Help and advice

[manners0485]

Hi, I’m a noob to the forum so go easy. Just wondering if someone could help me? I’ve had my tank for exactly a month now, started with dry ocean rock and have been phantom feeding with frozen mysis shrimp every 2 days. I have been testing regularly and have only had a slight spike in ammonia but never had any nitrites or nitrates. The past couple of days I had a lot of brown algae appear. Am I doing this correctly as I was expecting to see a rise in nitrites and nitrates by now. I have been using evolution aqua aqua reef every 5 days. Any advice would be great.

 

[dmy535]

I don’t have knowledge on that product you speak of, but a quick look up on the product shows it’s a beneficial bacteria additive for start up. So, if you’re dosing that’s every 5days, and it’s like bacteria, you may not see the spike and already at the nitrate phase....? What’s your nitrate testing at?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Fortunately- this is diatoms associated with silicates and a newer tank. Check Phosphates and nitrates tyo assure theyre not elevated.
What can you do to stay ahead of it?
Blow loose as needed with a turkey baster
increase water flow if you can so it cant stick to surfaces as quickly
Reduce white light intensity a few days

Add cleaner crew snails:
3 turbo snail
3 astrea snail
3 trochus snails
3 nassarius snails
6-8 blue leg hermits (theyre tiny )

As for nitrates, unless you have fish and theyre producing waste, it may very well be Zero. If youre using API test kit, you may be getting false reading which theyre known for
The bacteria youre dosing, you can add 2ml daily