Am I Underfeeding or Lucky?

[Mr.Bigglesworth]

Hi all,

I’m new to the reef tank world and am trying to get to the point where I can start adding corals but I am kinda concerned.

Currently I have a 10g Nano with Reef Breeders Nano running on for 12 hrs. I have one Black Snowflake Clown in here and have passed the Nitrogen Cycle for about 2 weeks now. My current NO3 is about 12-15 ppm. I have pods in the tank and my CuC is a hermit and Nassarous snail which both seem to be doing fine. I’ve had the light’s finally turned on for about a week and haven’t seen any signs of algae yet though, which I’m confused on. I don’t know if I’m lucky (fingers crossed)or if my tanks not able to support any growth (which is more concerning).

I guess my question is - is a week long enough to see algae grow; and if so, should I be concerned that something is going on? Or should I give it another week and see if some algae grows and look back at this post remembering my tanks glory days.

Just looking for some insight - thank you!

 

[blaxsun]

3 weeks is still relatively early. Your rocks will gradually start taking on different shades as the tank progresses. If your fish are doing just fine I wouldn't sweat it.

And yes, enjoy the "whiteness" of your tank while it lasts!

 

[Dbichler]

By the looks of it your going to need more flow or the algae will really become overwhelming when it does show up

 

[CasperOe]

Just keep what you're doing now- and enjoy! There's no avoiding what's coming in terms of 'uglies' in a new tank so no need to worry either. Stay on top of husbandry, that will somewhat minimize the impact and think about what you put in your tank- every time!

What goes around comes around

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Its only been one week with lights on, just hold on, its coming.

to deal with the algae, you will need a good phosphate test kit to help you, phosphate will need to be controlled.

And as mentioned, your tank really should have at least one powerhead in there to create flow, and also aim it at the water surface to help with gas exchange and put some oxygen in the water, the water surface should not be flat.

 

[Mr.Bigglesworth]

3 weeks is still relatively early. Your rocks will gradually start taking on different shades as the tank progresses. If your fish are doing just fine I wouldn't sweat it.

And yes, enjoy the "whiteness" of your tank while it lasts!

Ok yeah that’s what I was thinking it’s probably still too early but I wanna try and be as proactive as possible. Thank you for the response!

 

[Mr.Bigglesworth]

By the looks of it your going to need more flow or the algae will really become overwhelming when it does show up

That’s some solid advice - I was going back and forth since it’s only a 10g - the pump the water ox came with is about 150/g an hour but I do notice some dead zones with the aquascape when I feed.

I appreciate this though as I want to try and be as proactive as possible!

 

[Mr.Bigglesworth]

Just keep what you're doing now- and enjoy! There's no avoiding what's coming in terms of 'uglies' in a new tank so no need to worry either. Stay on top of husbandry, that will somewhat minimize the impact and think about what you put in your tank- every time!

What goes around comes around

Thank you appreciate the response and for letting me know to just chill lol I need that. I’m trying to be as patient as possible haha.

 

[Mr.Bigglesworth]

Its only been one week with lights on, just hold on, its coming.

to deal with the algae, you will need a good phosphate test kit to help you, phosphate will need to be controlled.

And as mentioned, your tank really should have at least one powerhead in there to create flow, and also aim it at the water surface to help with gas exchange and put some oxygen in the water, the water surface should not be flat.

Appreciate the solid response- a lot of good stuff to chew on here.

I definitely want to get a phosphate tester, I’m thinking Hanna and wanted to wait until Black Friday to try and snag a deal on that and the Alk one but I might have to move that timeline up unless you think I can get away with salifert for the time being.

And I’ve gone back and forth with this, I guess I’m having trouble understanding exactly where my return pump should be pointed. The pictures don’t do it justice, the water is rippling on the top but it’s mostly from the little current of it bouncing off the corner. My food and things stay in the water column, but I was having an issue with pH creeping up slowly during cycling so I opened the window close to it.

I’m definitely leaning towards getting a power head though, but I guess if you wouldn’t mind shedding some light, where would you recommend me pointing the return pump?

Thanks again!

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Appreciate the solid response- a lot of good stuff to chew on here.

I definitely want to get a phosphate tester, I’m thinking Hanna and wanted to wait until Black Friday to try and snag a deal on that and the Alk one but I might have to move that timeline up unless you think I can get away with salifert for the time being.

And I’ve gone back and forth with this, I guess I’m having trouble understanding exactly where my return pump should be pointed. The pictures don’t do it justice, the water is rippling on the top but it’s mostly from the little current of it bouncing off the corner. My food and things stay in the water column, but I was having an issue with pH creeping up slowly during cycling so I opened the window close to it.

I’m definitely leaning towards getting a power head though, but I guess if you wouldn’t mind shedding some light, where would you recommend me pointing the return pump?

Thanks again!

I think your fine to wait till black friday, hope you get a good deal. I love my hanna phosphate tester.

For now, since you only have the return nozzle, I would aim it at the water surface. If you see scum build up on the water surface, then its not agitated enough.

Ideally, in our tanks, 2 powerheads, or 1 powerhead and the return nozzle, should somewhat be pointed at each other to create a random flow pattern, with one of the powerheads pointed slightly upwards to create agitation on the water surface. A flat water surface can block the oxygen exchange and hurt or kill your fish (we see it often here), a scummy surface build up also blocks the light effectiveness. Surface agitation is an important part of the tank set up.