Just Started.....

Kilianx20 · #1 04/19/2007, 10:49 PM

My question is simple, I just started a reef tank and its been running maybe 2 weeks is it normal to have the brown algae forming on the rocks and sand?????

costa13 · #2 04/19/2007, 10:53 PM

yes it is called diatoms

drummereef · #3 04/19/2007, 10:54 PM

Yes, very normal. Don't be surprised if your diatom bloom is followed by a green hair algae bloom. Continue to use RO/DI water if you aren't already and it should go away on its own. Once the cycle is totally complete you can add a cleanup crew that will help with it as well.

Kilianx20 · #4 04/19/2007, 11:00 PM

Thank You, Also I have a bubble tip anenome in the tank its a 155 gallon tank. I have been feeding it frozen full spectrum and i have damsels in there. 2 have died already out of 8 in a week is that bad ????? I have been feeding the fish live brine

johnd4g · #5 04/20/2007, 09:17 AM

You have an anemone and fish in a new 2 week old tank? That's much too soon, especially for the anemone! An anemone shouldn't be added until the tank is very mature and stable, usually about a year old. Fish shouldn't be added until after the tank is finished cycling, usuall about a month old. Try to return those animals to your LFS and do plenty of research before adding them again. You can speed up the tanks cycle with a piece of raw shrimp from the supermarket. Check your parameters frequently and keep up with water changes.
Good luck!

wizzbane15 · #6 04/20/2007, 10:03 AM

The damsels in the tank will help with cycling. They are inexpensive. Keep an eye on the anemone. Unless you have stellar filter system, it may not last long. As for the brown algae, consider it normal now and forever...

Kilianx20 · #7 04/20/2007, 04:25 PM

Actually the anenome is thriving. When i bought it, it was really small it quadrupled in size and actually ate one of my damsels. The amonia is 0 the nitrate is .25 and no nitrite the salt content is .025-26 ish and its funny because all of these expert people who have been doing saltwater forever think they know everything. yeah maybe they know what books say and tv w/e u know what screw all that the truth is we dont know everything... I have mushrooms that have grown already polyps spread everywhere and to say its too soon to add the anenome lol and duh the whole shrimp exosceleton wow try something new like keep your tank clean and add fish what the hell right

Kilianx20 · #8 04/20/2007, 04:27 PM

keep in mind the anenome was added not even a week after it was all set up so you dont know everything as a matter of fact it looks a million times better than when i first bought it. the people again who think they are so smart and know everything lol im not a follower i lead im what you call the chief and im the type to discover new shyt on my own

Mishap · #9 04/20/2007, 05:40 PM

Nobody said that you were an idiot or even made an offensive comment towards you. They merely offered help and suggestions to someone who "just started". By posting a question here, you're asking for help which people tried to give. It's not very nice to bash people who are trying to offer helpful insight.

Anemones are sensitive creatures. And if you're tank has only been up and running for 2 weeks, you could not have had a complete cycle in such a short amount of time. It will take more than a week for the anemone to show signs of distress.

As for the mushrooms/polyps spreading already..... they sometimes do that as a last ditch effort to prolong the colony, which could be a bad sign. Key word: COULD.

And if the tank has only been running for 2 weeks, you should definitely see an ammonia spike.

Best of luck, and be sure to keep us updated on your tank.

Kilianx20 · #10 04/20/2007, 05:43 PM

well what happens when you add 24 oz of bio spira?? yes some will die but with 350 lbs of rock well i think it will cycle nicely what do you think??

Kilianx20 · #11 04/20/2007, 05:48 PM

and never say never anything is possible you just have to relax and let it go

FishMachine · #12 04/20/2007, 06:33 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Kilianx20
well what happens when you add 24 oz of bio spira?? yes some will die but with 350 lbs of rock well i think it will cycle nicely what do you think??

Quote:

Originally posted by Kilianx20
and never say never anything is possible you just have to relax and let it go

1. from what i have tried in my 3 tanks bio spira speeds the cycle up but does not prevent it.

2. you cant just "relax" the whole idea of reefkeeping is responsibility.

just my insight

Rokdog · #13 04/20/2007, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Kilianx20
keep in mind the anenome was added not even a week after it was all set up so you dont know everything as a matter of fact it looks a million times better than when i first bought it. the people again who think they are so smart and know everything lol im not a follower i lead im what you call the chief and im the type to discover new shyt on my own

LOL...that has to be my favourite post ever.

Why ask the question in the first place then chief?

FishMachine · #14 04/20/2007, 07:28 PM

i think Kilianx20 is one of those who think they know it all

Rokdog- i agree, funny