Help please

[Armywife]

Hello I have posted a couple times, I am pretty new to SWF and have acouple questions. All replies are greatly appricated.

1. I recently upgraded the lights on my 75g and soon after I got brown alge on the bottom. Took pics to a local store and was told it wasthe lighting and it would cycle out.. I purchases a sand sifter and a dragon golby(aka interior decorater) Everything was looking good then over the weekend my husband and I done a water change and the next morning BAM! its back and more than before. Is this normal? Anything I can do?

2. If I want to add more sand how do I do that? I would think it would cycle.

3. I have a BTA green tip well after moving a couple places in the tank and finally settleing down and now looking wonderful it looks like its changing colors. All but the tips look rose colored and was more white or cream lookin. I was just wondering if this is normal or is it something that I should be concerned about.

4. Last but not least I was wondering if someone could tell me what type of corals I can have in my tank with the lighting I have. I have 48' t-5 (compact) brand new and also have the older lights bigger around (looks like a plane florecent light. both have one white and one blue right now I have only the t5 set on my tank. What can I have with just the t5s and can I have more things if I add my single lights to that?

Ok well thats all I can think of for now I realy appricate all the help fromall of you. (I wanted to also say I use to love to read but in the last 2-3 years my health has not been so good and now I have a realy hard time reading and being able to retain info. I would love to search and read all dy about how to better my aquaruim but I just cant do it. So once again thank you for all your help!

ArmyWife :what_smile:

[allan]

I had the same problem with the brown stuff myself. Are you using tap water?

Mine cleared up within days of a water change and adding RO/DI water. When I dumped 10 gallons of premium salt water on my living room floor I replaced with common dechlorinated water and within days another spread of brown stuff on my sand and glass.

I have since purchased a buckeye RO/DI unit as it would appear that ordinary tap water was to fault for my tank.

[Kristy]

Hi Army Wife,

That's a lot of questions, but I'll try to take a stab at it. Each of these could be a huge discussion though (and has been in previous posts).

1. Sounds like you are dealing with some cyanobacteria (with the recurrent brown algae), maybe basic diatom bloom. A little more info would help here. How long has your tank been set up? Things that reduce the cyano outbreaks are improved flow to reduce nutrient accumulation, also decreased nutrients, and stable pH.

2. Why do you want to add more sand? How deep is your sand bed? Anything over 1" deep in a display tank is generally just a nitrate trap and could actually be contributing greatly to the cyano, diatom algae issue above.

3. Sounds like your BTA is happy. That coloration sounds about right. Our green BTA has lots of rose and orange colors in it.

4. With T5s you can keep just about anything you like. Assuming you have enough of them. Only two bulbs over a 75 gallon tank? four would be better (but you do have supplemental lighting, just not sure how much). You should be just fine to add lots of different corals. Be cautious about the SPS (hard stick corals) because that might not be enough light for them to thrive. You could always try one tiny frag and see how it does.

Good luck to you. Have to say (in all due respect) you may have picked the wrong hobby for someone who doesn't manage much reading anymore. Reading helps a LOT!

[g-ray]

T5 lighting varies what kinda fixture/ retro fit kit do you have? Also what kinda reflectors/bulbs are you using and how many? As far as your alge problem it may cycle out if your using the correct water.

[Daniel]

1. What kind of water are you using? How big of a water change? The brown algae could be diatoms that are feeding on silicate leeching into your system from somewhere, usually its from sand,rock or water you are using. Try a silicate/phosphorus pillow to remove its food source.

2. You could have a cycle but why add more sand?

3. Do you have a rose bta or a green bta? How old is your tank? Tip color can very, without pictures hard to tell, but color lose doesn't sound good. My rose bta has dark red tips.

4. I keep sps with my t5 ho set up on my 55 tall. I have 4 actinics with 2 10k daylights and have growth. Lighting cycle is as folows, I have actinics on for 12 hours and all lights on for 10 hours. I have a idaho grape monti, purple tip tort, birdsnest, green monti. LPS seem to love the lights and I am seeing alot of growth and happiness from them. Zoos/Palys are growing very well, my most recent additions have tripled in size in less then a month, but when you start off with only a frag triple in size is a very relative term. If I were you I would start off with easy corals first and work your way up, at least thats what I did.

I'm no expert and still learning so take my answers with a grain of salt.

[Kristy]

3. I have a BTA green tip well after moving a couple places in the tank and finally settleing down and now looking wonderful it looks like its changing colors. All but the tips look rose colored and was more white or cream lookin. I was just wondering if this is normal or is it something that I should be concerned about.


Am I reading this correctly that the bta used to be more white / cream and has now changed colors so that it has MORE color? After I wrote my response and read the next ones, I came back to re-read this, but I am still confused.

Color change is okay. More color is fine. Bleaching out, losing color, turning white or cream is not good.

