BC29 New tank - first algae bloom questions (PICTURES)

[o2zen]

This was my tank about a week or so ago. The LR in the back was very white with small dark bright red spots and some lime green coloring here and there but faint.

Now the entire top portion is turning brown and it’s spreading down the rock. On the sand in the back corners of the tank I am seeing some brown start to develop as well. I am also noticing a slight fuzziness to the rest of my LR as well.

I will get a picture tonight when I get home to post. I have 5 living clams, 5-8 living cucumbers, 2 small crabs of some type and the normal other hitchhikers found on fresh non-cured LR. I have die off happening with my pink sponge.

Being new I listened to my LFS and put 5 Damsels in the tank. Two yellow, two blue yellow tail, and some bright neon blue one. The bigger yellow killed the smaller yellow one but the rest are doing well. My crab grabbed the body and dragged it into a LR hole and ate in over three days.

This was two days ago and now in the past two days I have noticed a large brown algae taking over.

What do I need to do to get the brown under control before it takes the tank over?

I will do a water test tonight and post my results.

Should I pick up a cleaning crew and what type?

 

[jmcmahon66]

A light brown dusting of diatoms/algae is quite normal for a cycling new tank. I would do a partial water change to reduce some levels of die off and since you already had a fish death in the tank. Take your parameters, and do not add anything else until you are at proper levels of ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and phosphates. Clean you filter pads often (daily or every other day), and make sure you have some carbon or purigen running. Post your parameters. HTH

 

[Jimbo327]

Do a partial water change. You do not need to be introducing anymore bioload into the system, so no more cleaning crew until your tank fully cycles. You need to be exporting nutrients so the diatoms and unwanted algae will die. With something dying in the tank, you better do the water change quick before any more ammonia spikes (deaths) happen.

 

[matt_schultz]

pretty soon the rust colored algea will die off then you will start getting the green stuff but the water change is a great idea. besure to check your levels and make sure the amonia doesn't get too high. 5 fish at once is alot but damsels are small enough you should be alright

 

[o2zen]

I have not done a water change yet. I went out and bought a liquid test kit and here are my results.

High Range PH 8.0-8.2
Ammonia 0.0 ppm
Nitrite 0.0 ppm
Nitrate 5.0-10.0

If they show two numbers the color results came closest to the lower number but might have been slightly in the middle of the two.

I tested my water twice to make sure I got the same results and I did.

I am using 40 pounds live sand, 20 pounds cured LR, 20 pounds Tampa LR (with hitchhikers), and another 10 pounds cured LR rubble in the middle chamber on my bc29. Water flow is from a mj1200 using the bulkhead port with a Hydor-Flow head.

I have another 10+ gallons of my original water still sitting in the barrel with the stock pump moving water in there and another 5-10 pounds cured LR Rubble in there that I have not added to the tank yet. This was going to be my water for when I did water changes. Should I use it since it has the curred LR rubble in it and is already mixed for saltwater?

 

[o2zen]

I only have the 4 Damsels now as the 5th was killed by one of the others then eaten by my Gorilla Crab(I think thats what it is).

I let the LFS talk me into the Damsels because my kids wanted to see fish but I knew I should not of done that. To get them out of there which is the plan I will have to aquascape it all again which is ok because I can get it back to this form without a problem but I hate having to mess up my tank to do it.

I want some clowns to start with since I have always loved them. This tank is my starting point but when I build my house in a year or two I want to do a built in wall tank in the living room/dining room. I have much to learn and plenty of time to take my time and get it down correctly.

I was reading a post from Eric and something he said about the life inside my LR dying off made me start thinking. I was only looking at the outside and not even thinking about all the life in the rock. I will test my water a few times a week for the next month and then take the damsels out and get some real fish.