By golly it is sure easy to know one is on the Newbie Forum. Only place at RC where they give you a bump so you'll talk about algae.
Let's See--we have are tank full of water, sand and rock. Ammonia and nitrites are at zero.Congratulations Newbie-- you've completed the first steps in setting up your tank!!!:celeb1:
Once ammonia is steadily at zero the initial cycle is complete. That is, you have a population of nitrifying bacteria established that can oxidize ammonia to nitrite and nitrate and, in essence, de-toxify this decomposition product. This may have taken anywhere from a week to over a month depending on the type of LR and your method of curing but you have made an important milestone.
Don't get too quick to celebrate. That was only the first half of the game. For the second half you must overcome the
ALGAE Blitz!
Photo originally posted by Hambone
Now in the first half of the cycle all the dead stuff on the LR decomposed and the developing bacteria hopefully feasted on it. They then converted it to carbon dioxide that then exited the tank as a gas. Carbonaceous compounds are fairly easy to remove as most bacteria live by consuming organic carbon compound. Nitrogen compounds have a more complex natural cycle and, so far, your tank has only succeeded in converting them into a more reef friendly form. Eventually your system will convert nitrate to nitrogen gas and eliminate it as well. This process usually takes awhile as the sand bed plays a crucial role. In a newly established tank conditions are usually not achieved for a couple of weeks after the initial cycle. There are many that contend that de-nitrification, the process of converting nitrate to nitrogen gas, occurs in the pores of the LR. IMO the chief method that LR provides in removing nitrate is through uptake by the coralline algae growing on the rock. Serious reduction of nitrate occurs in the sand bed in the anoxic zones. In the new tank they just haven't had time to properly form
Another thing is now happening. With the supply of decaying organic matter almost depleted many of the bacteria that helped clean things up have nothing left to eat. They in turn die and become a food source. In a well-established tank this decomposition occurs mainly in the sand bed and, indeed, helps de-nitrification and the removal of nitrogen from the tank. In a new tank this new food has nowhere to go except into the water column. Our friend Amanda saw one manifestation of this when she wrote a few days ago:
Originally posted by AEALOVESHERGIRLS
Today is day 9 of my tank. Up until now, despite the high trites, trates and ammonia, my water has been clear. But, today it's cloudy and I haven't touched it. Could it be from all the algae in there, I mean, we aren't talking a little algae. It's brown and hairy everywhere. It's driving me nuts that I can't touch it, that I have to wait for the algae to correct it'sself. Any advice would be great!
I'm not picking on Amanda. It is just that she is starting a new tank and making daily posts on her progress. They sure fit this thread. Wait till Desert Crystal gets some water in her tank.
Amanda did the in-the-tank LR curing method that explains the cloudy water syndrome. Usually there is little organic material, often called Dissolved Organic Material (DOM), in the water column. That means there is little for free swimming "bugs" to eat, so their population is quite low. Following a cycle the water column contains a regular smorgasbord of stuff for bacteria to eat. And eat they do.
WarningThose under 18 (21 in some states) may want to skip the next section as it contains graphic content!!!!:eek1:
The bacteria in the water column, with plenty to eat, go on a rampage of wanton mitosis. When these little critters get plenty of food, population control goes right out the window. Seeming overnight the water takes on a milky white to gray appearance brought on by this shameless orgy . Just as the bacteria hit their peak, the protozoan's in the tank also get real randy. In full public view they conjugate and reproduce to record numbers but at the expense of the sex crazed bacteria in the tank who these protozoan's now call "dinner". Yes folks it is a sordid affair.
This bacteria bloom happens in all cycles. If you cure your LR outside the tank it may happen but you won't see it like you would in a tank where the LR is cured. The bacteria/protozoan bloom tends to clear up as fast as it appears as these free-swimming "bugs" really go to town and consume all the food PDQ. Once done, they die off only to become food for ensuing organisms.
One can speed up the removal of these bacteria and protozoans by using a polishing filter. One of the handiest items one can have in their bag of tank maintenance items is a canister filter. These fairly inexpensive filters serve in so many handy fashions. With a bacteria bloom you can use a sub-micron filter in them to remove the bacteria, usually in a matter of hours. Then you can replace the sub-micron filter with some activated carbon and remove much of the organic material left behind. With a 200 gph, hang-on canister filter costing less than $50 you really want to have one when you can afford it. When not being used on your main tank it can be used on a quarantine or hospital tank to provide circulation. The sub-micron filters even have a pore size small enough to remove the free swimming stages of parasites such as ich and velvet. A real handy item to have.
The main downside of a bacteria bloom is the little buggers use up tons of oxygen during their heyday. With fish or coral in a tank you want to get them out as fast as possible. If your tank doesn't have livestock then you can wait for it to take its natural course. You also want to check pH and alkalinity after a bacteria bloom. Because these blooms tend to be somewhat acidic in nature you may need to correct the pH using the washing soda additive I mentioned earlier in this thread.
Amanda also has brown "algae" everywhere. This may be algae but in many cases it is diatoms. This occurs shortly after or during the bacteria bloom. I've often wondered why the population of diatoms would soar in the post cycle. I came up with this theory. Much of the die-off on the LR is from encrusting sponges. A sponge uses kind of a silicate skeleton to maintain its shape. After the sponge decays some of this silicate enters the water column where diatoms, who also use silicates to form a type of shell, utilize the excess silicates to reproduce. This causes a diatom bloom stage. This brown algae phase is also usually short, lasting about 5-8 days. Like the bacteria bloom it then disappears almost as suddenly as it started
Don't pat yourself on the back too quickly. The real fun is about to start.
Just about the same time the brown algae starts to recede enters the green algae. At first is appears at the top of the tank nearest the lights but soon in covers just about all your beautiful rock and sand. In general, a tank is about 2-3 weeks old when the green algae hits its peak. How long it will remain at its peak is the hard part to predict. Usually, but not always, a tank that has LR cured in it will have much more green algae over a longer period than a tank that had the LR cured in separate containers. A tank with good lighting will normally have a greater initial growth but the bloom will be shorter in duration than a tank with low lighting.
Whatââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s a person to do????
Well first offââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Âthe algae gods have not singled you out for a special punishment.
Algae Happens!!! No amount of atonement, even sacrificing your first born, is going to make it go away. The best way to deal with it is to give it some time. There are, just like unwanted in-laws who visit, a few things that will shorten its stay.
First off a program of water changes will remove the nutrients the algae needs to grow. During an algae bloom 20% water changes every few days will go a long way in providing nutrient export from the tank. Secondly, get out that scrapper and harvest as much of the stuff as you can. While scrapping run that handy-dandy canister with a polishing filter to help remove algae cells. Third, use the same filter to run activated carbon to remove organic nitrogen and phosphates. Forth, if you have a refugium, add some macro algae to it to compete with the algae in your main tank. Fifth, add a variety of snails to help eat the stuff. If you plan to add hermits crabs this is the time for them too. Sixth, buy and wear a Q-ray bracelet. You can never have too few ions on your side
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Well gang I don't have time for more today. I'll finish up with the algae next time and talk a little about lighting. Take care.
And there goes my killer aquascaping) Here is a link to the forums where I posted pics of my tank before the addtions.
