New Reefer here and need some advice!

KJ · Jun 6, 2019

Welcome to R2R!!!

o00brandon00o · Jun 6, 2019

Droberts0724 said:
Hi, I'm new to this reef community and just started my tank 2 months ago. I'm at the ugly phase currently and am trying desperately to manage all my algae/bacteria (cyno) in my tank. Not sure how to manage my first real out break. Let me start by telling everyone what I'm working with. I have a 32 gallon Biocube with Intank upgrade filter media and refugium with seeded macroalgae. I still have the stock lighting and filter that came with the tank. The flow seems good and I also have added a UV light and kept the skimmer that came with the Biocube package. I use Phosguard and filter floss and PC elite in the 2nd chamber of the tank and the refugium right next to it. The 1st chamber is the heater and skimmer. I have 2 clowns, a fire gobie, a WM gobie, a cardinalfish and a dottie back. My cleaner crew consists of 11 hermits, 8 snails, 1 crab and 2 shrimp (my pistol shrimp bonded with my WMG) I recently added 3 coral. They all love the day light too so it's hard to just cut the lights. I have a Gonipora, Acan and Hydnophora and everything in my tank is very happy. My numbers are all stable except my PH has been about 8.0 but everything else is good. Any advice is glady appreciated!

@Droberts0724 Welcome to R2R!!!

reef lover · Jun 6, 2019

Welcome to r2r !

Emarley · Jun 6, 2019

Welcome to R2R!!!

mta_morrow · Jun 6, 2019

Hello and welcome to R2R!

crusso1993 · Jun 6, 2019

Welcome to R2R!

BeejReef · Jun 6, 2019

Yeah, you want that lovely pink color, but there are a number of other colors all of your rocks will turn first. I think that rocks turning colors is generally good. Big fluffy/chunky stuff growing on them, not as much.

Welcome

Droberts0724 · Jun 6, 2019

William DeCoursey said:
Yeah, you want that lovely pink color, but there are a number of other colors all of your rocks will turn first. I think that rocks turning colors is generally good. Big fluffy/chunky stuff growing on them, not as much.

Welcome

Yes I have cyno chunks ugh

Droberts0724 · Jun 6, 2019

Ok I noticed today that my phosphates are what is fueling my cyno outbreak they are .25 how can I get rid of this. I have phoseguard and PC elite in my media basket and filter floss of course....but how do you reduce phosphates and what makes them? My nitrates are 0

robcaba · Jun 6, 2019

Droberts0724 said:
Hi, I'm new to this reef community and just started my tank 2 months ago. I'm at the ugly phase currently and am trying desperately to manage all my algae/bacteria (cyno) in my tank. Not sure how to manage my first real out break. Let me start by telling everyone what I'm working with. I have a 32 gallon Biocube with Intank upgrade filter media and refugium with seeded macroalgae. I still have the stock lighting and filter that came with the tank. The flow seems good and I also have added a UV light and kept the skimmer that came with the Biocube package. I use Phosguard and filter floss and PC elite in the 2nd chamber of the tank and the refugium right next to it. The 1st chamber is the heater and skimmer. I have 2 clowns, a fire gobie, a WM gobie, a cardinalfish and a dottie back. My cleaner crew consists of 11 hermits, 8 snails, 1 crab and 2 shrimp (my pistol shrimp bonded with my WMG) I recently added 3 coral. They all love the day light too so it's hard to just cut the lights. I have a Gonipora, Acan and Hydnophora and everything in my tank is very happy. My numbers are all stable except my PH has been about 8.0 but everything else is good. Any advice is glady appreciated!

You should have seen my tank. Algae is just part of the typical saltwater tank. What you can do to keep it under control is simply reduce lighting and make sure not to overfeed. I have 2 fish and feed them small pinches of food ensuring none of it falls to the sand bed. They're full after 1 min of feeding and the cleaning crew picks up any fallen food. Keep temp. @ 76-78ish. If your tank is by a window then you'll have some constant algae battles. Otherwise it looks like you're doing good.

Fotocha · Jun 7, 2019

Welcome to R2R!!

jesse1134 · Jun 7, 2019

Droberts0724 said:
Hi, I'm new to this reef community and just started my tank 2 months ago. I'm at the ugly phase currently and am trying desperately to manage all my algae/bacteria (cyno) in my tank. Not sure how to manage my first real out break. Let me start by telling everyone what I'm working with. I have a 32 gallon Biocube with Intank upgrade filter media and refugium with seeded macroalgae. I still have the stock lighting and filter that came with the tank. The flow seems good and I also have added a UV light and kept the skimmer that came with the Biocube package. I use Phosguard and filter floss and PC elite in the 2nd chamber of the tank and the refugium right next to it. The 1st chamber is the heater and skimmer. I have 2 clowns, a fire gobie, a WM gobie, a cardinalfish and a dottie back. My cleaner crew consists of 11 hermits, 8 snails, 1 crab and 2 shrimp (my pistol shrimp bonded with my WMG) I recently added 3 coral. They all love the day light too so it's hard to just cut the lights. I have a Gonipora, Acan and Hydnophora and everything in my tank is very happy. My numbers are all stable except my PH has been about 8.0 but everything else is good. Any advice is glady appreciated!

The best advice I can give you is to keep your hands out of it as much as possible

reefdad · Jun 7, 2019

Droberts0724 said:
Hi, I'm new to this reef community and just started my tank 2 months ago. I'm at the ugly phase currently and am trying desperately to manage all my algae/bacteria (cyno) in my tank. Not sure how to manage my first real out break. Let me start by telling everyone what I'm working with. I have a 32 gallon Biocube with Intank upgrade filter media and refugium with seeded macroalgae. I still have the stock lighting and filter that came with the tank. The flow seems good and I also have added a UV light and kept the skimmer that came with the Biocube package. I use Phosguard and filter floss and PC elite in the 2nd chamber of the tank and the refugium right next to it. The 1st chamber is the heater and skimmer. I have 2 clowns, a fire gobie, a WM gobie, a cardinalfish and a dottie back. My cleaner crew consists of 11 hermits, 8 snails, 1 crab and 2 shrimp (my pistol shrimp bonded with my WMG) I recently added 3 coral. They all love the day light too so it's hard to just cut the lights. I have a Gonipora, Acan and Hydnophora and everything in my tank is very happy. My numbers are all stable except my PH has been about 8.0 but everything else is good. Any advice is glady appreciated!

Welcome!! You can move the cyno around, since it tends not to live in higher flow areas, but it's just part of the tank cycling. Keep it blown off of any corals, and eventually it should just die off.

Welcome again!