New to this- Brownish algae

walynut

walynut

New Member
First time poster new to the saltwater game so i'm sure I am a little paniced over nothing but.......
Started a 55 gallon tank. Added water, sand, salt. Let stand for two weeks with filter, heater, 2 pumps ect. All levels PH (7.8), nitrite(0), nitrate(0), ammonia(0) Salinity a tad high. Added PH buffer to bring it up.
Added 40 lbs of live 90% cured rock (according to store) also added 12 lbs of dead rock on the bottom for support. Put 4 damsels in tank to get things started on Friday.
Noticed last night there was an outbreak of brownish colored algae over 70% of the live rock when I turned the light off for the night.
This morning it looked as if some of the algae had receeded when I turned the lights back on.
Right now it looks as if it is spreading at a fast pace once again.
Did a level check PH 8.2, nitrite 0, nitrate 0, ammonia 0. Salinity still a tad high. Water temp 77 degrees.
I am using a 260 watt 4 bulb 12,000 with moon lights at night. I have been running the big lights from 8am to 8pm and then the moon lights in the off hours. Tank is in the basement away from main windows so natural exposure is low.
What am I doing wrong? How long should the main lights be on? How do I get rid of this algae?
As I said i'm all new to this so thanks for the help in advance!!!!
Eric
 
J

jstdv8

Guest
Eric,
Its probably just a diatom. happens to all tanks at the end of the cycle. check your phosphates. If it is a diatom, just letting it grow is usually your best bet as it grows so fast it will actually starve itself out once it uses all the fod in your tank. mine was really crazy and then one day i woke up and it was all dead, just like that
 
socalnano24

socalnano24

Active Member
For now there's no need for your main lights to be on for more than 8 hours. Some don't run lights at all during a cycle
 
taznut

taznut

Active Member
Originally Posted by SocalNano24
http:///forum/post/3184651
For now there's no need for your main lights to be on for more than 8 hours. Some don't run lights at all during a cycle
i ran mine during the cycle and ended up with a HUGE hair algae problem... so much so that you couldn't see the rock... so i left the lights off for 2 weeks... now i leave my lights on for 10hrs a day without any problems...
are you using ro/di water??? and did you use anything to start the cycle because if the tank has only been up 2 weeks your amm should be high... my cycle took about 10 weeks...
 
taznut

taznut

Active Member
sorry read things again and see that you added damsels to start the cycle... please take them out this is torture... use raw shrimp or some fish food... just not the damsels...
 
pezenfuego

pezenfuego

Active Member
Originally Posted by taznut
http:///forum/post/3184697
sorry read things again and see that you added damsels to start the cycle... please take them out this is torture... use raw shrimp or some fish food... just not the damsels...
Ghost Feeding FTW!!!
 
walynut

walynut

New Member
OK, Damsels are out; put them in a buddies tank of mine 40 min away. LFS said to add them so just doing what i'm told. Should have clarified that I did start adding shrimp since day one, even prior to adding the live rock. Continued throughout.
As for the ammonia, still hasn't moved off of zero.
 
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