KKAAY Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 ok, again I am new to this hobby and my tank is roughly 3-4 weeks old. I have live rock, live sand, two clowns(which seem to be only hanging around at the top of the tank) and some soft corals as well as a condy. Yesterday when I got home it seems that everything has a brown coating on it. I did some research and saw something about "diatom bloom". another reading said something about too much light. I checked my levels and everything seems to be in line. can anyone shed some light on this and let me know how to handle this. thanks for all the input Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+etannert Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 Probably a diatom bloom. Add some hermit crabs and wait it out, it'll subside with time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woods Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 sounds like you are moving way too fast for how old your tank is! Slow down and be patient. Nothing good happens fast in a reef tank. Your system is most likely not ready for the bioload you have added. It takes time for a reef tank to mature and to establish the biodiversity to handle a bioload as you slowly add critters and corals. It is most likely a diatom bloom and will turn into algae as the stages progress... add a few snails and hermits but hold off any anything else for quite awhile so your system can mature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+brian.srock Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 Agree with everyone else. Your tank is just in the beginning stages. I would do a 20% water change weekly for a month without adding anything but a clean up crew which should include some turbo snails and peppermint shrimps. I would stay way from hermits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard L Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 Sounds like your basic new tank syndrome to me too. It's important during the initial 2-3 months not to panic and just be patient. This phase is just a rite of passage. Probably have a couple of weeks before it goes away and something else takes its place. Think of this way - your new tank is experience dramatic swings tyring to reach stability. A diatom bloom is just a natural response to an imbalance so its doing you a favor. Another example is when the glass on my tank (a little over a year old) starts to cover up with green algae. Annoying yes, but I know that it is a sign that there are excess nutrients that my filters and live rock aren't keeping up with. Sometimes I let it go for few days and let the algae do its job. BTW, people often say that they "checked their levels" and everything is rosey but that really doesn't mean much. Offering better information will get you better advice. I'd suggest whenever you post a tank issue that you include your current water parameters (and the test kit used in parenthesis) in a format like this: Temp range 77.8 stable Spec. Gravity 1.026 NH4 0 mg/L (API)NO2 0 mg/L (API)NO3 2.5 mg/L (Elos)PO4 0.07 mg/L (Hanna)Ca 410 mg/L (Hanna)KH 7.80 dkH(Hanna) Mg 1250 mg/L (Elos)K+ 218 mg/L (Salifert) At this stage all you really need to know is temp, specific gravity, NH4, NO2, NO3. Also know that most test kits work in certain range and if your parameters are higher than that range they can read a false "0"!!! Not a big deal for a stable tank but for a new tank with a diatom bloom indicating excess nutrients its definately something you should consider. Here's a great video by Dr. Tim demonstrating it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Mlaw Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 Everyone is right. Just wait it out. Sucks but it's part of the game. I'm a big fan of conchs for diatom control. They eat it up fast and are fun to watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingjames Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 +1 on every thing above, slow it down a bit, i started with totally dry reef rock and almost took me 8 months before my parameters were stable, and mature, diatoms will pass if using ro/di and keeping up with water quality, almost everybody who sets up a tank will go through some sort of diatom/cyano/alge, it has happened on every marine tank i have owned, will take time and some effort to get it to go away Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 Welcome to the addiction! To reiterate some of the above points nothing good happens fast so patience is not only a virtue it is essential for success. Trying to fix "problems" can only exacerbate the cycles a reef goes through. Definitely watch Dt. Tims video (at least two or three times to catch everything). You may have cycled your tank very quickly (it can be done almost instantaneuously with live rock and live sand) but it still takes 8 - 12 months for the system to mature, if you can get a copy of Nilsen and Fossa's "The Modern Coral Reef Aquarium" Vol. 1 they have a chart on pg 164 of the different algae cycles that occur in the first 300 days. They also have excellent before and after pictures on pgs 115 and 163 of live rock completly covered in hair algae and it's complete disapperence as the system matures and herbivores are added. As far as adding animals if the pH, Alk and calcium are good, not to high or too low, I don't hesitate to add animals but if it's a new tank I'm only going to be adding fish and corals I know are hardy and will grow fast helping to compete with nuscense algaes for niutrients. But I'm also going to be waiting several weeks between each addition or group added to make sure they are doing well. And a lot of times not only will I quarantine fish but inverts and corals as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 Nothing new to add. Just saying you just received some very solid advice. The first entire year will likely be filled with tons of different algae blooms. Each being more annoying than the last, but they'll pass with time. Just read up on good tank husbandry and appropriate stocking and things work themselves out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KKAAY Posted February 20, 2013 Author Share Posted February 20, 2013 Thanks for the info guys...I am not trying or wanting to rush. I am listening to my LFS and you guys. . Thx again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShawnM Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 be very cautious what the LFS tells you. I have had someone here in austin tell me he would not sell me his products unless I only did what he said. I just laughed at him. make sure what ever they tell you to call someone off here or go home and research it then buy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieMEDIC Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 be very cautious what the LFS tells you. I have had someone here in austin tell me he would not sell me his products unless I only did what he said. I just laughed at him. make sure what ever they tell you to call someone off here or go home and research it then buy it. Had the same issue with probably the same lfs. Dont take a single persons word for gospel but you should be ok when it comes from a whole group. Keep asking the same questions to different people and you will get multiple answers somewhere in the middle is the answer you are looking for. Wait until you get to the dyno. I have found the best answer is 3 days of darkness followed by a strict h2o2 regiment. Works wonders for dyno. