When can i turn the lights on?

[MohrReefs]

Coroline in a bottle has worked on two different systems for me!

Okay. I'll give it a try, thanks!

 

[JoshO]

I'd personally leave it for a few months. If you really want to use it then maybe an hour or 2 on a night for viewing purposes, otherwise you'll end up with uglies!

 

[Mhart032]

I just prefer the natural approach to starting a tank, patients will save you tons of money down the road. I promise you this.

 

[MohrReefs]

I just prefer the natural approach to starting a tank, patients will save you tons of money down the road. I promise you this.

That's going to be my biggest struggle with this hobby. That's why I had to give up bonsai, it was too slow for me. I'll look into getting the coraline going to help counter the ugly phase.

 

[Mhart032]

In this hobby, fast is the enemy of best. slow and steady will not only make you a better reefkeeper, but will also give you the time to learn about what is happening and why it happens, then you will know better how to fix it when something does go wrong. its a science where good stable water chemistry and microbiology play a crucial roll in how are entire tank thrives, or doesn't.

 

[Mhart032]

I recommend this book, its a quick read but very informative on the microbiology and overall make up of reefs. It will make you a better reefer i guarantee that.

Coral Reefs in the Microbial Seas by Forest Rohwer

 

[MohrReefs]

I recommend this book, its a quick read but very informative on the microbiology and overall make up of reefs. It will make you a better reefer i guarantee that.

Coral Reefs in the Microbial Seas by Forest Rohwer

I'll give it a read! Thanks

 

[JoshO]

That's going to be my biggest struggle with this hobby. That's why I had to give up bonsai, it was too slow for me. I'll look into getting the coraline going to help counter the ugly phase.

I know that struggle, such a frustrating hobby for something that's supposed to bring peace! Did you ever try to grow from seed??

 

[glb]

When you do turn on your lights, be prepared for some tank uglies for a while. I put my T-5’s on my tank a year after I started it and it went through a normal period of different algae. In my experience this can’t be avoided. It’s just part of the cycle after the nitrogen cycling is complete and the lights go on.

 

[Malifry97]

When you do turn on your lights, be prepared for some tank uglies for a while. I put my T-5’s on my tank a year after I started it and it went through a normal period of different algae. In my experience this can’t be avoided. It’s just part of the cycle after the nitrogen cycling is complete and the lights go on.

This. There isn’t a way to avoid it. It just doesn’t happen

 

[Wampatom]

I don’t understand some of the comments. Some light is needed for coraline algae to grow. Lights off minimizes troublesome algae but eventually light is required.

 

[Malifry97]

I don’t understand some of the comments. Some light is needed for coraline algae to grow. Lights off minimizes troublesome algae but eventually light is required.

Exactly!

 

[Mhart032]

I don’t understand some of the comments. Some light is needed for coraline algae to grow. Lights off minimizes troublesome algae but eventually light is required.

Coraline algae will grow with ambient lighting, people see it in there sump with no lighting. your not feeding your tank a bunch of non needed light while the tank is still new, it minimizes Diatoms, GHA and Cyano, blooms allows the tank to recover and develop, staying dark your not photosynthetically feeding this algae and bacteria while your tank balances out, allowing the nitrates to be removed or used. phosphates to level out and create overall stable chemistry. During which you are allowing your tank to build up the necessary microfauna and good bacteria to populate the tank with little to no interference. those of us that have had issues with blooms of algae, cyano and even dinos, one of the first things we do is " go dark" to stop feeding it light, this is based on the same concept.

 

[Malifry97]

Coraline algae will grow with ambient lighting, people see it in there sump with no lighting. your not feeding your tank a bunch of non needed light while the tank is still new, it minimizes Diatoms, GHA and Cyano, blooms allows the tank to recover and develop, staying dark your not photosynthetically feeding this algae and bacteria while your tank balances out, allowing the nitrates to be removed or used. phosphates to level out and create overall stable chemistry. During which you are allowing your tank to build up the necessary microfauna and good bacteria to populate the tank with little to no interference. those of us that have had issues with blooms of algae, cyano and even dinos, one of the first things we do is " go dark" to stop feeding it light, this is based on the same concept.

Not quite how that works. The algae blooms are what actually allows to stabilize through competition of organisms

 

[OKCorals]

I'll give it a shot!

I've also used the bottled coraline in the purple bottle. Works great for me. My tank is 6 months old and I'd say the rock is probably 50% covered in coraline.

 

[Mhart032]

Well all i can say is its been recommend to me numinous time over the last several years, i didn't buy into it. this tank i decided to try it, it worked great, no big diatoms blooms to wait to burn off, small patches of GHA that was weak and died off over the course of a couple weeks. Cyano that lasted 3 days in which i did nothing for any of it. didnt dose, didn't even test the tank or pick it off or vac anything up. cleanup crew did there job as well.

When i finally lit the tank after 3 months.

 

[Glott3133]

I would say turn on the lights. if you get the uglies, deal with it in a manner that works the best for your situation. Most people get tanks and start this hobby with the anticipation of having something within days. Waiting weeks to see anything is not purposeful to most people in this hobby; especially if it's your first salt water tank.

 

[45ZoaGarden]

+1 turn the lights on. Just don’t be too heavy on the whites because it’ll promote algae growth. Coralline grows relatively slow and won’t be able to outcompete algae until it’s covered rocks. Coralline in a bottle is a waste imho. Get some snail shells covered in coralline from your lfs. That will introduce it to the tank. Uglies? What are those? You mean algae? Isn’t that what a CUC is for? ;Hilarious

I would say turn on the lights. if you get the uglies, deal with it in a manner that works the best for your situation. Most people get tanks and start this hobby with the anticipation of having something within days. Waiting weeks to see anything is not purposeful to most people in this hobby; especially if it's your first salt water tank.

 

[bpseal]

I would wait till you see coraline algae, it will help keep the ugliness at a minimum.

You can't have corraline algae without light...

 

[Mhart032]

You can't have corraline algae without light...

Coraline will grow in ambient lighting. I don't mind taking a pic of my sump if need be.