Coralline Algae growing while Cycling

[drstratton]

So, I've had 3 shrimp rotting away in my tank for 10 days. Here are my test results!
API - Ammonia: 1.0 - 2.0 It has not gone above this
API - Nitrate: 10
Hannah Checker - Phosphate: .44

I need a new Nitrite test, so I wasn't able to test for that.
I think I'm going to purchase all new Salifert test kits and do away with API.

I am seeing some small spots of bright green algae growing in my tank. I've been running the lights just to see how it's going. I was planning on turning off the lights if algae started to grow, but I'm not sure that I should now as I am also having Coralline growth in my tank.

Since I am showing Nitrates and have such a high Phosphate reading and also having the Coralline growth, do you think that I should just go ahead and put some Chaeto into my sump? Or should I just turn off the lights?

Thank you!

 

[brandon429]

are you using cured live rock or dry live rock Im curious, if theres coralline im thinking this was already cycled when you put it in the tank? if so, the shrimp rot is driving your algae issues, the cured live rock doesn't use a shrimp cycle but if its blended cured/noncured that may be a case for adding shrimp

based on your descript I don't think this should be a shrimp cycling tank:
http://reef2reef.com/threads/new-ta...d-cocktail-shrimp-live-rock-no-shrimp.214618/

to preserve the coralline, removing free ammonia from the tank (shrimp rot) w be #1 and then of course the lighting, your tank is probably ready for use as a standard reef.

 

[drstratton]

I just restarted my tank and before I placed my rock back into it I gave it a good soak in muriatic acid and let it dry out in the sun! It was nice and clean looking. I kept the sand that I originally placed in my tank 5-1/2 years ago and just rinsed it really well. I also have sand in my sump that I rinsed although not as thoroughly as what is in my DT. So except for maybe the sand, everything should have been very clean. That is why I went the shrimp route. I was then thinking about ammonia dosing. Now I am not so sure of what to do!

 

[brandon429]

that is one good way to zap the organics out of lr!! can you post full tank shot

the presence of coralline means you have some living benthics, and nitrifiers, so Im curious to see the aged/unaged portions in this tank

perhaps there are living portions and then the live rock that was zapped is still building up> cant wait to see

Im also scoping the boards hard to try and find any combination of new tank cycling that doesn't fit my thread above, then ill update. so far, 3 types of rocks covered them all

 

[drstratton]

I agree! My tank crashed about four years ago! I asked what to do to get it restarted over on RC and this is what I was told to do. I had thought about just scrubbing and hosing off the mess that was on it.

 

[drstratton]

Here's a picture showing both the coralline and the green algae!

I also took a full tank shot, but you can't really see the algae in it.

 

[brandon429]

hey that's really neat I can tell you started over clean w that rock, its nice and holey very good surface area. What a neat challenge

can you do a whole tank shot I want to check for calcification in other areas other than the rock

 

[drstratton]

hey that's really neat I can tell you started over clean w that rock, its nice and holey very good surface area. What a neat challenge

can you do a whole tank shot I want to check for calcification in other areas other than the rock

I did an edit in the above post, but you can't really see the algae!

Should I go ahead and take out the shrimp? I would also like to get my phosphates down and would like to add some Chaeto.

 

[drstratton]

I can take some more close up shots that cover the whole layout, if that would be helpful!

 

[drstratton]

that is one good way to zap the organics out of lr!! can you post full tank shot

the presence of coralline means you have some living benthics, and nitrifiers, so Im curious to see the aged/unaged portions in this tank

perhaps there are living portions and then the live rock that was zapped is still building up> cant wait to see

Im also scoping the boards hard to try and find any combination of new tank cycling that doesn't fit my thread above, then ill update. so far, 3 types of rocks covered them all

I read your thread last week, it was very informative!

 

[brandon429]

those are really good. You do have a neat outlier situation, that's rather amazing for coralline to be spotting from no clear input source (I had wondered if some of the tank had leftover coralline in it possibly?) but I can't tell where its seed source came from, prob some easy explanation we hadn't seen yet.

In my opinion Id treat these exactly like class A rocks and do what you are doing, ignore the coralline and get the cycle up to par where a digestion test will show 2-3 ppm eaten up to zero in 24 hours. until that point Id simply hold course. To me that bleached out rock needs to be brought up to bacterial par moreso than working around those new coralline spots would command. clearly that tank selects for coralline, and will take off when its all cycled

to speed up a bit, have you added any dr tims or similar bottle bac

 

[Wolff92]

That's amazing!! you'll have a purple reef in no time

 

[brandon429]

yes that coralline wants to fight/push through any challenge you oughta bottle some flecks up and sell it online in little vials called uber resistant to stress coralline.

 

[drstratton]

those are really good. You do have a neat outlier situation, that's rather amazing for coralline to be spotting from no clear input source (I had wondered if some of the tank had leftover coralline in it possibly?) but I can't tell where its seed source came from, prob some easy explanation we hadn't seen yet.

In my opinion Id treat these exactly like class A rocks and do what you are doing, ignore the coralline and get the cycle up to par where a digestion test will show 2-3 ppm eaten up to zero in 24 hours. until that point Id simply hold course. To me that bleached out rock needs to be brought up to bacterial par moreso than working around those new coralline spots would command. clearly that tank selects for coralline, and will take off when its all cycled

to speed up a bit, have you added any dr tims or similar bottle bac

Do you think the coralline might have come from the sand in the sump! All I can figure. Okay, I will keep going as I am and turn off the lights! I did add some Stress Zyme!

 

[drstratton]

yes that coralline wants to fight/push through any challenge you oughta bottle some flecks up and sell it online in little vials called uber resistant to stress coralline.

I would, if I thought anyone would buy it!

Thank you for your time and input, I really appreciate it!!!

 

[drstratton]

That's amazing!! you'll have a purple reef in no time

That would be pretty sweet!!!

 

[Jonathan Robb]

Hi, about to add ARC brand purple coralline algae to my tank but ammonia is very high...will it help or destroy the algae.

 

[brandon429]

I've no prior use of it but my strongest bet is it would take massive ammonia to neutralize coralline where it can't grow after seeding. I bet there are plenty of systems adding it where it never takes off, nothing to do with ammonia will just have to try it

In nature coralline algae sp . are highly adapted early reef colonizers that don't require much to set up shop, so I vote them tough.