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KKAAY Posted February 21, 2013 Author Share Posted February 21, 2013 aggiemedic....what is the dyno and h202 regiment...can you elaborate on that a bit what I meant to say previously was that I had listened to my LFS and that I am finding that I trust you guys opionon more than theirs I got me two turbo snails and a small crab...i can see the snails working away but the crab is nowhere ot be found cause he is so small Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esacjack Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 be very cautious what the LFS tells you. I have had someone here in austin tell me he would not sell me his products unless I only did what he said. I just laughed at him. make sure what ever they tell you to call someone off here or go home and research it then buy it. Im pretty sure we all know who you're talking about..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esacjack Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 aggiemedic....what is the dyno and h202 regiment...can you elaborate on that a bit what I meant to say previously was that I had listened to my LFS and that I am finding that I trust you guys opionon more than theirs I got me two turbo snails and a small crab...i can see the snails working away but the crab is nowhere ot be found cause he is so small If you picked up a mithrax or emerald crab, he likely wont be very social. I have several, and in my pico tank, the emerald is VERY social, because I have to feed him nori twice a week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 be very cautious what the LFS tells you. I have had someone here in austin tell me he would not sell me his products unless I only did what he said. I just laughed at him. make sure what ever they tell you to call someone off here or go home and research it then buy it. Im pretty sure we all know who you're talking about..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Monnat Jr Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 Most LFSs are more interested in keeping the doors open than the health of livestock after they sell it. To some degree I sympathize, because running a small business can be hell, but some are really bad. Following the "customer is always right" mantra for business, I can see where some LFS owners or employees will tell customers what they want to hear, like, "sure you can put that shark in your nano!" I'm fortunate in that I live near two LFSs with owners who aren't afraid to tell me the harsh truths of the hobby (including the guy people are complaining about; he cares more about the fish than the sales). I'm glad you found ARC, because as you've mentioned you will get straight answers here. Sometimes members might disagree, though When your tank is a few months older, there are a lot of cool crustaceans that will work in your tank (Sexy Shrimp, Pom Pom Crabs, etc.). Pretty much everyone here on ARC would be happy to help with your stocking list and some will even show you their setups. If you are having ammonia spikes or similar issues, you can protect your fish and inverts by dosing StartSmart. It's not a good long-term solution, but it'll save your stuff in a pinch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KKAAY Posted February 21, 2013 Author Share Posted February 21, 2013 Most LFSs are more interested in keeping the doors open than the health of livestock after they sell it. To some degree I sympathize, because running a small business can be hell, but some are really bad. Following the "customer is always right" mantra for business, I can see where some LFS owners or employees will tell customers what they want to hear, like, "sure you can put that shark in your nano!" I'm fortunate in that I live near two LFSs with owners who aren't afraid to tell me the harsh truths of the hobby (including the guy people are complaining about; he cares more about the fish than the sales). I'm glad you found ARC, because as you've mentioned you will get straight answers here. Sometimes members might disagree, though When your tank is a few months older, there are a lot of cool crustaceans that will work in your tank (Sexy Shrimp, Pom Pom Crabs, etc.). Pretty much everyone here on ARC would be happy to help with your stocking list and some will even show you their setups. If you are having ammonia spikes or similar issues, you can protect your fish and inverts by dosing StartSmart. It's not a good long-term solution, but it'll save your stuff in a pinch. THX GEORGE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(Bio)³ Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 Most LFSs are more interested in keeping the doors open than the health of livestock after they sell it. To some degree I sympathize, because running a small business can be hell, but some are really bad. Following the "customer is always right" mantra for business, I can see where some LFS owners or employees will tell customers what they want to hear, like, "sure you can put that shark in your nano!" I'm fortunate in that I live near two LFSs with owners who aren't afraid to tell me the harsh truths of the hobby (including the guy people are complaining about; he cares more about the fish than the sales). I'm glad you found ARC, because as you've mentioned you will get straight answers here. Sometimes members might disagree, though When your tank is a few months older, there are a lot of cool crustaceans that will work in your tank (Sexy Shrimp, Pom Pom Crabs, etc.). Pretty much everyone here on ARC would be happy to help with your stocking list and some will even show you their setups. If you are having ammonia spikes or similar issues, you can protect your fish and inverts by dosing StartSmart. It's not a good long-term solution, but it'll save your stuff in a pinch. You sure that guy isnt more concerned with blowing his own horn? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Monnat Jr Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 You sure that guy isnt more concerned with blowing his own horn? That is beyond the scope of the fish vs $ discussion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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