Diatoms and gha during cycle?

[Dextar]

Hi!

I’m currently cycling my new tank (reefer 350), went through ammonia/nitrite/nitrate just fine and then arrived at the diatom stage (going by https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-supreme-guide-to-setting-up-a-saltwater-reef-aquarium.138750/ as a guide). The thing is, I also seem to have arrived at the gha stage pretty much at the same time (I’ve shown the tank the surpreme guide to try to make it understand the order of things, but it doesn’t seem to care ).

My question is what, if anything, I should do? For diatoms I’d just let them run their course, but when combined with (what looks like) gha I’m not sure if I should intervene or not?

Params (all salifert except ammonia) are:

Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 2,5
Phos: 0,1
Alk: 9,5
Calc: 435
Mag: 1320
Ph: 8.3-8.4

Started with dry rock, AF bio sand, AF bio fil, AF life source (dosed weekly) and a bag of seeded matrix from my current tank.
Lights (ai hydra52 non-hd) have been on for about a week and a half at around 25% (BRS LPS program, but running acclimation at 50% for 1 month total).

some pics:

any advice/tips would be very welcome!

Grtz,

Paul

 

[brandon429]

Your cycle is done, completed, you’re now reefing. Make choices on whether to clean that out or allow it, your cycle is done.



the article that says those growths are part of a cycle is incorrect. A cycle ends when fish can be carried without burning them, filter bacteria do the work

that ability happens before this growth stage above, the growth stage above is the END of the cycle and the beginning of benthic community phasing, a separate event @KJ I wish we could update the article with the updated science. It’s not that those growths mean mid-cycle, it means the cycle was done a while ago.


in 100% of cases, all cases, any reef tank rock stack with those growths or any new growths on it of pigmented early life forms can process the common ammonia loading if tested on digital gear.


you are now squarely within the choice set: for a post cycle reef, do I purposefully let it get invaded? Are owners of invaded tank threads happy with their tank look? What about threads where folks clean their tanks, prevent any takeovers, and expect to work more up front vs later on when the tank matures


see how we have a choice in reefing, about being invaded? To directly link invasion growths with a required stage in cycling is actually to damage a lot of reef tanks KJ. We are having to go clean those invasions up months after the cycle was long done.


the two conditions are not linked whatsoever in updated cycling science.

 

[SamsReef]

This is a Common mistake that 90 percent of reefers make. while the tank is cycling, maturing and developing the right population of pods, amphipods, inverts, bacteria etc…you should keep the light turned off or minimum so the bad stuff do not take hold before good stuff. Also, the fishes will come in due course as well which will eat algae…

the key is to keep the tank a chance to develop good inhabitants before the bad ones takes over. As your good workers come to life, you should to limit things which will encourage bad stuff to take over…including running full photo period.

Sam

 

[brandon429]

Step one: reduce your light power fifty percent and sustain that until you have light needing animals.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Agree with Brandon the cycle is done. Time to add a clean up crew to begin dealing with that.

The dry rocks will cost you phosphate challenges for a while so you should monitor the phosphate and take action if needed.

 

[Dextar]

Alright, makes sense to me. My first reaction was to add a cuc as well but wanted to make sure I wasn’t moving too fast.

I’ll start recruiting some help for the snails that are in already (I moved a few from my current tank but they’re obviously in over their shells). And then start making plans to move the inhabitants of my current tank over. And will drop lighting by a bunch until then.

Thanks for the reactions so far!

- Paul