New saltwater tank

[Branvel3]

I have a one month old saltwater tank 2 days ago I added live nitrifying bacteria water was tested yesterday and it was perfect today I have orange stuff growing all over my rocks and my sand can someone tell me what I'm doing wrong or is this normal?

 

[RedReefer]

Just some of the ugly stages of a newer aquarium let it run as time you should be fine.

 

[jdpiii3]

Let it run its course, it's just the beginning of reef development.

 

[Buckster]

I agree that it is the beginning stages of reef development. Maybe time to put in some snails!

 

[Jubei2006]

You're not doing anything wrong. You're going to see all sorts of stuff come and go in the tank. Bacterial blooms, algae blooms, diatoms, cyano. Just remember nothing good happen fast in reefing, and your tank isnt mature for quite some time. Bulk Reef Supply has great videos for newcomers I highly recommend them (they do come with shameless product plugs though). And they are introducing a new series about microbiome in the reeftank which so far through 4 episodes is exactly what you are looking for. Good luck, and keep us posted!!!

 

[AydenLincoln]

It’s completely normal it looks like diatoms which should go away in a week. It’s often the first algae to establish itself and disappears rather quickly. To avoid major algae issues you can try and have the lights off as much as possible/turn them down and use high quality RODI water/salt.

 

[Jubei2006]

In the biome series I mentioned earlier, the discuss that copepods will actually consume diatoms, and are one of the most important early additions to the tank as soon as its cycled. They also recommend keeping lights off for the first few months to try to minimize the uglies.

 

[neonreef3d]

your all good,, throw a few snails in there,,, they will help clean that up..

 

[Jubei2006]

I have a one month old saltwater tank 2 days ago I added live nitrifying bacteria water was tested yesterday and it was perfect today I have orange stuff growing all over my rocks and my sand can someone tell me what I'm doing wrong or is this normal?

Are you coming over from the freshwater side?

 

[Jubei2006]

Imma throw up my ugly stage Im going through in my 1 year old 500 gallon for moral support and inspiration. Having a nice cyano outbreak. It happens to all of us, and Ive been keeping reef tanks since 2003.

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

As everyone else says it's the usual. Also it's not a emergency.

 

[Branvel3]

Are you coming over from the freshwater side?

No

 

[Branvel3]

No

I just decided to jump in both feet and do this as my new hobby.

 

[Branvel3]

Imma throw up my ugly stage Im going through in my 1 year old 500 gallon for moral support and inspiration. Having a nice cyano outbreak. It happens to all of us, and Ive been keeping reef tanks since 2003.

Ty for the support!

 

[jmichaelh7]

Not good, throw it all out and start over

lol

I would say to the op , welcome to saltwater and learn to be patient because this behavior -freaking out over something minor , will cause you to try fix so many things in the hobby . There are alot of ugly phases including bryopsis and aiptasia so don’t freak out and start throwing chemicals “emergency” posts . Let them take its course

 

[Jubei2006]

No

Ok just wondering. While your tank is maturing and cycling, sit back, relax, and watch BRStv 52 weeks of reefing, and the biome videos I was talking about. They are a good primer about what will help, and what not to do. They also have a series about common mistakes on various topics. And remember, most of us are here to help.

 

[Waters]

I understand the concern.....being new, everything is an emergency since you have zero experience.....back in the day I probably would have panicked over a diatom bloom also lol. Perfectly normal......it will go away on its own eventually as silicates in the water are consumed.

 

[Reefer Matt Verified Media Partner]

I have a one month old saltwater tank 2 days ago I added live nitrifying bacteria water was tested yesterday and it was perfect today I have orange stuff growing all over my rocks and my sand can someone tell me what I'm doing wrong or is this normal?

All good. You don't need to do anything. They are diatoms. They eat silicates from new rock and sand. They will go away on their own, and actually a good thing to see.

Most people here mean well, so please don't get discouraged by asking questions. You can always private message me and others for help in the future as well. It looks like you are on your way to an awesome tank! Happy Reefing!

 

[Branvel3]

All good. You don't need to do anything. They are diatoms. They eat silicates from new rock and sand. They will go away on their own, and actually a good thing to see.

Most people here mean well, so please don't get discouraged by asking questions. You can always private message me and others for help in the future as well. It looks like you are on your way to an awesome tank! Happy Reefing!

Ty so much

 

[jfoahs04]

Ty so much

What the others have said - this is perfectly normal in the beginning of the hobby. Just keep doing what you're doing. It's worth noting that nothing good happens fast in saltwater and changing something drastically to fight an algae outbreak often leads to worse problems. Diatoms are the first, but they won't be the last algae bloom you deal with in the first year or so.

Thankfully, almost every new reefing question you could think of has been answered. I'd definitely scroll through this R2R forum and browse the new reefing topics. There are lots of hurdles early on, but also many great benchmarks to track your progress. Diatoms, to me anyway, are the first sign your reef is becoming a reef. It's a good thing. Keep it up, nothing wrong with being new.