Quick question from a newbie

[Eazyman]

Hey everyone TIA for taking the time to have a look. I'm a new reefer and have researched for months before just recently starting my little budget build on Feb,4 2021. I used dry rock and carib sea live sand, and I also added fritz zyme 9. My question is am I looking at the beginning of my diatom bloom or is this something else? Sorry tried to get the best pic I could

 

[Fudsey]

Hard to say but it looks like it could be the start of it. What did you use for ammonia to get the cycle started?

 

[Eazyman]

Hard to say but it looks like it could be the start of it. What did you use for ammonia to get the cycle started?

Dosed with Dr Tim's. Just tested yesterday to see where I stood and ammonia is close to 0 ppm and nitrite is spiking, nitrate was around 30ppm

 

[EuphylliaAddict]

Hey everyone TIA for taking the time to have a look. I'm a new reefer and have researched for months before just recently starting my little budget build on Feb,4 2021. I used dry rock and carib sea live sand, and I also added fritz zyme 9. My question is am I looking at the beginning of my diatom bloom or is this something else? Sorry tried to get the best pic I could

I wouldn't run the lights unless you want the algae all over the rocks. I personally don't run lights until I have fish in or wait for corals is even better.

 

[Alexreefer]

unless you have fish or corals I wouldn't run lights for about 11 weeks after starting the cycle, But sure looks like algae is starting to grow

 

[Eazyman]

Wouldn't an algae bloom be beneficial to help feed my cleanup crew when added?

 

[EuphylliaAddict]

Wouldn't an algae bloom be beneficial to help feed my cleanup crew when added?

It would be even better to not need a clean up crew until way later.... As in add a fish at a time that get along.. most aggressive last, and watch your rocks mature with no lights on. Coral need lights that's it, you'll just grow algae otherwise... Maybe make a refugium and use that to keep it out of your display... I never understood this way your thinking, grow the algae in your display is the exact opposite thing I want. Grow it elsewhere and keep the rocks clean. If you cycle with no lights, you'll be better off long run. You could get lucky tho, every tank is different...

 

[homer1475]

Turn the lights on. lol

Everyone suggesting to keep them off, is only delaying the inevitable algae bloom. Algae blooms happen in new tank, its part of the maturing process. Absolutely no way to avoid it. Leaving the lights off, only delays the process.

 

[Eazyman]

Turn the lights on. lol

Everyone suggesting to keep them off, is only delaying the inevitable algae bloom. Algae blooms happen in new tank, its part of the maturing process. Absolutely no way to avoid it. Leaving the lights off, only delays the process.

Basically what I figured, in nature there is no magic switch to cut the lights off so why do it here.

 

[Deep]

Basically what I figured, in nature there is no magic switch to cut the lights off so why do it here.

Agreed on keeping the lights on. But regarding your comparison to nature - well what you have in your tank is no ocean. No 3 or 5 feet space of the ocean will have the bio-mass you plan to have in terms of the amount of fish or coral. Also in the ocean you have cyano, algae, dinos coexisting hand in hand with the corals. You dont usually want all that in your display tank. So there is very little point in trying to simulate what happens in nature. Same goes for water parameters/ nutrient levels etc.