green hair algae

[edd]

i have a 150g in third week of cycling.amo whent to .50 now 0,nitrites never had any,nitrates 20,phos 0.i had brown diatoms now a lot of green hair algae.i read to shut lives and cover glass for 5 days.i did that yesterday is that ok or will it clear up anyway.i also added cuc

 

[skene]

turn off the lights. start skimming. cover glass???? only if your tank is right next to a window.

 

[edd]

thanks skene,how long keep it covered.how come i never had nitrites

 

[basiab]

If you have nitrates then you had to have nitrites. Anyway, it sounds like a very quick cycle. I would be surprised if it can handle any substantial load. What was used to cycle the tank. How much live rock do you have and was it already cured.

 

[edd]

about 2 to 3 hundred lbs.i bought from a guy from hudson reefs he broke down tank and had rock in tub for 8 months.i put in a raw medium shrimp.i have no live stock in tank.when can i add some

 

[skene]

edd... not to insult your intelligence, but have you read on how the nitrogen cycle works?
You need to understand it so that you can monitor your tank properly and know when to start adding in livestock. Ammonia is introduced into the tank... by dead decaying matter. Nitrite breaks down ammonia and in turn broken down to nitrate which is consumed by bacteria which will help continue on to break down waste in your tank, as of right now you still have a tank that is going through a cycle with high nitrates. You need to start doing water changes to get rid of the nitrates and you need to not add anything into the tank.
The high nitrates is what is currently feeding the algae that is in the tank. With your addition of a clean up crew, what you are doing is making them suffer and try and do work that should not have been needed in the first place.

 

[edd]

thanks again skene.i did so much reading on internet but should of consulted with you guys first but just joined friday.i did 30g water change on friday ill do a bigger one on tuesday to lower nitrates so cuc will be comfortable and just be patient.how long should i keep glass covered and lights off

 

[skene]

just keep the lights off until you see the algae dying off. don't forget that since you put in a CUC, you will still need to feed them. Algae alone will not give them proper nutrition if they do not consume it.

 

[edd]

thanks again,

 

[jcdeng]

I am assuming that you are using RODI water to mix salts? and get a few turbo snails, they are great addtion to the CUC for algae.

 

[edd]

yes using rodi,ill pick up turbos when nitrates drop.thanks again