Getting brown spots on my sand and walls of tank

[jebarco1]

This tank is 2 weeks old, its a 55 gallon tank with a side mount filter and Red sea prism skimmer(which to loud). I want to know what this is. what other then using tank buddies, and changing the 20% of water can i do to fix this. I also want to know what are the recommended levels of salt, ammonia, Nitrate, nitrite, akaline, and PH level for my tank. Not in the corals yet just fish. I have a tomatoe clown, domino damsel, 4 live-rocks, live-sand, and some fuji sand. thanks

 

[rickt4du]

This is just one of the normal stages of a new tank. Be patient and hold off on adding new creatures for a bit. Let it all settle in. Dont do a water change yet either.
And welcome to the board.
[ August 17, 2001: Message edited by: Rickt4du ]

 

[lionfish]

LionFish says.......
Well, your tank is in the process of cycling right now so it is normal to get those spots. It is most commonly called cyanbobacteria, which is a diatom algea that forms in newer tanks. You will want to keep your salinity between 1.020 and 1.025. You will want to have 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrate, and 0 Nitrite. PH should be around 8.3 usually. You can get rid of the cyanobacteria by stirring up the sand. You can use your hand or get a powerhead to stir the areas. I believe that this is a sign of nitrate in the tank. Just stop the cleanings and let the cycle complete and soon the cyanobacteria will disappear. Welcome to the board.
[ August 17, 2001: Message edited by: LionFish ]

 

[jebarco1]

Thanks for the info. Now my tomatoe clown is acting funny. Hes not feeding, and sits in the corner in a inverted position swimming up alittle then floating down again. Hes breath fast too. As for the domino hes real strong. The lady of the house wants a lionfish so whens a good time to get one and what should i know before i get this type of fish?

 

[lionfish]

LionFish says.......
You will be able to get a lionfish as soon as you see that all your readings are down to zero and your other parameters are good. Of course, you can't have a Volitans, Radiatta, or Antennata in that small of a tank. I really think the only lion you can attempt in a 55 is a Dwarf Lion. I'll tell you the basics about them and if you need further help, I answer a lot of lion questions in the aggressive board. But here is what you must know about them. They are poisonous, and have the poisonous spines on the end of their fins. They thrust these fins out towards whatever they feel threatened by when startled. These spines pack a punch. I have been stung a couple times in the past. They won't actually come after you, I was being careless and not paying attention to the little guy and my hand slipped right on him. The only way to describe it is like having about 20 hornets sting you at the same time and the same place. They need to be fed a varied diet that consists of: silversides, chopped squid, krill, shrimp and the occasional live food snack. You should feed at least 3 of these to keep the lion healthy. They can't be kept with small fish and they eat invertebrates. Meaning they will eat your shrimp or crabs. They are hardy fish but they need to have a lot of space. They could be kept with a snowflake eel in a 55 gallon tank. Make sure you know what your fish store is feeding the lion before you buy it. And make sure you witness them feeding the lion and that the lion is eating. That is the basics. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.