A
Anonymous
Guest
Dan, a coupla things....
Your refugium light should not be running the same high kelvin spectrums as typical display lights- the blues and whites of a display are supposed to be algae unfriendly- if you run your macro fuge with a normal incandescent or (better still) one of those orange/yellow spectrum globes for use in terrariums, you will give the macro a head start over any nuisance algae in the display.
Dont worry about the mandarins too much, especially if you can see copepods in the fuge. Try taking a torch to the tank late at night when the tank is in darkness- you will be surprised how many pods there are in the display.
Looking at your pics, one thing stands out, and thats how pale your rocks are. I appreciate that you have had a battle with algae, but a 3 1/2 year tank should have grown much more calcarious algae. Check your dosages of Kalk, and supplement with kalk flakes if necessary- you should have more purple in there by now. (It may just be the pics, I know my photographs dont reflect the exact colours of my tank)
Also, wait a while before adding more livestock. If you think you are getting a cycle- and the brown stuff on the sand would seem to point to an imbalance somewhere anyway- wait until everything has settled properly and then proceed slowly.
Looking Good! Hang in there, it'll be just like how you wanted it in a few weeks! I'm glad you didnt pack the whole hobby thing in, too many people get despondent at the first signs of problems- its a helluva lot more fun and a good learning experience to work through the problems. As a good friend of mine says to me every time I hit a hurdle with my tanks..." Relax, we didnt come here to lose."
Your refugium light should not be running the same high kelvin spectrums as typical display lights- the blues and whites of a display are supposed to be algae unfriendly- if you run your macro fuge with a normal incandescent or (better still) one of those orange/yellow spectrum globes for use in terrariums, you will give the macro a head start over any nuisance algae in the display.
Dont worry about the mandarins too much, especially if you can see copepods in the fuge. Try taking a torch to the tank late at night when the tank is in darkness- you will be surprised how many pods there are in the display.
Looking at your pics, one thing stands out, and thats how pale your rocks are. I appreciate that you have had a battle with algae, but a 3 1/2 year tank should have grown much more calcarious algae. Check your dosages of Kalk, and supplement with kalk flakes if necessary- you should have more purple in there by now. (It may just be the pics, I know my photographs dont reflect the exact colours of my tank)
Also, wait a while before adding more livestock. If you think you are getting a cycle- and the brown stuff on the sand would seem to point to an imbalance somewhere anyway- wait until everything has settled properly and then proceed slowly.
Looking Good! Hang in there, it'll be just like how you wanted it in a few weeks! I'm glad you didnt pack the whole hobby thing in, too many people get despondent at the first signs of problems- its a helluva lot more fun and a good learning experience to work through the problems. As a good friend of mine says to me every time I hit a hurdle with my tanks..." Relax, we didnt come here to lose."
