Am i paranoid?

[Jayrock93]

Ok so my tank is cycling its almost 2 months old I had diatoms come and go now I have green hair algae and diatoms are back how many times will the diatoms come back is there anything I should do or just calm down and wait I don't want my tank taken over is it a bad idea to keep adding turbo start 900? I quit adding it the first time diatoms came up and my amonia was 0

 

[pghreeferteam]

Ok so my tank is cycling its almost 2 months old I had diatoms come and go now I have green hair algae and diatoms are back how many times will the diatoms come back is there anything I should do or just calm down and wait I don't want my tank taken over is it a bad idea to keep adding turbo start 900? I quit adding it the first time diatoms came up and my amonia was 0

Might be best to describe your setup, give your remaining parameters, and your CUC and livestock to understand what’s going on

 

[Jayrock93]

Might be best to describe your setup, give your remaining parameters, and your CUC and livestock to understand what’s going on

What's cuc? It's a 40 gall breeder I had 2 clowns 2 hermit crabs 2 huge snails a bristle fin a cleaner shrimp a fire shrimp a chocolate star and 4 corals have no idea what they are a canister filter a sponge filter 2 wave makers 2 viparspectra lights blues set to 40 whites set to 1 temperature is 75 degrees Fahrenheit and a skimmer I only test for amonia calcium nitrate and nitrite my amonia nitrite and nitrate test are super low they don't even show on tests my calcium is 400 I use salifert test for all my test

 

[Bph]

Peramiters? Do you use RO water ? If everything is in check , Black out your tank for 3 days.

 

[Jayrock93]

Might be best to describe your setup, give your remaining parameters, and your CUC and livestock to understand what’s going on

 

[Jayrock93]

Peramiters? Do you use RO water ? If everything is in check , Black out your tank for 3 days.

Yes I use rodi water

 

[Jayrock93]

Peramiters? Do you use RO water ? If everything is in check , Black out your tank for 3 days.

Just posted parameters and description with couple pictures

 

[Bph]

Sorry just asking.

 

[Jayrock93]

Sorry just asking.

Don't be sorry bro I wasn't being rude my bad lol

 

[Bph]

What kind of filtration are you using?

 

[Jayrock93]

Sorry just askingim new and just need help

 

[Jayrock93]

What kind of filtration are you using?

It's a big canister filter I think it's a fluval 600 something I don't remember

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

You might want to test for phosphate as well...if both nitrates and phosphates are too low in a newer tank that can cause issues

 

[Jayrock93]

You might want to test for phosphate as well...if both nitrates and phosphates are too low in a newer tank that can cause issues

Ok thanks buddy bc my nitrates don't even show up on a test it's so low how do I bring nitrate and phosphate up?

 

[SaltwaterSky]

For a new tank that is nothing strange and your tank looks like it has a very mild case - that is to be expected, you are doing nothing wrong. Most have the opposite problem of you that early, elevated nutrient levels. All you need to do to raise these are feed a little more. I'm sure the clowns wont mind Also that is a light CUC for a 40g, consider getting something that will sift/move the sand (sand sifting star, conch, nassarius snails)

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

E

Ok thanks buddy bc my nitrates don't even show up on a test it's so low how do I bring nitrate and phosphate up?

Extra feeding is the safest and most natural way...I couldn't tell what corals you have but with Stony corals you want to aim for around 5 ppm nitrates and .03 ppm phosphate, because they need the nutrients as well

 

[vetteguy53081]

Ok so my tank is cycling its almost 2 months old I had diatoms come and go now I have green hair algae and diatoms are back how many times will the diatoms come back is there anything I should do or just calm down and wait I don't want my tank taken over is it a bad idea to keep adding turbo start 900? I quit adding it the first time diatoms came up and my amonia was 0

Diatoms are a brown algae that typically appear in a reef tank that has just completed its cycle but they can also appear in an established reef tank. They can cover sand, rock, pumps, glass, you name it. Diatoms look ugly but in most cases they are harmless so the key is to not panic when they appear.
Diatoms feed mainly off of silicates but also consume dissolved organic compounds, phosphate and nitrates. Unfiltered tap water can contain silicates and is a good way to jump start a bloom if you use it to mix salt or to replace water that evaporated from the tank. The best way to prevent this from happening is to filter water through a RODI unit, although you can still get a diatom bloom when using RODI if the cartridge that removes silicates expires.
To prevent their return, practice good aquarium husbandry by doing regular water changes, keep the substrate clean, don’t overfeed the fish, ensure your skimmer is running at an optimal level and rinse out filter socks and sponges on a regular basis.
Some cleaner crew to help control it are : Cerith snails, Nerite snails and Trochus snails and also Astraea snails are effective at removing diatoms.

 

[SaltwaterSky]

Also that starfish you have will eat your corals fyi

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

I

Also that starfish you have will eat your corals fyi

Was also gonna mention the starfish haha...they're really cool but yeah, not reef safe sadly

 

[Jayrock93]

For a new tank that is nothing strange and your tank looks like it has a very mild case - that is to be expected, you are doing nothing wrong. Most have the opposite problem of you that early, elevated nutrient levels. All you need to do to raise these are feed a little more. I'm sure the clowns wont mind Also that is a light CUC for a 40g, consider getting something that will sift/move the sand (sand sifting star, conch, nassarius snails)

Thanks man it's a relief to hear this and I'll definitely find something tomarrow