New Saltwater Tank

[threesixright]

I am currently about 6 days into starting my new saltwater tank. It is a 40 gallon breeder with T5HO and a reef octopus skimmer with a maxspect gyre 130. I used a piece of raw uncooked shrimp to get it started. The ammonia levels are spiked. about 1ppm and i have some brown algae on the sand and some of the rock. i used about 30 pounds of live sand and some argonaite sand. Is this normal. I also used RODI water and the TDS is reading 0. Any advice if this algae is good or not and what should i expect. I also used dry rock and one piece of live rock, i also put some macro algae in the refugium.

 

[AmberLee]

I am currently about 6 days into starting my new saltwater tank. It is a 40 gallon breeder with T5HO and a reef octopus skimmer with a maxspect gyre 130. I used a piece of raw uncooked shrimp to get it started. The ammonia levels are spiked. about 1ppm and i have some brown algae on the sand and some of the rock. i used about 30 pounds of live sand and some argonaite sand. Is this normal. I also used RODI water and the TDS is reading 0. Any advice if this algae is good or not and what should i expect. I also used dry rock and one piece of live rock, i also put some macro algae in the refugium.

Look up Diatoms. They are generally a part of your cycle

 

[threesixright]

but right as ammonia spikes?

 

[AmberLee]

I used cured rock, so mine never hit above .25ppm, but that seems like a spike to me!
Maybe do a reef central search on cycles and have a look at the results some others have experienced