[Bill S]

As Mike pointed out, a BTA changes a lot with lighting. I have a handful of clones of the same Rose here - and I've had a bunch of others - and they all differ based upon lighting - which is usually based on where they are in the tank.

[aquasport24]

I am in Converse too, i can try to stop by after work and take a look at your set up.You can PM me your address and # if you guys want me to stop by.

[msmith619]

Hello Armywife
I will add my 2 cents worth:

1. I recently upgraded the lights on my 75g and soon after I got brown alge on the bottom. Took pics to a local store and was told it wasthe lighting and it would cycle out.. I purchases a sand sifter and a dragon golby(aka interior decorater) Everything was looking good then over the weekend my husband and I done a water change and the next morning BAM! its back and more than before. Is this normal? Anything I can do?

If your tank is new (less than 8 weeks) this is probably brown diatoms, they bloom during the tank cycling and go away when the cycle is done. Literally, one day they are there, the next they are gone. If it is an established tank, lower light promotes brown over green algie and high nitrates (nitrites?) can cause the cyano-type brown algie. Attention to water quality usually clears this up.

2. If I want to add more sand how do I do that? I would think it would cycle.

You need to be carefull adding live rock or sand, you may spike your amonia and nitraites again. Adding in small quantities might help. I personally keep my sand 2 inches but, I keep sand sifting stuff- jawfish, smails, etc that like or need sand beds.

3. I have a BTA green tip well after moving a couple places in the tank and finally settleing down and now looking wonderful it looks like its changing colors. All but the tips look rose colored and was more white or cream lookin. I was just wondering if this is normal or is it something that I should be concerned about.

The color change on your anemone is a good thing. They are not drab brown in the wild. They derive much of their nutrition from algie living inside the anemones and that algie gives it some of the coloration. The increased light has helped your anemone "color up" and it will be better off for it.

4. Last but not least I was wondering if someone could tell me what type of corals I can have in my tank with the lighting I have. I have 48' t-5 (compact) brand new and also have the older lights bigger around (looks like a plane florecent light. both have one white and one blue right now I have only the t5 set on my tank. What can I have with just the t5s and can I have more things if I add my single lights to that?

I have a 75 gallon with 4 T5 bulbs, 2 actinic, 2 white. You can probably grow all but the stoney corals in that. You may be able to grow some stoney in the top half of your tank but I have not tried them and cannot say for sure. I keep BTA, leathers and polyps in mine.

Mine is not necessarily the best advise, it works for me and I have been successful with it. It is a place you can start and then put in all the other info here and come up with what works for you.
Mike

[Gseclipse02]

I am in Converse too, i can try to stop by after work and take a look at your set up.You can PM me your address and # if you guys want me to stop by.


shes not far from you .....
JT

[Armywife]

First I wanna say thanks for all the replies! Im gonna try to answer back to a few.

1. I have had my tank for 7 weeks BUT.. it was a established tank that was 9 months old we moved everything with it all water was moved with it. I have been using declorniated tap water. What is "buckeye RO/DI unit? So should I have used bottled water?

2. The sand thing I was just wondering.

3. My BTA is getting more color.

4.The reason I asked about lighting is seems like when u ask someone who is selling lights they Have the "right" lights for everything! Lighting is very confusing to me. I have spent over 300 on lights and still don't have what I wanted. I thought I could get a better explaination from you guys whom have nothing to gain from it.

I do read as much as I can and gather as much info as I can and I am hopeing that in the near future I will be well enough to be able to read and be able to retain things better. I must say though having the tank has helped so much. It is so relaxing to set and watch and the sound of the water also helps.

Thanks
Armywife

[Daniel]

1. I have had my tank for 7 weeks BUT.. it was a established tank that was 9 months old we moved everything with it all water was moved with it. I have been using declorniated tap water. What is "buckeye RO/DI unit? So should I have used bottled water?1. Stop using tap water, that is prolly the source of your algae blooms. Buy your water if you have to from walmart that has a RO/DI (Reverse Osmosis Dionized) machine. It should state its process on the machine. If you have the money buy your own RO/DI unit, I bought mine from maast sponsors www.airwaterice.com (http://www.airwaterice.com). If you are not sure what to get call them they will pair you up with the right unit. I got the dual reef undersink system 75gpd and am very pleased with it. It was easy to install in less then 30 min, you will need to drill a hole in your sink if you plan to use the provided faucet for drinking water.

2. I wouldn't add sand after the fact unless you have taken some out and are boosting existing sand.

3. That is a good thing.

4. What type of lights did you buy? How many bulbs and are they single lens reflectors or it is one flat reflector? T5 ho depending on the wattage are a good set of lights for anemone, lps, and some sps. My 55 has a 6x54 48" slr and I can grow sps without any problems, I am sure if I had metal halides they would grow faster. BTW 300 dollars for lights isn't that bad.

[Bill S]

Lots of really good advice above.