What happened

[DonW]

When I went to work this morning this tank looked great. Tonight its grn/brn. Add LR this weekend.

Don

 

[big t]

Welcome! Don
Well it looks like your tank is doing the whole cycle thing. Was the LR you got fully cycled already? If not your tank is porbably doing the cycling right now. Have you checked your parameters? We need to know what your ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph, and phosphates would be good too. What wattage and type of light are you running? I am sure that the green will pass, and the whole tank will start turning purple soon.

Tom

 

[DonW]

Cycle

I think your right everything is high. Light is 250w 10k MH.
Does this usually fade away?

Thanks
Don

 

[Gordo]

It will go away soon enough. I would cut the light back as much as possible. It looks like you have fish in the tank already so I would say 8hrs a day. The more light you give the algae and diatoms the more they will grow. Once the cycle peaks and the nitrates starts to come down add a cleanup crew of snails and a few hermit crabs. This will help cleanup the rock.

The ideal order would have been

1. Water
2. Live rock with minimal or no lighting turned on
3. Cleanup crew after the cycle (4-8 weeks)
4. Fish

~Gordo~

 

[DonW]

Cycling

I understand the whole cycling thing. This was a fish only tank for the last five years. I'm converting it to a reef. I probably should have found a new home for the fish. It was never a problem untl I added MH lights. But maybe it was the LR. I put the light on on Wed and the rock on Sun.

Nitrates under 10
Amonia 0
Nitrites .1
PH 8.3
Calcium 675 (why so high) no additives yet.
SG 1.023

I also notice the tank has an ocean odor. It never had a smell before. Not overwelming but you get a hint of it when I come home at night.

Don

 

[OnTheReef]

Re: ocean smell

This is a normal stage in the live rock curing cycle -- about day 3 or 4 things smell like low tide. It should go away within another day or so. If it gets worse, stuff on the live rock is dying and starting to decompose and a partial water change would be advisable to clear up the byproducts of protein decomposition.

 

[DonW]

thanks

Thanks for all the response. I'm sure I just overreacted to a normal experience. Like I said this was a FO tank for a long time. All test were always zero and it never had anything growing on the inside. Just a few white dead corals. All I ever did to this thing was the typicle weekly water changes and cleanings. I'm sure I'll just have to experience some of the natural thing that happen within a reef which I must say is very cool.

Thanks
Don

 

[OnTheReef]

Re: reef cycling

Once the low tide smell goes away, start looking for a proliferation of life on the live rock, especially things like feather dusters.