Help with new tank

[pnchowdary]

My 120 gal tank is less than 2 months old and I have 2 clowns, 3 chromis and about 15 corals (softies and lps). I feed mysis pellets in the morning and mysis + calanus frozen food at night. My ammonia and nitrite are at 0, nitrate at 20. My alk is 8.8, ca - 428, phosphate - 0.18. I just started chaeto in the sump and I see green Algae forming in the refuge. I have some live rock in the tank and most of it is dry rock. I noticed rust colored spots on my rocks today. I was hoping someone could help me ID whether this is one of the nuisance algae that grows as a part of the dirty phase or coralline alage.

I also got both Vibrant and microbacter clean. I read using this would kill my chaeto. I am also getting the pods today. Would the pods be affected by treating with vibrant or microbacter clean. Please let me know how I can save the chaeto until the treatment is over.

I understand that my phosphate numbers are kind of high. I ordered the gfo + carbon dual reactor and plan to run it once I get it. Also, please advise whether two times a day feeding the fish is too much.

I appreciate any and all information or advice that you can provide me.

 

[Mhamilton0911]

Possibly just diatoms, does it brush off easily, or use a turkey baster to blow it off easily? If yes, likely just diatoms.

I wouldn't add anything to this just yet. Even pods, they'll likely starve in that new of a tank.

 

[pnchowdary]

Possibly just diatoms, does it brush off easily, or use a turkey baster to blow it off easily? If yes, likely just diatoms.

I wouldn't add anything to this just yet. Even pods, they'll likely starve in that new of a tank.

I tried to brush it off with my finger and it didn’t go away. Also I ordered the pods + phyto for thanksgiving and they are going to be delivered today. Any advice to give the pods a fighting chance?.

 

[davidcalgary29]

I tried to brush it off with my finger and it didn’t go away. Also I ordered the pods + phyto for thanksgiving and they are going to be delivered today. Any advice to give the pods a fighting chance?.

Use a turkey baster (and not your fingers and hand) to test suspect growths: nuisance growths can usually be swept off fairly easily. And turkey basters have many other uses in tank husbandry, so it's great to have one just kept around.

You can certainly cultivate the 'pods in a jar build with an airstone and light source. In fact, you can cultivate both phyto and 'pods in this fashion (phyto does need fertilizer), and you might want to do exactly that if you're anticipate use of both in the future.

 

[pnchowdary]

Use a turkey baster (and not your fingers and hand) to test suspect growths: nuisance growths can usually be swept off fairly easily. And turkey basters have many other uses in tank husbandry, so it's great to have one just kept around.

You can certainly cultivate the 'pods in a jar build with an airstone and light source. In fact, you can cultivate both phyto and 'pods in this fashion (phyto does need fertilizer), and you might want to do exactly that if you're anticipate use of both in the future.

Thank you very much for your advice. I tried using the turkey baster and it wouldn’t go away, then I tried my fingers. I understand that putting hands in the tank needs to be avoided. I will certainly keep that in my mind.

Could you please let me know what kind of fertilizer is needed for the phyto growth?.

I ordered this https://www.algaebarn.com/shop/ecopack-pod-phyto-bogo2/

 

[polyppal]

If tank is only 2mos, sounds like your running and dumping money into it when you should be walking at this point. Its going to undergo a lot of biological changes in the next several weeks/mos, algae blooms, diatoms, etc. The constant changes and high nitrates/po4 are prob gonna be rough on your corals.

I would try to set them up for now in someones mature tank, and just run the tank with fish for the next few months until you see some stability and those numbers naturally dropping.

 

[tharbin]

That looks like diatoms. A very natural, and transitory, part of reefing. Diatoms use free silicates and your new rock and sand is just full of free silicates. Don't try to eliminate the diatoms, just control them--but NOT with chemicals and magic potions. Control them with photo period, water flow, proper clean up crew members and time. Why are you adding Vibrant and Microbacter 7 both of which do essentially the same thing in essentially the same way? The pods and the phyto will both help some with nutrient control.

Do not go nuts trying to keep a pristine tank. Life on the reef is messy and plentiful. There is no way you should need GFO on a two-month-old tank. If you are having trouble controlling phosphate, reduce the amount of pellet food and make up the difference with frozen. It is much harder to overfeed frozen than pellet foods. That said .18 is not unreasonable for a young tank and in fact many older tanks run at similar or even higher levels.

If you watch enough vendor-focused videos, talk to enough gearheads, and look at enough Instagram-esk aquariums you can get very unrealistic expectations. Gear and money are not the answer (except to the vendors). Balance, time, patience and understanding are the answer. Many reef tanks have run successfully for decades without anything more than a sponge filter and hard work.

 

[polyppal]

If you watch enough vendor-focused videos, talk to enough gearheads, and look at enough Instagram-esk aquariums you can get very unrealistic expectations. Gear and money are not the answer (except to the vendors). Balance, time, patience and understanding are the answer. Many reef tanks have run successfully for decades without anything more than a sponge filter and hard work.