Quote:
Originally Posted by
phillyboi http:///t/391191/46-gallon-bow-front-build/40#post_3471352
yes i moved the sand then i setup the rock then pushed the sand around the rock flower...lol...i remember when you told me that when i first started my build....how about the lime green algae is that telling me that the cycle is almost done
Hi,
Ah...a person who listens to advice...
The only thing you can rely on to tell you about the cycle are water tests. You need your own lab type test kits. Since everything in a fish tank relies on the water, it only makes sence to get your own test kits.
Algae can grow when there is ammonia and nitrite present. It may mean you have nitrate present which indicates something happening but you can't trust it for deciding if you can add a fish yet, since the other two are deadly. Also remember the tank is always cycling. As soon as you add a critter (CUC or fish) that critter goes poop and that becomes ammonia and the cycle continues. The goal is to build up enough good bacteria that it can re-adjust fast enough to depleat the new ammonia before it can harm the new arrival. That's why we add critters very slow one at a time, giving the tank time to re-balance.
I copied this very informative info for you:
Nitrate is a chemical compound of one part nitrogen and three parts oxygen, hence the symbol NO3. It is a naturally occurring ion, a product of the oxidation of nitrogen by micro-organisms in plants, soil and water. In the aquarium, bacteria produce nitrate from nitrite, which itself comes from ammonia and ammonium. Nitrate is thus a form of nitrogen.
Algae is a plant, and all plants need nitrogen as one nutrient.
As I explained in two prior threads, plants have the ability to use all three forms of nitrogen normally available in an aquarium: ammonia/ammonium, nitrite and nitrate; but most prefer to use the free ammonia or ammonium. Algae and plants need more than just nitrogen, they also need CO2, macro-nutrients and micro-nutrients, and all this in the presence of light.
Algae generally occurs from an excess of organic materials and poor water quality, or an excess of nutrients. In the absence of higher plants, these nutrients are readily available since they enter the aquarium through fish food and water. An excess of soluble iron can also cause a bloom of single-celled or filamentous "green" algae. Another reason to avoid dosing individual iron unless it is in balance with all 17 nutrients that plants require.
It is therefore possible to have nitrates without having algae, if the other nutrients required for algae/plants are not present. Similarly, algae can be present without nitrate since the algae does not need nitrate in order to obtain its nitrogen. Without nutrients, there can be no algae.
In aquaria with problem algae, the nitrates are usually high. Nutrients that feed the algae also contribute to the nitrogen cycle, along with the fish and other bacteria. Excessive levels are bound to impact several processes ongoing in the aquarium.
Read more:
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/aquarium-plants/what-relationship-between-nitrate-algae-30605/#ixzz1syFV6QfX
