Algea Growing during cycle.

[rluix]

My tank is on the end of hes 2 week since it began cycling, its growing some algea, wich has basicly, alredy taken the sand, and its now growing on all rocks, should i reduce my light hours, or have no light at all? my concern is that i have life in there, some hitch hiker's that came with the live rock ( One black ringed worm wich i can't seem to find the species, and some sort of with ramifications? etc.)

[Doodaa]

My tank is on the end of hes 2 week since it began cycling, its growing some algea, wich has basicly, alredy taken the sand, and its now growing on all rocks, should i reduce my light hours, or have no light at all? my concern is that i have life in there, some hitch hiker's that came with the live rock ( One black ringed worm wich i can't seem to find the species, and some sort of with ramifications? etc.)

Algae is gonna happen in a new tank. How long do you have the lights on now? I'd leave them on for about 5 hours a day. That should keep wanted critters alive that require light. Your worms don't need light. Look up peanut worm...that may be the black ringed worm you have.

[TimH07]

The cycle takes longer than 2 weeks, some people seem to think or have unfounded facts that say you can "speed cycle" a tank. From everything I've read everywhere the cycle generally takes 6-8 weeks, algae is part of this process.

[rluix]

The cycle takes longer than 2 weeks, some people seem to think or have unfounded facts that say you can "speed cycle" a tank. From everything I've read everywhere the cycle generally takes 6-8 weeks, algae is part of this process.

I know it takes more than 2 weeks, and i plan to leave it without anything for at least one month, depending on the test results, i was saying that my tank was on hes second week of cycle.

[rluix]

Algae is gonna happen in a new tank. How long do you have the lights on now? I'd leave them on for about 5 hours a day. That should keep wanted critters alive that require light. Your worms don't need light. Look up peanut worm...that may be the black ringed worm you have.

i had them on all day, i know leave it 5 hours , to reduce the algea, but not all, so the clean up crew will have some.

[wstadnick]

Just curious, dont want to hijack your thread or anything, but just wondering. Is it normal not to have any crazy algea growing during the cycling? Myings been running for a while now, have worms, tube worm looking things, but no algae. My tank gets quite a bit of light, and its a fowlr tank.

[rluix]

Just curious, dont want to hijack your thread or anything, but just wondering. Is it normal not to have any crazy algea growing during the cycling? Myings been running for a while now, have worms, tube worm looking things, but no algae. My tank gets quite a bit of light, and its a fowlr tank.

From what i have searched, no its not normal, thats why you normally buy a clean up crew, to eat the algea that has grown during the cycle, during the cycle theres a combinations of hight nutrients, (ammonia, nitrite, nitate) with light wich = alot of algea.
Normmaly you put raw shrimp in the initial stage of the cycle ( 1 week ) so you have a source of ammonia, that way the benificial bacteria will start using it and colonizing.

[wstadnick]

Thats the weird part. I did the raw shrimp. I had the spikes in ammonia, and went through all that. ANd now my ammonia has stabalized at 0, with my other reading all normal.. just don't have the algae on the sand or glass.. Looks like i have some in the 2 caverns on the live rock, greenish.. but other then that nothing.

Thats why i havent gone to crazy with the cleanup crew yet. Just a few different snails, and 1 shrimp.

Should i be adding something to get the algae going? Other then the dead shrimp?

[rluix]

Thats the weird part. I did the raw shrimp. I had the spikes in ammonia, and went through all that. ANd now my ammonia has stabalized at 0, with my other reading all normal.. just don't have the algae on the sand or glass.. Looks like i have some in the 2 caverns on the live rock, greenish.. but other then that nothing.

Thats why i havent gone to crazy with the cleanup crew yet. Just a few different snails, and 1 shrimp.

Should i be adding something to get the algae going? Other then the dead shrimp?

Hows the nitrites and nitrates? if everything else is also good you could add one fish.

[wstadnick]

I have it all written at home, but there all within what there supposed to be.

I'll look into adding a fish.

[rluix]

I have it all written at home, but there all within what there supposed to be.

I'll look into adding a fish.

Nitritie and ammonia must be 0 to add a fish, and nitrates cant pass 10, or else adding a fish now can cause the system to crash.

[Ninong]

From what i have searched, no its not normal, thats why you normally buy a clean up crew, to eat the algea that has grown during the cycle, during the cycle theres a combinations of hight nutrients, (ammonia, nitrite, nitate) with light wich = alot of algea.

Nuisance green hair algae usually shows up as part of the initial cycle but not always. I started my tank with fully-cured live rock and never experienced any green hair algae at all. I did go through the usual couple of weeks with diatoms but no green hair algae. Then, several months into the cycle, I experienced a bloom of some really obnoxious red turf algae that persisted for ten months before finally disappearing.

Normmaly you put raw shrimp in the initial stage of the cycle ( 1 week ) so you have a source of ammonia, that way the benificial bacteria will start using it and colonizing.

I added a couple of raw shrimp to my tank from the very start to add extra ammonia but this is completely unnecessary if someone is starting out with uncured live rock. In fact, it's not really necessary even if one is starting out with fully-cured live rock. I did it because I didn't have my live rock yet, just a deep sand bed. My live rock was delayed and I wanted to get my sand bed started. The two small shrimp that I dropped onto the sand bed of my newly set up aquarium were completely gone within 10 days.

[Ninong]

Should i be adding something to get the algae going?

No, I wouldn't. Green hair algae is considered a nuisance in a reef aquarium. It may be perfectly natural on the reef but the reef has more than enough herbivorous fish to deal with it and keep it under control.

[wstadnick]

Perfect ill leave it as is then.. just got kinda worried about all the people have probs with algea.. and me looking at a tank with none in it. And yes my nitrite and ammonia are at 0.. i just didnt' wanna say the names.. as i get the nitrite and nitrate mixed up all the time with which ones which, so didn't wanna say till i got home

And ill just add some seaweed to the bottom for them to munch on then.

Should i continue with the shrimp after i add a fish?

Its a 55 gal tank, witb about 40lbs of live rock.

[Ninong]

Should i continue with the shrimp after i add a fish?

If you're asking if you need a raw shrimp in your tank to help it cycle, then the answer is no. However, any shrimp that you have already added should disappear without any help from you. If you see any remains, you might want to remove them or you could just let nature take its course. Bacteria alone should be sufficient to completely do away with any raw shrimp that you put in your aquarium.

[rluix]

Update:
its starting the nitrogen cycle. Nitrite got up to 0.1/0.2
Pics:

(you can't see the colour very well, but its a pink colour.

And, diatomes are geting a bit out of control. Any tips?

[Ninong]

And, diatomes are geting a bit out of control. Any tips?

Just be patient. The diatoms should go away on their own within a couple of weeks, after they have exhausted all of the excess silicates.