A few cycling questions...

[newman330]

Started cycling my 120g (160g w/ refugium) about 10 days ago. I have about 90lbs of cured liverock in place. About 4 days ago, I started getting green, hairy algae. Today, I have a nice carpet of green about 1" high across the substrate and anywhere else I allow it.

My questions are as follows:

I cycled a couple of tanks several years ago. I remember getting brown, nasty algea (diatoms?) first followed by an ammonia spike. I never saw algae until the tank had matured a bit and my wet dry system made sure I saw plenty of it then. What's up with the green algae? Have I somehow missed the cycle and moved straight to nitrate? Is the green the result of phosphate coming out of the live rock?

I fired up my reef octopus yesterday and today it is starting to look pretty 'gunky' in the top have of reaction chamber... no skimmate yet, but it looks like it is on the way. I fired this up thinking that I needed to start pulling some nutrients out of the water. I haven't tested for nitrates or phosphates yet. Didn't think I would need to this soon.

Appreciate any guidance that might be offered.

 

[newman330]

bump

 

[bertoni]

The protein skimmer might help with the algae problem. In general, saltwater tanks with live rock are unpredictable in the order of events, so I wouldn't worry about why the hair alga appeared so early. I'd concentrate on removing it and preventing it from attaching to live rock. If it's easy to reach, pulling it out by hand would be a great way to export nutrients.

Also, reducing the lighting would reduce the growth and perhaps allow water changes or the skimmer to remove the nutrients instead.

 

[newman330]

Was thinking when I got the nutrients under control, the hair algae would 'disappear'. Wasn't even thinking about the problems it will cause if it gets started on my rock. Well, I have work to do when i get home. There is quite a lot of it already started on my rock.

 

[poissonist]

YOU CAN PUT ONE OR MANY DOLABELLA, urchins and salarias and after 1 WEEK YOU WILL UNDERSTAND HOW IT WORKS IN THE PACIFIC.....WITHOUT YOUR HELP

 

[newman330]

I removed a ton of hair from the substrate and live rocks. I am also going to reduce the photo period from 10 to 6 hrs today. I trying to avoid adding livestock until I know for a fact that I am done cycling.

Thanks for the advice everyone. Any other tips anyone wants to offer?

 

[pottsburg]

should you have something that eats up microalgae??

what would do the trick?

 

[newman330]

From memory and from what I have seen on these boards, it is almost impossible to find critters that eat hair algae. The other issue is I am not sure what's happening with my cycle. I dont want to add to much livestock and have them get wiped out by a sudden ammonia spike.

I think the best way to get rid of the micro is to shorten the photo period, water changes, keep the skimmer going and remove as much as possible as often as possible.

I am going to get myself a nitrate and phosphate test kit this weekend and start looking at that angle. If my ammonia has not started to spike by Saturday (I will have been running for 2 weeks - 1 week with a niger trigger and 2 copperband butterflies producing bioload), I am going to assume that the system is pretty much stable (cycled). I will then focus on controling nitrate / phosphate for a few weeks.

Also, I plan on returning the niger trigger (bad idea - was told that he might make a dent in my crab problem) and one of the copperbands. I have been very impressed with the copperbands. I cannot find even 1 aiptasia in my tank. The one in my refugium is eating mysis.... They have a pretty cool disposition as well.

Anyone care to comment on my 'plan'?

 

[bertoni]

That approach for hair algae problems might work for you. It did for me, although I also added a refugium for growing and harvesting a macroalga.