New to the community

[stretchnuts]

Hey I have a question. I’m new to saltwater aquariums, and have decided to set up a reef tank. I have a few things in the tank and have been up and going for about five months now. I’m aware that I need new flow for my tank, but can anybody help me identify this type of algae growing on my Sandbed/Subtrate. And what I can do to correct it. Just looking for a community to help me learn and grow in this new hobby.

 

[jsker]

Welcome to R2R!!

You picture/ video did not upload. a picture would be great in a jpeg on PNG, of video uploaded to YouTube and linked works

Just guessing, if algae is down. I would say diatoms or hair algae. This is part of the cycle at 5 months. check your nutrients and may I ask which type of lights that you are running?

 

[TopShelfAquatics Verified Sponsor]

Welcome to R2R. There are definitely a lot of very knowledgable people here so don't ever hesitate to ask questions. From the looks of the video it looks like you are dealing with Cyano Bacteria. That is that red stringy stuff on your sand bed. Typically that is a result of not having enough flow in the tank. I would suggest adding a powerhead of two so that you do not have any dead zones when it comes to flow. A couple other things I noticed that may help you on your journey, typically air stones are not used in salt water as they can cause a lot of salt creep. Another thing is make sure that any artificial decorations are saltwater safe. Some of those will break down over time and can cause you a lot of problems. Adding a few wave pumps should help a lot with that Cyano problem. If you have any other questions please don't hesitate to reach out.

 

[The Farmer]

Welcome to R2R!
Easily to get lost, slow down and read the signs!

 

[vetteguy53081]

 

[stretchnuts]

Welcome to R2R!!

You picture/ video did not upload. a picture would be great in a jpeg on PNG, of video uploaded to YouTube and linked works

Just guessing, if algae is down. I would say diatoms or hair algae. This is part of the cycle at 5 months. check your nutrients and may I ask which type of lights that you are running?

They are not the best lights but the Fluval smart Aquasky 27w. And this is a old picture but can repost a new one Don’t have the best set up but working on it. Will update in the morning

 

[PeterEde]

Welcome to the Party Pal

 

[stretchnuts]

Thanks

 

[stretchnuts]

Welcome to R2R. There are definitely a lot of very knowledgable people here so don't ever hesitate to ask questions. From the looks of the video it looks like you are dealing with Cyano Bacteria. That is that red stringy stuff on your sand bed. Typically that is a result of not having enough flow in the tank. I would suggest adding a powerhead of two so that you do not have any dead zones when it comes to flow. A couple other things I noticed that may help you on your journey, typically air stones are not used in salt water as they can cause a lot of salt creep. Another thing is make sure that any artificial decorations are saltwater safe. Some of those will break down over time and can cause you a lot of problems. Adding a few wave pumps should help a lot with that Cyano problem. If you have any other questions please don't hesitate to reach out.

Well thank you on the artificial decorations that was something I did not know. I knew I was lacking flow and I figured the spot was from not enough flow in the center. I have one wave maker but it’s not enough for my 75 gallon. I had started from absolutely nothing and As I learned very quick, that saltwater tanks are quite expensive. And as for the airstones yeah I find a lot of salt I’ll make sure to get rid of them. The oldest kid wanted bubbles because we had them in a freshwater tank a few years back.

 

[stretchnuts]

Welcome to the Party Pal

Thanks. I’m sure I have a lot of fun here! People have been very nice.

 

[stretchnuts]

Welcome to R2R!
Easily to get lost, slow down and read the signs!

I do have a tendency to get ahead of myself, so I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks

 

[Jedi1199]

@TopShelfAquatics pretty much nailed it. You have Cyano due to lack of flow.

I have a couple problems with air pumps and stones. Besides the aforementioned "salt creep", air pumps are loud and very prone to failure. Air stones clog in short order and need replacing. And most worrisome to me, I have read horror stories of air pumps failing and siphoning the tank all over the floor. The worst example of this was a pump that failed, back flowed water into the pump housing that started a fire and burned the house to the ground. A 1-way check valve would prevent this issue, but the others are inevitable.

For the plastic decorations, I agree that those plastics are not intended for saltwater. They become brittle and break apart, and can leach chemicals into the tank. Once you start adding corals, you will get the colors without the risks.

 

[stretchnuts]

@TopShelfAquatics pretty much nailed it. You have Cyano due to lack of flow.

I have a couple problems with air pumps and stones. Besides the aforementioned "salt creep", air pumps are loud and very prone to failure. Air stones clog in short order and need replacing. And most worrisome to me, I have read horror stories of air pumps failing and siphoning the tank all over the floor. The worst example of this was a pump that failed, back flowed water into the pump housing that started a fire and burned the house to the ground. A 1-way check valve would prevent this issue, but the others are inevitable.

For the plastic decorations, I agree that those plastics are not intended for saltwater. They become brittle and break apart, and can leach chemicals into the tank. Once you start adding corals, you will get the colors without the risks.

Thanks for the info. I will be doing some minor adjustments and getting rid of the air stones and artificial decorations asap. Want to build a sump for the tank but didn’t drill any holes before I set up. Wonder if it’s something I can do without draining the whole tank.

 

[TopShelfAquatics Verified Sponsor]

Thanks for the info. I will be doing some minor adjustments and getting rid of the air stones and artificial decorations asap. Want to build a sump for the tank but didn’t drill any holes before I set up. Wonder if it’s something I can do without draining the whole tank.

There are hang on back overflow pipes that are made for tanks that are not drilled. Just make sure you install them properly because if not done correctly they can cause flooding. We have plenty of customers who have great success with them. Eshopps makes some popular ones.

 

[CoralB]

Welcome !!!