Power through the ugly phase or turn off the lights?

[FTReef]

Recently cycled a 16 gal Biocube for my son's room. Added two clown fish and a hermit crab. Probably will be the only residents. The tank is in the ugly stage with a good amount of diatoms presenting on the aquascape.

Should I keep the lights on and power through or minimize the photo period to try and control algae growth?

 

[kfisc]

With no light-requiring corals, I's shut the lights off for a couple of weeks and explore water changes, nutrient export, etc. Hopefully it's not parked in the sun?

 

[FTReef]

Not in the sun. Room is pretty dark during the day. I just added some snails and they are feasting. Not sure it will be enough though.

 

[taillonjohn]

I'm just finishing what you are going through, I added my first fish, 2 clowns, about 3-4 weeks ago. Right after that diatoms which lasted about 1.5 weeks, and then turned into green algae, it is about 1.5 weeks now. I did have a few corals, so I just reduced my lighting to about 7-8 hours per day, and fed as little as I can. I let it grow on my glass as much as I could take it before I scraped it.

My logic was that algae needs more than light, must be some kind of nutrients in the water to feed it, so IMO turning off your lights might just delay the problem, the nutrients will still be there and when you turn the lights back on you might still have a problem. Now my nitrate is almost zero.

To be honest, further research might offer different perspectives, but it is new tank syndrome, might as well get through it. Good luck!

 

[Timfish]

DOn't turn off the lights. The ecossytem adjusts to the amount of light it gets. Turning off the lights changes thing and it may look better for awhile but you're forcing your ecosystem to adjsut to one set of conditions then adjust to a 2nd set of conditions. Decide the duration and intensity you want for your lights then leave it alone.