Water temp?

I never let my water change more then 0.8 degress. Keeping things stable with help with stress in the tank.

I agree totally.

Where on earth did you get this information??? Is this something your read on the internet or from personal experience? I as well as quite a few people on here have cycled tanks with no lights because all the lights are going to do if fuel algae and that is not what you want in the beginning of a cycle, you want bacteria to stabilize the tank. I myself have started up a couple large tanks 150+g this way and have had great results and not algae. But then again I don't start a tank with anyone's LR as I boil it first so I'm not adding someones else's problems to my tank.

 

Thanks for the input everyone.

I just checked the temp & it is 76.8, so it continues to drop. The MH have been off 16 hours & will come on in about 1 hour, so it may drop more.

We have a DIY top-off system that is working like a charm - the water level stays constant.

Since the response to my question about temp brought up the question about whether or not I should run my lights during the cycling phase & algae growth, I did want to mention I do have coraline algae & at least two other types of algae. One is light greenish/brown & is about 1/4" long & is growing in a couple of small patches (about the size of a quarter). The other is a darker green & looks more like a plant than algae - it too is about 1/4" long and is in a few places in the tank. It is sprouting individually in different areas - not in 'patches'.

I know coraline is good, but are the other kinds of algae bad?

I will attempt (with help ) to upload some pics of this algae to help identify it.

Thanks again for your help!

julie

 

You better be getting a heater ASAP.