Carpet Algae

I think I remeber reading that after Diatoms you will get a green carpet type algae on your rocks on a new tank.


Am I mistaken?


I am right in the middle of the cycle I am pretty sure and I am getting a green algae growing now I have the brown looking Diatoms all over the rocks and sand but now this green stuff seems to be taking over.

TIA

 

I don't remember the exact order of the algae cycle but i remember green algae usually comes sometime after diatoms.

 

Got a pic?

 

I dont think my camera will pick it up yet I will post one tomm. when the color stands out a bit more. I will try when I get home from work to see if it will show up though.

 

If it's like a carpet, that's not normal algae. If it's stringy, you might have a case of cyanobacteria. Increase the flow rate in your tank. Cyanobacteria comes in different colors, it's not just red.
Oh, and since you are cycling your tank, turn off your lights, they aren't needed at this stage. Save your electric bill.

 

I am only rujning them for like 3 hours a day. I have read that it helps the cycle if you run only Antinics for around 2-3 hours.

I will get a pic when I get home for lunch or maybe tonight.

 

Actinics will help coralline algae take hold once the heavy cycling is done. I didn't run any lights in my cycle until the end of 2 months. I had diatoms but never any green algae in my starup cycle. I just have slight hair algae on my rocks 4 years after haha. Check and see if it's stringy though. If it looks like a mat of algae that can be lifted in one large chunk, it's most likely cyano. What type of total flowrate do you have in your tank and how large is your tank?

 

I think it is about 75 gallons. I have 2 power heads (RIO 1400) a HOB filter and a HOB protein skimmer, I really doubt it is a flow problem. I think I am merely getting some Algae growth during the cycle is all.

 

If your tank is 75G, you will want a minimum of 800GPH turnover. With 2 Rio1400 used for returns (I'm assuming they are in a sump pushing 2 returns) then you are under that mark. The 1400 pushes 420GPH directly at the output with no hose attached to it. If it is pushing water up 4 feet from a sump, it drops down to 240GPH. With 2 pumps, that's still only 480GPH, which is just over 6x turnover. I had the same problem in my tank too and could not figure out why I had the problem. The cyano destroyed my polyps. Adding a Seio620 and Korallia Nano cleared that up, along with my regular 300GPH return, and 100GPH skimmer. Just a suggestion anyway. More waterflow generally means (potentially) a healthier tank.

Edit: I have been thinking 10x as far as a refugium turnover. For tank turnover, you will want much more than that, 40-50 times your tank volume.

 

I am not running a sump. They are at each end of the tank, the end of the head is about 6-8 inches away from my rock.