Live rock

[RICK2REEF]

Question... live rock has been in for a week. Is this algae normal?

 

[Spare time]

Yes that is normal. However, it might not be a bad idea to keep the lights off until you get your first coral (assuming the tank is in a room with ambient lighting).

 

[HuduVudu]

Is this the live rock?

Yes that algae is normal and you will get more of it.

 

[Gtinnel]

It looks like diatoms to me which is normal part of the ugly stages of a new tank

 

[RICK2REEF]

Yes that is normal. However, it might not be a bad idea to keep the lights off until you get your first coral (assuming the tank is in a room with ambient lighting).

I would turn the lights off lol but here is the thing... the aquarium shop told my kid and wife that fish would be fine in the new set up sooooo...needless to say I have to clowns in there

 

[RICK2REEF]

Is this the live rock?

Yes that algae is normal and you will get more of it.

I have one piece of live and the rest new

 

[Spare time]

I would turn the lights off lol but here is the thing... the aquarium shop told my kid and wife that fish would be fine in the new set up sooooo...needless to say I have to clowns in there

They are ok with ambient light. What light do you have? Some can be dialed down very low.

If you want to keep the lights on during the initial stages, consider something like waste away or microbacter clean which helps compete with algae in those early stages of reef tanks where the rocks become a free for all for whoever grows there first

Just to clarify though, that is perfectly normal to see on a rock and eventually they will develop all sorts of colors.

 

[HuduVudu]

I have one piece of live and the rest new

Is the live piece in the picture?

 

[RICK2REEF]

They are ok with ambient light. What light do you have? Some can be dialed down very low.

If you want to keep the lights on during the initial stages, consider something like waste away or microbacter clean which helps compete with algae in those early stages of reef tanks where the rocks become a free for all for whoever grows there first

Just to clarify though, that is perfectly normal to see on a rock and eventually they will develop all sorts of colors.

Its just a 32g biocube so just the led from the lid.. this is the lighting I set up last night. So I should just leave the light off?. Its in the living room so there is plenty of light throughout the day

 

[HuduVudu]

Yikes you have no live rock.

What you were sold was not live rock it was dead rock with bacteria. I really wish LFSs wouldn't do this.

Just be aware this is a dead rock start and it is going to take longer than usual to stabilize and get up to speed. Be extra patient with this system.

Also you are running a DSB. You need to do research on this type of system.

I really suggest that if you are new to the hobby that you don't use this type of system. I also don't recommend bare bottoms, though some advocate them and have success. I would really recommend that you only run a half inch to inch of sand on the bottom of your tank. My 2 cents.

 

[Spare time]

Its just a 32g biocube so just the led from the lid.. this is the lighting I set up last night. So I should just leave the light off?. Its in the living room so there is plenty of light throughout the day

The reason why many prefer not running lights for the first few weeks is to give a chance for the rock to "age" and get all those little microbes a chance to take up space on the rock. New rock as essentially a hotel with many empty rooms. Algaes, bacteria, and other protists are all looking to take some rooms in that hotel. Sometimes, ugly algae like hair algae or bacteria like cyano end up getting to the hotel first and packing a bunch of the rooms as there is no one there to fill them or to compete for space. Having the lights off for the first few weeks allows some of those not so ugly microbes to get a hold of the space and nitrate and phosphate in the tank before the algae moves in to the hotel. This applies to the sand, the rocks, etc.. Eventually, you will be able to get critters to move around in the sand and rocks to eat that algae that wants to move in, and competition on the rocks and sand will slow down the rate at which algae grows. All tanks get algae and should grow algae. The difference between new and old tanks is that older tanks don't have the vacancy that newer tanks have.


Did the fish store give you any bacteria to put into the tank? If not, I HIGHLY recommend doing so immediately (and dumping the whole bottle of cycling bacteria in while taking out the carbon filter for 2 days).

 

[RICK2REEF]

Yikes you have no live rock.

What you were sold was not live rock it was dead rock with bacteria. I really wish LFSs wouldn't do this.

Just be aware this is a dead rock start and it is going to take longer than usual to stabilize and get up to speed. Be extra patient with this system.

Also you are running a DSB. You need to do research on this type of system.

I really suggest that if you are new to the hobby that you don't use this type of system. I also don't recommend bare bottoms, though some advocate them and have success. I would really recommend that you only run a half inch to inch of sand on the bottom of your tank. My 2 cents.

