migs Posted February 24, 2008 Share Posted February 24, 2008 I just purchased a BioCube 29g... set it up Friday afternoon with pre-mix, pure water. It has been running in a dark room for about 48 hours. I have been testing my nitrate level (about 5ppm or maybe a little bit higher)... but I noticed green algae growing on the live rock. When should I get a cleaner crew and what level of nitrate could they with stand? Should I start with some hermits first or let it keep running its course? I have always heard of algae problems so I think I am over cautious... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Bmwaaron Posted February 24, 2008 Share Posted February 24, 2008 How long have you had the rock? Was the rock from an established tank or from the Store? If you just got your rock from the store you are probably in for a 2-3 week wait minimum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismunn Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 i would agree with aaron. did that algea grow while the rocks were in your tank, or did the rocks come with the algae? the first type of algae that should be seen in a newly set up tank is diatoms. diatoms are not green though, they are brown. what you can do to help creat a nitrogen cycle in your new tank is throw a cocktail shrimp in. when the dead shrimp starts to decompose, its going to feed the bacteria needed to establish the tank. from there the bacteria will proliferate to a level that will sustain the biological filtration process. either way you look at it, its still going to take inbetween 2-4 weeks untill you will be able to safley add anything into your new tank. at that point you can add your clean up crew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
migs Posted February 25, 2008 Author Share Posted February 25, 2008 Thank you... some rock had the algae on it, but I think it grew more in my tank.. it is the greenish, slimy covering on the rock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismunn Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 greenish slimy huh... sounds like cyano bacteria. is it a disgusting mat that has bubbles in it, or is it green slimy leaves? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
migs Posted February 25, 2008 Author Share Posted February 25, 2008 greenish slimy huh... sounds like cyano bacteria. is it a disgusting mat that has bubbles in it, or is it green slimy leaves? Not sure - there are some slimy leaves... but more like a mat covering everything... here are some pics: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beretta Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 I cycled a 10g tank in 5 days. I had well-established live rock and live sand, so it cycled really quick. Keep the lights off for sure. Give it some time, and once you're sure the cycle is over, the you can start adding things, namely a clean up crew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
migs Posted February 25, 2008 Author Share Posted February 25, 2008 Thank you... it is still sitting in the dark... just curious, I read on some threads that throwing in some raw shrimp and letting it decompose helps as well... any thoughts on that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
migs Posted February 25, 2008 Author Share Posted February 25, 2008 also, do you wait for the cycle to be complete before turning on the lights or do you turn on the lights at some point during the cycling? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Bmwaaron Posted February 26, 2008 Share Posted February 26, 2008 I cycled my tank with minimum lights but I did have them on for a few hours a day. If your rock isn't cured you do not need to drop shrimp in your tank. Your rock probably has enough dead and decomposing organisms to start the cycle. You would drop a dead shrimp in a tank that had base rock that did not have any dead or decomposing organisms on it to start the ammonia spike. I don't really see anything on your rocks to worry about. You cant miss it when the cycle is finished because you will have an algae bloom. Just be patient and keep us updated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Bmwaaron Posted February 26, 2008 Share Posted February 26, 2008 In the mean time I would recommend listening to some of the many pod cast out there that talk about cycling tanks and such. They are a great source of information that can be entertaining at the same time www.reefcast.com www.thetalkingreef.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
migs Posted February 26, 2008 Author Share Posted February 26, 2008 Update - I check my nitrate and they are definitely rising. I did notice some white, spider web like fungus growing all over my rocks. From the different posts, it sounds like the cycling process is well under way. I have read different things as to leaving the fungus or removing it... lets see what happens. Also, thank you for the podcast - very nice idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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