Day 5. Bubble and hair algae spotted. What should I do next?

[Salty_Box_Reef]

Started my biocube 14g about five days ago now with some rock from a friends tank. Im currently running just the factory little filter it came with and will eventually be using some chemipure and purigen. So far Im starting to see some ammonia(yesterday was .25) and ph was about 8.0 or a touch higher, with 0 nitrates or nitrites yet. This morning I noticed two small green bubble's and two very small spots of hair algae. I will be running a kessil 150 on it rimless, but as of right now the only light it see's is just from my main ofice light in the morning for about an hour while I have coffee before I leave for work.

Im wondering what my next step should be? I had planned to just add two clowns when it was ready, and then slowly add in a cuc. I would really like to be able to keep a emerald crab as part of the cuc, and have heard if you dont over feed them they might take care of the hair algae. Would you guys recomend adding a cuc sooner rather than later? And if so what and when, and how long after could I add clowns?

 

[Hydrahawk]

Since it is still new, I would pull the rocks out and brush off the hair algae and rinse. As for the bubble algae, take the rock out of the water. Over the sink, use tweezers to pull each bubble out and make sure not to pop the bubble. Rinse the rocks under fresh water and put it back into the tank. Bubble algae is very hard to get rid of. You have to be vigilant on the bubble algae.

 

[Longnose Hawkfish]

Hey. I have some green hair algae problems and I think it's because of my new light. Can you post a pic of your tank because of I have the same light and was wanting to go rimless on my biocube. Thanks!

 

[Salty_Box_Reef]

Sure. Excuse the mess on my desk though. The iPhone also makes it look considerably more blue than it actually is also.

Three led moonlight strip on the under side of the glass lid I had cut for it.


Just the moonlights on


Just the kessil on and glass lid off.


Mounted the kessil in a universal lamp shade, and hung it from black coated chain which makes it really easy to adjust height.



I wasn't running my lights at first, and since I started running the lights the hair algae disappeared and I'm starting to get small speckles in the sand bed.. Which I expected that, but didn't expect the hair algae to just disappear like that though.

 

[Longnose Hawkfish]

That is so cool!!! is it hard to take the rim off? And how much % of water do you take out when you do changes? I like the lamp shade idea!! What moonlights you have? And Sanfrancisco fan?

 

[Reefing Madness]

Since your tank is new take the rocks that have HA and BA on it and dip them in Hydrogen Peroxide, or Bleach water mix solution. That'll kill em off. I noticed your tank hasn't cycled yet, so this won't harm anything in there.

 

[Salty_Box_Reef]

Go 9ers! I'll be at the game tomorrow night!


I haven't done any water changes really. I added a tad too ammonia and did a 1 gallon change to bring it down but that's it.

As far as the algae problem I pulled the rocks, scrubbed them and put peroxide on the spots that needed it. Seems to have addressed the problem.

 

[Mike J.]

Okay, you have weeks to wait before putting fish in. Clean up crew goes in before the clowns. I wouldn't worry about algae at this stage in the game or you can pluck and syphon the bubble algae. And, I wouldn't be dipping rocks - you're also killing the bacteria that you are trying to grow.

You really need to read this article:

The Mature Aquarium

 

[mcarroll]

Wow. Way way way too hands-on for a tank that's still cycling.

Shut off the lights, cover the tank if seeing algae makes you feel compulsive (not joking) and don't do anything at all to the tank until you see nitrates.

Brown, red and green algae phases are normal and almost always pass on their own.

For CUC, I would add nothing until you have real algae growth after the cycle. This will probably be after the main livestock goes in. Only then add as-needed to keep algae in check - remember overall algae control is a strategy, and that's your job. Also remember that starvation is the #1 cause of death for most CUC...don't overdo it.

I would have no more than 1-2 hermits and 5-10 cerith snails, and I wouldn't add the hermits unless is seems necessary. Buy all of them as small as possible.

-Matt