[Powder Blue]

Dear fellow members,

I believe a new tank goes through an algea cycle.Brown, green then red. I used sea water and live rock to start 3 month ago. I had a brief period of brown algea. Then came the green stuff, thick and ugly. I have scrubbed the glass and cleaned the substrate a few times and it seems to not want to move on to the red algea which is apparantly what we want. The Surgeons have the odd peck on the algea but not enough to rid it. I believe Turbo snails are wonderfull for algea control. I cant get at the moment.

I have also tried recently to reduce my lights up time to bright in the morning for an hour of enjoyment before work, and 3hrs in the evening for post work. During the day I leave 1 single low intensity white tube on. Before the 4 tubes were burning for about 14 hrs which I'm sure is to long.

If I have to only run the lights as close to the natural light as possible, then I will never see my gang. We work when the fish play. What is a good in between that wont stress the fish but will let us enjoy them as well when we can.

Any harm to have an hour of bright light in the morning and 3 in the evening with low light during the day?

[Reefland]

The harm is that your corals or other photosynthetic animals will suffer. You should set the light cycle to work around your work schedule. Meaning if you want to have 3 hours of enjoyment in the evening with your tank then you should have the lights come on 12 hours before the end of your 3 hour enjoyment; with nothing going off in the middle.

The reduction of light will help algae blooms but will not cure them so you should look for something else to be the source of the problem. In your case, it may just need to run it's cycle or there may be a lack of nutrient removal.

Scott Z.