is this normal?

[bobbyzat]

My tank has been cycling for about 2 weeks now, and when I came home today, I had small spots of tan algae popping up all over the place. I just wanted to make sure this was not anything to worry about. Thanks

 

[elfdoctors]

Normal - sounds like diatoms.

 

[chris17]

Yes it is normal as elfdoc said, its just diatoms. Check your water conditions, after about 1 month you could prob. put a few snails or hermits in the tank, they will eat it all and keep it under control.................

 

[bobbyzat]

Well, the brown spots occured two days before I left for vacation. Now I am back, and the tank is FULL of a rusty brownish red algae. It scrapes off the glass very easily, but is quite nasty. I am hoping this is just another part of the cycle, but the tank is REALLY DARK from it. Does this mean I am ready for a cleanup crew?

 

[chris17]

It is for sure diatoms, first check your Amonia, Nitrates,and Nitrites. If your amonia is at 0 or pretty close you might be able to put a hermit crab or a snail in. You would be better off just waiting for you Amonia,Nitrites, all hit 0 your nitrate will need to be around 10-20. I would just clean the front of the tank off every couple days( when it starts to cover it again). Let your tank cycle for about 1 month, just to be safe and then you should be able to add a few snails and hermits...JMO..........................HTH.......

 

[bobbyzat]

well my tank has been cycling for right about one month. My ammonia and nitrites are finally down to 0, and my nitrates are between 20-40 ppm. Should I add a full clean up crew like the 50-100 gallon package, or just a few animals at a time. The package would be cheaper, but I dont want them to die. Thanks for any and all inputs.

 

[barry cuda]

I have reservations about the cleanup crew combinations offered here because they all contain animals I personally choose not to have. Green brittle stars and blueleg hermits among them... plus I think your concern about adding too many at once makes sense. I'd just buy a few here and a few there.

 

[elfdoctors]

Originally posted by bobbyzat
Well, the brown spots occured two days before I left for vacation. Now I am back, and the tank is FULL of a rusty brownish red algae. It scrapes off the glass very easily, but is quite nasty. I am hoping this is just another part of the cycle, but the tank is REALLY DARK from it. Does this mean I am ready for a cleanup crew?
This may be the beginnings of cyanobacteria, which is another nuisance problem with young tanks (and some mature ones). Most people describe cyano as a maroon color. It should be les prominent first thing in the morning and seem to spread as the day goes on as it is photosynthetic. A clean up crew will help diatoms but usually not cyano. There are a lot of threads descrbing ways to limit this problem. I found RO/DI water worked the best.
I also agree not to buy a large package. I bought mine gradually. I ordered from this site and used the inverts to fill out an order as it is best to only add 1-2 fish at a time.