Few question's

few quick questions i have if anyone could help would be great...

first off i have a

55g tank
1powerhead
filter/skimmer

problem i am having is the sand looks dirty....i have a diatom alge bloom about 4 weeks ago and its never really back back to white....also theres now green algae im guessing that is on a little bit of my live rock and sand now...

is this casued by over feeding? or left overs from the bloom? also had some red slime algae but that is all gone now and everythign looking fine besides the sand and now this green stuff

have a few quick pictures here :

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/2110/img0112x.jpg
http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/6118/img0113isu.jpg


um think thats about it for right there, tanks been up for 3 and a half months now if thats any help...

also i was wondering how do i know when to start adding my first peice of coral?...id like to add something easy to get a feel for it i heard zoa's....i dont have any test kits as the loacl fish store dose it everytime i go there....( would like to find a good kit if anyone can direct me in the direction, everytime i go to there shop i spend money haha).....

am i suppose to wait for that purple coraline to start growing? i got little bits here and there nothing major....is there anything i can add to help kick start that? or get me ready to add something? already havea light set up its these here : T5HO 2-10k/2-460nm actinics

think thats what i post about the lights really have no clue other then what the fish store told me lol....

but sorry is thats all jumbled around was just popping ideas off as they hit me trying to post this before i get some sleep....any and all help would be great thanks

 

What type of water are you using? What type of sand did you use?
And yes, overfeeding can cause algae problems. What type and how much are you feeding?
I would think a lot of it would have to do with flow as well. 1 powerhead leads me to believe you do not have sufficient flow. You need to aim for about a 40X turnover rate. Basically, your 55 should have around 2200GPH of water moving through it total. Low flow can lead to algae trouble as well.

 

Nice lights for a 55.
You need to get yourself a clean up crew - hermit crabs and snails.
Hopefully you put in aragonite sand?
2 koralia #3 power heads will do wonders for that tank's flow.
Get your own test kits for pH, dKH, Magnesium, Calcuim, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, and phosphates - don't rely on the fish store. Chances are they won't be open when something goes wrong in your tank and you need to test your water to find out what's wrong. Get comfortable with testing your parameters, and buy your choice of additives to supplement your salt mix. I use IO salt, epsom salts, baking soda and borax, and calcium chloride flakes. You need to get comfortable with dosing and maintaining stable paramaters too. As you get more coral, your tank's demand for supplements will increase. Don't waste your cash on purple-up. Don't rush the coralline algae either - it becomes more of a nuisance later than you will imagine.

 

thanks for the reply....so 2 power heads will do the trick then?gonna run out and grab one in a few here and look for some test kits also thanks for the help guys...also yes the sand is aragonite

also i have

a yellow tang

2clowns

algae blenny

feed the tang and blenny this forzen green algae stuff dont know the name right off hand

feed the clowns mysis shrimp i believe it is called

they come frozen in little cubes i feed them a whle cub every other then then these pellets the store gave me....is that too much? should i cut them down to a half of cube every other day?

 

sounds like a setup similar to mine. you may find these two threads of mine useful:


http://www.3reef.com/forums/inverts/clean-up-crew-53007.html


http://www.3reef.com/forums/show-off-your-fish-tanks/peredhil-55-gallon-thread-56156.html

 

Probably don't need to directly feed the blenny. They're pretty good about feeding themselves.

I would feed not even 1/4 cube every other day...

Read my threads. I've got 5 powerheads, +skimmer for flow total. You don't have to match me exactly, just giving you an idea.

 

What Packleader and Bogie mentioned was right on. Water flow, reduced feeding to prohibit excessive nutrient levels, effective and efficient skimming, carbon dosing are just a few of the key components to maintaining a vibrant, healthy and beautiful aquarium.
The establishing of a herbivorous clean up crew will also help you by leaps and bounds. Many snail species, urchins, sea cucumbers, hermits, sea stars, shrimp, conch and other bottom feeding shrimp and cleaner gobies, Red Lipped and lawnmower Blenny and Zebrasoma Tangs.

 

Wow, that is a lot of food.
I have 2 clowns, a hippo, and a firefish. I feed both frozen algae and meats, combined maybe a 1/4 cube every 2-3 days, if that gives you an idea. And I way overfeed. I have some of the fattest fish you will see.
I would cut down to a 1/4 cube fed every other day to start. Defrost the food before adding, and soak up all the water after it defrosts with a paper towel. I would also consider completely cutting out flake/pellets if your problem continues, as they are loaded with algae causing nutrients.
Get a veggie clip and put some dried seaweed or raw broccoli on it between feedings when you want to see some action. It will keep you and the fish entertained, and won't muck up your water either.

 

thanks for the help everyone, things are looking way better now

added 4 hermits and 10 snails/crabs not quite sure lol that burro into the sand not quite sure what there called forget what the guy said at the fish store....didnt grab a powerhead yet still waiting on that but will be getting that asap

just wondering how much of a cleaner crew should i have and what should it really consist of? dont want to get too much were there dieing off or anything only reason i didnt buy anything online where i could of gotten way more....as im not quite sure what i need or dont need

thanks