New reef tank. Please help!

[Alexz]

Hi. My new reef tank is 90wide x 20 high x 23 deep 160gal with 45 gal sump and fuge
Running a skimmer and roller mat
Fish:
3 blue yellow tailed damsels, 2 clowns, coral beauty, gold line rabbit fish, diamond goby
Also want 5 Bartlett’s anthias, yellow tang, purple tang, blue tang and royal gramma.
I was told rabbit fish should be given away once he reaches 12 inches.
Lps and softies. Please help me with selection. I should be good with these fish? How many corals, placement and spacing.
also have clean up crew and beginner frags from reefpalooza about 20 mostly lps and softy mostly It was so packed and crazy I don’t even know Exactly what I got lol
Brownish stuff on my top shelf rock I’m hoping is Caroline algae? I’m hoping it’s not algae bloom. Been about 6 weeks, did purple up and algae barn pods, phytoplankton...
Please help!

 

[SPR1968]

Hi and welcome to Reef2Reef!

The brownish stuff is ‘probably’ diatoms which is common in a new tank

 

[dwair]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

 

[KJ]

Welcome to R2R!!!

 

[thatone08]

Welcome to reef2reef! Looks like diatoms like @SPR1968 said. How new is new? And what are your nitrates coming in at?

 

[Olefreebe]

Welcome to reef2reef! Seem like an ugly stage that we all go through.

 

[Poof No Eyebrows]

Welcome
As mentioned the tank is going to go through an ugly stage before you start getting the colorful stuff.

 

[PeterC99]

Welcome to R2R!

We all get the brown stuff. Just keep up the good husbandry and it will go away.

 

[ShepherdReefer]

Hello and welcome to the channel. Just about every new tank has diatoms, in my experience, do not do water changes. What I have done, I had an old max-jet, connected a hose to the exit end, and pump the tank water into a sock filter (I used a 10-micron). Keep in mind, the sock filter is in the tank water and I either brushed the rock and glass, used a turkey baster, or used the powerhead to blow off the diatoms. The pump will collect the loose diatoms and the sock filter would collect them and the water will return to the tank. This worked for us.

 

[Jimbhoy13]

Welcome to R2R and the salty world. Lots of knowledgeable and helpful people here who will support and advise you when needed.

 

[Fred2482]

Welcome! As previously stated the brown algae is normal during early stage of tank. I would also read up on Tang aggression as I would predict this will happen with your current selection.

 

[Jeffcb]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

 

[G Santana]

Welcome to R2R

 

[Fish Think Pink]

Hi. My new reef tank is 90wide x 20 high x 23 deep 160gal with 45 gal sump and fuge
Running a skimmer and roller mat
Fish:
3 blue yellow tailed damsels, 2 clowns, coral beauty, gold line rabbit fish, diamond goby
Also want 5 Bartlett’s anthias, yellow tang, purple tang, blue tang and royal gramma.
I was told rabbit fish should be given away once he reaches 12 inches.
Lps and softies. Please help me with selection. I should be good with these fish? How many corals, placement and spacing.
also have clean up crew and beginner frags from reefpalooza about 20 mostly lps and softy mostly It was so packed and crazy I don’t even know Exactly what I got lol
Brownish stuff on my top shelf rock I’m hoping is Caroline algae? I’m hoping it’s not algae bloom. Been about 6 weeks, did purple up and algae barn pods, phytoplankton...
Please help!

Welcome!

Glad you joined! This is a helpful article if you haven't already found it here:

Estimating the Need for Swimming Space for Aquarium Fishes

This article explores required aquarium sizes for marine fishes

www.reef2reef.com

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Welcome to your new home for saltwater reef aquarium resources and fun! Welcome to the family!

 

[Manny’s Reef]

Hey there! Welcome to the R2R family.

 

[BaysEndReef]

Welcome to R2R!! Always here to help!!

 

[TnFishwater98]

Welcome to da Reef! Best of Luck!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Factor potential growth size as you are establishing wish lists. Anthias need a bit of room for swimming/running/hiding. rabbit and coral beauty can become territorial again, factoring room.
The brown as mentioned is diatom and part of a tank cycling. If it really becomes bothersome. . . . . diatoms are a brown algae that typically appear in a reef tank that has just completed its cycle but they can also appear in an established reef tank. They can cover sand, rock, pumps, glass, you name it. Diatoms look ugly but in most cases they are harmless so the key is to not panic when they appear.
Diatoms feed mainly off of silicates but also consume dissolved organic compounds, phosphate and nitrates. Unfiltered tap water can contain silicates and is a good way to jump start a bloom if you use it to mix salt or to replace water that evaporated from the tank. The best way to prevent this from happening is to filter water through a RODI unit

, although you can still get a diatom bloom when using RODI if the cartridge that removes silicates expires.
diatoms are typically harmless to a captive reef and can be beaten once their food source expires. Once you put the kibosh on the source, the outbreak should last a couple of weeks so just be patient and it will pass. For major outbreaks you may want to consider the three day blackout. Diatoms are easily wiped from the glass with a mag float, a turkey baster or a toothbrush can access other areas of the tank. Be prepared for them to re-establish themselves quickly, they are likely to be able to resettle and have exponential growth rates.
To prevent their return, practice good aquarium husbandry by doing regular water changes, keep the substrate clean, don’t overfeed the fish, ensure your skimmer is running at an optimal level and rinse out filter socks and sponges on a regular basis.
Some cleaner crew to help control it are : Cerith snails, Nerite snails and Trochus snails and also Astraea snails are effective at removing diatoms.

 

[vetteguy53081]