I just setup my first Saltwater tank (16g LED Biocube) This is week 2, I have some live rock in the tank and just put in my cleaning crew. There is some green algae growing on the live rock. I was wondering is this a sign of something being wrong? If I want to remove it from the tank what would be the best method? I plain to grow some soft coral in the tank and have a fish or two. Any help or guidance would be great as I am new to the whole saltwater hobby.
Is this a sign of something is wrong?
- Thread starter Rattboy
- Start date
Bugboy2020
Member
All new tanks go through several cycles of different algae blooms. They'll go away by themselves if you keep up with regular water changes.
anthonys51
New member
thats gha . algae isnt bad for a reef tank, its just that it can grow fast and take over a tank. i would remove that rock with all the gha and scrub it with a brush and then put it back. thats a lot of algae. are you using rodi water to do water changes
shadowmonster
New member
Yes & no. Tap water is definitely not your best bet, but there are countless threads where people are using RO/DI water yet they're still experiencing some of the same problems that tend to accompany bad tap water. GHA being one of them.
These links might help.
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-07/nftt/index.php
http://www.reefcleaners.org/nuisance-algae-id-guide
These links might help.
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-07/nftt/index.php
http://www.reefcleaners.org/nuisance-algae-id-guide
anthonys51
New member
bad advice. no one stated gha is only caused by tap water. tap water levels of nitrates and phosphates levels are too high for reef tank use and tap water levels of these thins can also change week to week
of course using rodi will not alone keep algae under control, no one stated that, but i know for 100 percent using tap water is not i repeat not a way to keep a successful reef tank.
also i recommend using frozen foods to feed your fish. flakes are highly packed in nutients and is a lot easier to over feed than frozen. frozen foods are like 85 water, take longer to break down in your tank.
mcgyvr
New member
RO/DI will always be better...
And yes totally normal to have some algae/diatoms,etc.. during the first few months or more of a new tank..
Most will go away provided you keep nitrates/phosphates LOW..
If you want to attempt to remove it now then the best course of action is to remove the rock and place it in 50% old tank water and 50% hydrogen peroxide and then manually scrub it with a toothbrush.. Then rinse it off with more tank water (or ro/di) and return it back to the tank..
But I would let it go for a while and it should go away on its own..
And yes totally normal to have some algae/diatoms,etc.. during the first few months or more of a new tank..
Most will go away provided you keep nitrates/phosphates LOW..
If you want to attempt to remove it now then the best course of action is to remove the rock and place it in 50% old tank water and 50% hydrogen peroxide and then manually scrub it with a toothbrush.. Then rinse it off with more tank water (or ro/di) and return it back to the tank..
But I would let it go for a while and it should go away on its own..
