125g Reef tank cycled 200lbs LR and sand

[mikegray]

tank has been up for 5-6 weeks. just did a water change like 20g. my nitrates are still at 4 (highest color on salifert test kit) heh im just starting to get brown algae on rocks and glass very slowly. i thought water change would bring nitrates down but didnt seem to help.. im getting chaeto for my fuge this week hope this helps.... u guys say the brown algae in the beginning is totally normal right? when should i get my clean up crew i wanna get the 100+ package on this site but..... i dont want to starve them..

 

[usinkit]

if your tank has fully cycled then its ready for a clean up crew. once you have the cheato in you will see your nitrates drop quickly. mine did in like 2 to 4 weeks it was great.

 

[zman1]

Did you use TAP (can be a source of nitrate too)water or RO/DI. If TAP you may get a whole lot of Diatoms, potentially less with RO/DI water. I would say it's normal, well normal for me too. Your photoperiod cand play a large part on how bad it gets right off. IMO. Water changes can bring nitrate down faster, but hey your cheato will love it.

 

[mikegray]

i used RODI water. my 4MH's are on for close to 8 hours and VHOS's are on for hour before and after so 10 hours