Dirty Floor??

chadman

chadman

Active Member
i posted a thread a few days ago saying how i was having some type of greenish brown algae build up on the walls of my tank as well as the filters....well now i noticed that the crushed coral which i have as the floor of my tank are also turn brown...the crushed coral looks dirty!! the tank has only been running for about two or three weeks....please help!
 
drew2005

drew2005

Active Member
Originally Posted by chadman
i posted a thread a few days ago saying how i was having some type of greenish brown algae build up on the walls of my tank as well as the filters....well now i noticed that the crushed coral which i have as the floor of my tank are also turn brown...the crushed coral looks dirty!! the tank has only been running for about two or three weeks....please help!
What you are seeing is most likely diatoms. Its normal for a newly setup tank to have this. They will eventually go away. After your tank has cycled and you add a cleanup crew they will help get rid of it also. What type of water are you using?
 
chadman

chadman

Active Member
i originally used tap water :( but now i know better and have been topping off and did one water change with distilled water....when u say diatoms is that like the little particles that are floating in the water as well?
 
drew2005

drew2005

Active Member
Diatoms is like an algae. I believe they actually have some sort of skeletal remains when they disappear. Dont do anymore water changes until your cycle has ended. Doing so will just prolong your cycle. I made the same mistake using tap water for my initial fill up so dont feel bad. The diatoms are unsightly to look at but they will diasppear. Check out my tank with a diatom outbreak.
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/drew10...1576/my_photos
 
chadman

chadman

Active Member
yup thats what i got!! how long should i wait before doing a water change?? until all that stuff disappears? should i get a clean up crew awhile then?
 
chadman

chadman

Active Member
yup thats what i got!! how long should i wait before doing a water change?? until all that stuff disappears? should i get a clean up crew awhile then?
 
chadman

chadman

Active Member
yup thats what i got!! how long should i wait before doing a water change?? until all that stuff disappears? should i get a clean up crew awhile then?
 
drew2005

drew2005

Active Member
When your ammonia and nitrite are at 0 and your nitrate spikes, then do a water change to get the nitrates under control. Given your tank size i would do a 10gallon change and see where your nitrates are after that. Once they are down to at least 20 then its safe to add a cleanup crew.
 
chadman

chadman

Active Member
no ammonia and nitrate levels are what i need to worry about...i regret to say that i have not checked my water for anything other than the salt level and temp
 
chadman

chadman

Active Member
should i not have added snails or hermits yet? i also purchased a cleaner shrimp....i seem to have done everything wrong since i started...my next tank will go much smoother...haha
 
drew2005

drew2005

Active Member
Originally Posted by chadman
no ammonia and nitrate levels are what i need to worry about...i regret to say that i have not checked my water for anything other than the salt level and temp
Invest in a good test kit. It is an absolute necessity. Personally i use the saltwater master test kit from aquarium pharmaceuticals. It has the basic tests you absolutely need. Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, PH. What you need is ammonia and nitrite to be 0 at all times. Its ok to show some signs of nitrates. Most people would say it should be 0 but ive been at 10 for months without any problems. What did you use to start your cycle?
 
drew2005

drew2005

Active Member
Originally Posted by chadman
should i not have added snails or hermits yet? i also purchased a cleaner shrimp....i seem to have done everything wrong since i started...my next tank will go much smoother...haha
Right now your tank is cycling so adding any livestock is critical. The cleaner shrimp might not make it. Have you added any live rock yet?
 
chadman

chadman

Active Member
another mistake i made was that i added fish too right away...i had no knowledge of the extent u must go to to ready a tank at the time....now i no but it is too late...i have two yellow tailed damsels, one percula clown,one tomato clown and one domino fish....i know i know....what was i thinking...but i new no better.....
 
drew2005

drew2005

Active Member
Originally Posted by chadman
r snails hardy enough to make it? should i add more to deal with the problem i am having?
Dont add anymore until your cycle is over. Get test kits so you can keep track of the progress of your cycle. Then when its over add more to your cleanup crew.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top