to you so soon.  (boo lfs)  you have to invest in some stronger lighting too.  i don't know what you have, but you likely need more.  the more, the better.  also, if your tank is only 17 days old, and you are already doing water changes,  your tank will never cycle.  you will never have a stable tank if you keep on this path.  try to get the lfs to hold the anemone (and possible the clown), let your tank completely cycle with the damsel.  while this is going on, look for more lighting (at least around 160w for 16 gallon tank, sb more for an anemone.imo), and then after about 6 weeks of just the damsel and NO WATER CHANGES!, take a water sample to the lfs to test to see if the cycle is complete.  then try to keep the anemone.  it will still be a challenge, they are notoriously hard to keep  in aquariums, even in the most matured tanks.   hth, good luck.

[arpanlib]

hi,

thanx a lot for the concern of my tank.

i do agree that the anemone and stuff should have been kept in the tank after the cycle, but as i had to call everything from singapore, i couldnot afford the two time cost.

as for the water, i am using only RO water.

the lighting is 10000k, 150 watts, and the anemone is doing good till now and so are the fish.

 

now, i have red algae also blooming in the tank walls. please let me know what this possibly could be.

 

thanx for the reply.

 

arpanlib

[quiksilver5768]

Well it is all probably part of your cycle. The clown and damsel should be ok since they are both very hardy fish (i cycled both of my reefs with a clown). What im concerned about is what type of anemone it is. All of you guys/girls started yelling before you even knew the type of anemone. The type makes a BIG difference. For example: a carpet would be much more difficult to keep than a BTA. And a BTA would be much more difficult to keep than say a condy. But yes, I agree it is too early for any type since your tank is just over 2 weeks. I say just wait it out for about another 2 weeks and see how it goes. Dont do a change until you see that your nitrates are at 0. Let the algae bloom....your fish are probably getting stessed out since your ph is too low and your nitrates are still showing. Also...what kind of lighting is that? MH? Since you said 10,000K 150 watts in guessing its a single MH bulb...??

[arpanlib]

hi,

wow, never knew it could be so good and informative to join this board. thanx to all for the quick help.

 

yes, the lighting is a 10000k MH single bulb. is it not enough for the anemone???

ya, i have a tentacle anemone. what do u think??? will it survive???

 

arpanlib

[fishymissy]

First, I hardly think I was "yelling"....but I'm truly sorry if you thought so. I really didn't mean it that way, just trying to express concern for an animal best left in the ocean. The type of anemone (with the exception of perhaps aiptasia) doesn't matter, all anemones are very delicate and most likely will not survive the cycling process. Sorry, but it's the truth. Add the low ph and well....

Even though the anemone looks good right now, it's only because they have a slow metabolism and it takes time for the anemone to show the damage. By then it's too late.

For any long term success, you must get your ph up where it should be. Don't add anything else to this tank until the cycle is completed.

If you feel you must try another anemone, at least wait for your tank to mature and stabilize (at least 6 months, but longer is better). BTW, MH's are good for just about anything!

Here are some good articles to read about anemones...

 

www.reefs.org/library/article/r_toonen8.html

www.athiel.com/lib/questions/anemone.htm

 

The red algae on the walls could simply be more of the diatoms.

Sorry if I offended anyone......

[quiksilver5768]

About the yelling comment...I was mainly referring to byrself when he said that he would most likely need more lighting eventhough he didnt know what he had already but would still most likely need more. This person has metal halide lighting...I just think questions should be asked before comments are made...:confused: