Cycling question-again

[jang]

I've been cycling my 29 gal.(20 lbs lr, 12lbs base rock, ls w/white argonite sand, about 3 inches deep ) for almost 3 weeks. I seeded the argonite with about 3 lbs of ls from my 5 gal nano. My parameters are as follows:
NI 0
NO3 3.
AM 0
PH 8.4
I noticed that there is some brown algae on the sand. Could that be what's keeping the NO3 raised? Can I now do a water change and add my clean up crew or should I wait til the NO3 has dropped to 0? And what should I do about that brown stuff on my nice, white sand? : :help:
My filter is an Aqua Clear 70 which has carbon, something called biomax and a foam filter.

 

[sinner's girl]

NO is nitrates? to get them to drop you have to do a water change, and is that 3 or 33?
Anyway, do a water change wait a few days, test again, if all's good you can add a fish/inverts.
the inverts will eat the brown stuff...it's from the cycle.

 

[glowplug]

you are still mid cycle, dont add anything till your getting zeros, if you do a water change now it will take longer to complete your cycle, the brown stuff is diatom algea most likely, lots of new tanks get it, if its getting bad allready you could maybe scoop some out with a net, but it will keep coming back for a while

 

[sinner's girl]

you won't get zero nitrates without a water change, but if NO is nitrites, then glowplug is right, just wait it out.

 

[jang]

Yes. NO is nitrates and they were at 3....that was somewhere between 0 and 5.
Everything else was at 0.
I will do the water change, wait a few days and see what happens. Thanks much. :cheer: