Cycling New Tank, Now getting Algae. What next?

I am 1 week into cycling my 46 bow, I have 2 clown fish in my tank and am using all base rock and live sand. I started with a bacteria boost (safe start) and my ammonia is .50 ppm. I am getting green algae on the rocks and brown algae on the sand bed. I am using only RO water in my tank by the way. I have a CUC on the way, and should be here by tomorrow. With alot of snails and crabs. Is this all part of the process? Am I on the right track? Will the CUC take care of the algae?

 

the brown algea is diatoms, which, when setting up a succesful reef, are par for the course. Should go away in a week. You may get some abuse for those clowns though, just a warning...

 

+1

here comes some abuse. imo, you shouldn't have those fish in there until you have completed the cycle.

 

Is that the live sand in a bag?

 

+2. You shouldn't cycle with live animals, it's torture. Use a piece of fresh shrimp and just throw it in the tank and let it rot away. After your ammonia and nitrites peak and return back to zero, then it's ok to slowly start adding livestock. If the clowns live through the cycle, count yourself lucky.

I'm not preaching from my soapbox, just letting you know I've done the same thing with my first tank (was directed to do so by a LFS who I never visit anymore) and lost both clowns to ich. That was the first and only time I tried cycling a tank with fish. It's just easier and cheaper to use a piece of shrimp.

 

+10

 

The live sand I'm using came from 40 pound bags. I used tue clowns bc I was told there would bE no cycle bc of all base rock and the safe start chemical i used

 

Chemicals don't do anything to help your cycle, and neither does base rock. Only live rock can keep you from having a full cycle, but there's still going to be an ammonia spike, just not as large.

 

Here is the Algae that i was talking about

 

Here is my CUC to hopefully battle the Algae

I hope they move around and dont all stay towards the front of the tank