Newly Cycled Tank - Potential Problem

[herpchat]

I have never had an algael bloom. Now that I have said that I have probably jinxed myself.

 

[Gwalker]

You may have a chance of a cynobacteria bloom or an extended and more aggressive algae bloom with that many decaying FW snails. If you have any hint of hair algae in your tank, all this excessive organics can make it grow out of control as well. I always try and cycle a SW tank as naturally as possible and not going too nuts with the amount of organics in the system. As stated above one of my favorite methods is cured live rock. If you use uncured LR it will start you out deeper in the hole, so to speak, leading to the same above mentioned problems. A new SW system will go through many fluctuations in the first weeks/months until it gets more established biologically. One of the "cycles" of the tank will be algae cycles. First you will get brown and then slower growing green algae and then finally coralline (assuming light/water parameters are sufficient). These cycles can be brief and not too severe or extended and overwhelming, depending on the amount of organics in the tank. It usually doesn't take a high nutrient load to start bacterial activity. Keeping the load in lower levels at first will help keep you from feeding other problems and will concentrate your efforts at starting the nitrifying bacterial growth only. A lower nutruent load at first will also make for a less stressful and quicker nitrogen cycle, which is much prefered for your tank inhabitants.

G.

 

[captbunzo]

I'll have to make sure and thoroughly precure rock before I build my next couple tanks. Sounds like a good way to start out ahead, as suggested above. Odd how similar that is to the goals of "cooking" rock, though not quite to the same extreme.

 

[Russ Braaten]

Are many people buying spaghetti worms? I just have a 30 cube right now but it is loaded with spaghetti worms and tube worms. The tube worms I have are the ones with a single filament coming out of the tube that scans the sand and rock for food. It is a blast to watch some 5 or 6 of these worms tangling their filament as they all have a hold on a single piece of food doing a tug-of-war. I love watching the micro life in my tank.

 

[herpchat]

I know not but being new to SW I decided why not get them. And I agree, I love watching the microfauna, SW is so alive, it is so easy to get addicted to it. I even had an outbreak of tiny jellyfish that I loved to watch and I fed them but following advice pulled them out and they did not survive out of the tank but I got some good pics under the scope of them.

 

[captbunzo]

I agree whole-heartedly that the micro-fauna and flora are some of the better parts of this hobby. That and the things that spontaneously come out of nowhere.

I recently found a small oyster (I believe) in my tank. It is a little smaller then the size of a dime. I have NO CLUE where it came from. Very cool!!!

 

[herpchat]

I totally agree, and I hear interesting stories about some of the things that come out of the live rock.

I have been told about fireworms and everytime I see a bristleworm I have to check it out to make sure its not a fire worm.

 

[captbunzo]

Bristleworms taste GREAT with soy sauce.....

 

[tgwinn]

well then you can have the one in my tank that is about a half inch wide and at least 8 inches long....thats all the length of him I have seen anyway...the rest was buried down in a piece of rock! that should make quite the meal for ya in some soy sauce.

 

[herpchat]

Few things make me go EWWWWWWWWWWW but that did, probably because I was eating breakfast when I read it.

 

[captbunzo]

That's what you get for checking Reef Central OVER BREAKFAST!!!!!!