So ya the top piece is the only "live" rock that they had in a big tub of water. Well now that I have this setup.... how would you approach this tank?.

 

[HuduVudu]

Remove the sand down to the half inch to inch level.

Go to Indo Pacific Sea Farms or Live Rock and Reef to get real live rock or biodiversity boosts:

: : : : Indo-Pacific Sea Farms : : : :

Indo-Pacific Sea Farms produces captive-bred marine life for healthier reef aquariums: invertebrates, detritivores, live sand, snail grazers, amphipods, beneficial worms, macro algae, plankton, corals, coral food and beneficial bacteria.

ipsf.com

Saltwater Live Rock | Florida Live Rock at Live Rock n Reef

The Florida aquaculture live rock at Live Rock n Reef is so full of life that you never know what you will find next. Our customers love their live rock, come and see why.

www.liverocknreef.com

Another quibble is that the largest, and only, area for gas exchange in your aquarium is covered. This will make getting O2 in and CO2 out of your tank tough. When you can you might want to remove the cover, somehow, to correct this. This will be a real source of grief for you in the future.

Perhaps now would be a good time, as @Spare time suggested, to go ambient lighting only.

 

[HuduVudu]

Also you can look at my build thread to see what real live rock should look like.

 

[RICK2REEF]

The reason why many prefer not running lights for the first few weeks is to give a chance for the rock to "age" and get all those little microbes a chance to take up space on the rock. New rock as essentially a hotel with many empty rooms. Algaes, bacteria, and other protists are all looking to take some rooms in that hotel. Sometimes, ugly algae like hair algae or bacteria like cyano end up getting to the hotel first and packing a bunch of the rooms as there is no one there to fill them or to compete for space. Having the lights off for the first few weeks allows some of those not so ugly microbes to get a hold of the space and nitrate and phosphate in the tank before the algae moves in to the hotel. This applies to the sand, the rocks, etc.. Eventually, you will be able to get critters to move around in the sand and rocks to eat that algae that wants to move in, and competition on the rocks and sand will slow down the rate at which algae grows. All tanks get algae and should grow algae. The difference between new and old tanks is that older tanks don't have the vacancy that newer tanks have.


Did the fish store give you any bacteria to put into the tank? If not, I HIGHLY recommend doing so immediately (and dumping the whole bottle of cycling bacteria in while taking out the carbon filter for 2 days).

They said to use this

 

[HuduVudu]

They said to use this

I wouldn't bother it is a waste of time and it won't help with biodiversity.

Truly real live rock is the coolest stuff ever. All of the little crazy things that come on it are for me what makes this hobby enjoyable.

 

[Spare time]

Remove the sand down to the half inch to inch level.

Go to Indo Pacific Sea Farms or Live Rock and Reef to get real live rock or biodiversity boosts:

: : : : Indo-Pacific Sea Farms : : : :

Indo-Pacific Sea Farms produces captive-bred marine life for healthier reef aquariums: invertebrates, detritivores, live sand, snail grazers, amphipods, beneficial worms, macro algae, plankton, corals, coral food and beneficial bacteria.

ipsf.com

Saltwater Live Rock | Florida Live Rock at Live Rock n Reef

The Florida aquaculture live rock at Live Rock n Reef is so full of life that you never know what you will find next. Our customers love their live rock, come and see why.

www.liverocknreef.com

Another quibble is that the largest, and only, area for gas exchange in your aquarium is covered. This will make getting O2 in and CO2 out of your tank tough. When you can you might want to remove the cover, somehow, to correct this. This will be a real source of grief for you in the future.

Perhaps now would be a good time, as @Spare time suggested, to go ambient lighting only.

You can start with dry rock and no issues. You can also buy various bacterias to seed the rock (pns probio, waste away, tyical cycling bacteria, coralline algae via other tanks or

They said to use this

That is good stuff. One of the faster bacteria products for cycling a tank. These bacteria turn ammonia into nitrite and nitrite into nitrate. If you still have some left, shake and dump it all in and removing the carbon filter for 2 days.

 

[X-37B]

Yea that looks like dead rock that was in water. A lfs does this but its hooked to a 2000 gallon system and will have beneficial bacteria. Its not lighted.
I prefer a mininum 50% blend of live rock.
In a year you will not be able to tell the two apart.