Uglies...Let it Roll, or Treat?

[JPK_Esquire]

5 month old 180g with sand. I’ve predominantly kept the lights off for the first five months (6 fish), but just started running the lights this past week and starting to see algae really appear on the rock and sand bed. Some of it looks like maybe Cyano. Phosphates and Nitrates are a little high (.12 and .2 respectively) but have been steady for 6-8 weeks (I.e., not rising). I may run a little GFO in the reactor to lower the phosphates a little, but don’t want to bottom out.

Should I just let it be and ride out the ugly phase which is finally coming after 5 months, or treat with some Chemi-clean? GFO bad idea?

 

[Mr_Knightley]

I would let it roll, this early on this kind of thing is bound to happen. You're nutrients are actually just about perfect, wow! I would kill for you're phosphates
If you end up deciding you want to treat, then Chemiclean is my personal favorite, though I'm sure more people will have recommendations. The uglies tend to not last too long, I would personally wait it out for sure. If they last longer then 2 months, I would go ahead and treat.
Good luck and God bless!

 

[JPK_Esquire]

I would let it roll, this early on this kind of thing is bound to happen. You're nutrients are actually just about perfect, wow! I would kill for you're phosphates
If you end up deciding you want to treat, then Chemiclean is my personal favorite, though I'm sure more people will have recommendations. The uglies tend to not last too long, I would personally wait it out for sure. If they last longer then 2 months, I would go ahead and treat.
Good luck and God bless!

Thanks, thats certainly the way I am leaning. Just about the time I was getting excited about potentially exploring some corals. Trying to source a PAR meter right now to adjust intensity.

 

[NashobaTek]

Thanks, thats certainly the way I am leaning. Just about the time I was getting excited about potentially exploring some corals. Trying to source a PAR meter right now to adjust intensity.

Podyourreef rents them out if you don't want to buy one.

 

[Chris Wells]

I would let it ride and remove manually if possible. I chased green hair algae during startup and treated it just to welcome cyano and then later when nutrients stayed too low, dinos.

 

[JPK_Esquire]

I would let it ride and remove manually if possible. I chased green hair algae during startup and treated it just to welcome cyano and then later when nutrients stayed too low, dinos.

Yep, yep, yep.....double messing yep! That's what I did the first time also. I was running Phosguard, Phosban and treating the hell out of my BioCube. Because everything I was reading said PO4 should be down around .03. I certainly got rid of the Phosphates....and hello Dinos. Those guys made me essentially take down the BioCube because I could not get rid of those guys. Thus the reason I am perfectly ok with PO4 up around closer to .12.