Hhhhhhhhhheeeeeeellllllllppppppp !!!!!!

[mattreefer]

i need serious help i got home from work today to find my tank looking really ugly it was covered in this red/brown algae my lfs said that this was normal as all my rock is 'dead live rock' however it was covered in the stuff the sand the rock parts of the class every thing it was horrible. I know im new to the hobby etc but i didnt expect it to look like this, also i have what looks like green algae appering on my front glass is this normal too ? i have stirred the sand and wafted my hand across the rock to get the red algae off but i fear it will be there in the morning will it? i have also clened the glass for a secound time .
i hanvnt got a cleaning crew just two bumblebee snails cause my lfs didnt have any more what can i do? or is there anything that eats this stuff? or is it just going through an ugly stage plese help me

[mattreefer]

i also use tap water with a purifier as i cant afford an RO unit yet i no i shouldnt but its the next best thing also for a water change should i add salt to the freshwater or should i just put in the fresh water also if this is a stge will it end any time soon as this is the first day that it is really worse and what does the envolope with the black dot icon mean anyone know

[Samper]

Matt...........calm down my friend.

Sounds to me like this tank hasn't been set up for more than a few weeks right?
If not this is called a diatom bloom and it is a completely normal part of the cycling of a tank. If I'm right it will go away with time. Do a search here for diatom bloom and you will read about what I'm sure you are witnessing. Patience is a large part of this hobby.

Your system will go through a few different algae stages and when it matures this should all calm down.
Some specs on your tank would be great. When you set it up. The equipment you're using and if you have a test kit list your water parameters for us to go over.

Say this with me three times slowly............
WHOOSAAAAA
WHOOOOSAAAAAAA
WHOOSAA

Feel better yet?

[Samper]

Also an RO is important but you can get by without it for a while. When mixing up my new water I take a bucket of Ro water....add a powerhead for circulation then over a days time put salt in until the Specific gravity is around 1.025. I let the powerhead stir the water for about 5 days. On the fourth day I take a few cups of my tank water and add it to the bucket. I've been told this is an old practice that isn't really needed but I do it anyway....don't ask me why. I change 5 gallons of water religiously every Saturday.

[Arctic Fox]

If you plan on using RO water plan on using trace supplements too. A lot of people swear by RO water because it keeps everything you don't want out of the tank, like copper (common in plumbing) & heavy metals, but unfortunately it keeps a lot of good things out of the tank too like all those weird trace elements that are really important. You can go either way really, but if you plan on using tap water get a heavy metal/copper sponge, they usually come in little resin pellets you put in filter bags they seem to work pretty well. Personally I like using tap water because it's cheaper and I don't have to add as many supplements. Just test your water and keep an eye on the levels of all the chemicals in the water and try and keep everything as constant as possible, like Salinity and temperature and lighting.
Don't worry, just let it go, you'll see strange things come and go

[Samper]

I have never ever heard of anyone adding anything to their RO water other than their salt mix and the occasional something for their corals like Magnesium, Strontium etc.....A good salt mix should cover most of the systems needs.

[Poseidon]

Samper is exactly right... CALM DOWN! Let nature take its course and cycle the tank... Do some reading here on the board, do a search for Diatom bloom, or algae bloom... or BOTH

Samper is also right about only needing a good salt mix for the RO/Di unit to bring the water back to balance. I think some LFS started that whole YOU NEED TO ADD, BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH... A good mix like Instant Ocean, Reef Crystals, Crystal Sea... thats all you need!

[Samper]

My vote goes to Instant Ocean.

[Max]

I was told that Reef Crystals are better for a reef tank than Instant Ocean. More trace eliments im guessing. Is that true or just another LFS story?

[Poseidon]

It is true... BUT- the "extra's" are added Ca and Alk... Which I add to my tank in the form of Lime!!! 1 container of Ball pickling lime has lasted me almost a year, it was $1.79! The difference in price between IO and RC is alot more then that!

[Samper]

I also drip limewater for all my top off.

[mattreefer]

wow guys thanks for all your help[ ive calmed down alot since then as when i got home from work tonight i found that the red algae hadnt bloomed any more but the green algae has which i think is a good thing

the tank has been set up and running for about five maybe six weeks and has been stocked for about 2 or 3 of those weeks

my tank specs are as follows : 4 foot by 2 foot by 2.6 foot
101 gallons / 460 litres (ish)
temperature is 24 degrees c
ph is 8.2
sg is 1.022 salinity of 29/30
ammonia is a bit high but is still under 0.25mgl
nitrite is the same so is nitrate
the equipment are as follows :- two strip lights 1 white 1 blue
berlin venturi driven skimmer two ocean runner 3500 pumps 1 for skimmer one for uv sterilizer then to tank a fluidized sand bed filter an external canister filter and a uv sterilizer
hope that gives you a bit more info on the tank. i got some batteries for my digital camera so ill upload some pics of it all tomorrow hopefully thanks again for all your hlp im really gratefull

[Poseidon]

the equipment are as follows :- two strip lights 1 white 1 blue

What kind of bulbs? PC, VHO, or T5? If you are planning on a Reef tank, you will need more light, especially for a tank with that much depth!

one for uv sterilizer then to tank a fluidized sand bed filter an external canister filter and a uv sterilizer

UV sterilizer is okay, I don't run one, but there is no harm in it. HOWEVER, for a REEF tank, both the fluidized bed and the Canister filters are not so great! Reason is they give places for Ammonia and Nitrite removal, but lack the capabilty to remove the resulting NITRATE. In a reef tank, thats bad news, for a FOWLR, not so bad... My best suggestion is lots of live rock, a BIG ol skimmer and then YOUR choice of a DSB or bare bottom....