Algae during tank cycling

[dasickle]

I am finishing week two of cycling my 70g tank and I am seeing a lot of green algae at the bottom of my tank most is in a patch of sand in the right corner. I don't know if its GHA because it looks like it has branches coming out of it. Its about quarter of an inch in length. It's also all over my glass.

I have started the tank with 45 pounds of Pukani live rock that was cured for 3 weeks at the LF store and 20 pounds of Fiji rock from a tank that was broken down a day before it was put in my tank.

I use BRS RIDO unit for top off and TDL is at zero at stage 2 and 3. Saltwater was from a local LF store and I did not do any water changes.

My ammonia is at zero and Nitrate/Nitrite are not visible when I test. As a matter of fact I didn't see any spikes at all. Salinity is at 1.025 and temp is at 79.

Skimmer is running with a bit of foam coming out and my lights (2x Hydra TwentySix HD) are on 12 hours with 4 hour peak at 25%.

Is this normal during cycle?

I did pick up 10 hermit crabs (2 died), 5 Asteria snails and 5 Margarita snails.

 

[WWIII]

I'm currently cycling my tank as well, but I did it with minimal light. I had 2 kessil a360we on for about an hr a day just to look at the tank. I figured I just wanted to keep algae to a minimum while cycling, before I got my skimmer, cuc, and reactors going. I do have some diatoms and green algae on a few rocks (started with dry rock, seeded with live rock in refugium) the green algae I have doesn't have any length to it. I'm not sure what type of algae I have, or what type you have, I just am trying to keep the lights off till I have all the equipment and animals ready to go to address any algae that comes up. The tank doesnt really need lights to cycle so I would probably leave them off as much as possible. Then once the critters get in the tank and parameters are perfect algae can be a dressed with gfo, cuc, etc...

 

[jmm]

I am finishing week two of cycling my 70g tank and I am seeing a lot of green algae at the bottom of my tank most is in a patch of sand in the right corner. I don't know if its GHA because it looks like it has branches coming out of it. Its about quarter of an inch in length. It's also all over my glass.

I have started the tank with 45 pounds of Pukani live rock that was cured for 3 weeks at the LF store and 20 pounds of Fiji rock from a tank that was broken down a day before it was put in my tank.

I use BRS RIDO unit for top off and TDL is at zero at stage 2 and 3. Saltwater was from a local LF store and I did not do any water changes.

My ammonia is at zero and Nitrate/Nitrite are not visible when I test. As a matter of fact I didn't see any spikes at all. Salinity is at 1.025 and temp is at 79.

Skimmer is running with a bit of foam coming out and my lights (2x Hydra TwentySix HD) are on 12 hours with 4 hour peak at 25%.

Is this normal during cycle?

I did pick up 10 hermit crabs (2 died), 5 Asteria snails and 5 Margarita snails.

Looks like your tank is cycled.

 

[dasickle]

So this algae grows is normal?

 

[jmm]

So this algae grows is normal?

After a tank has cycled (or at least cycled some), you will have nitrates in your water. This is algae food. Algae spores are everywhere. Yes, everywhere. All over the world, inside and outside. They will consume this nitrate and grow.

Sometimes live rock can further cycle the nitrate to nitrogen gas. Other plants, such as macro algae in the tank or sump can consume these nitrates and out compete the simple algae.

Light also fuels algae growth.