# Changes? good or bad



## ScoobyDoo (Feb 26, 2010)

Few days ago









Now




































ALSO..

I found out where the bubbles seem to be coming from in my third chamber (return). I took a closer look at the sponge around the part of the pump that sucks in the water (I clean it daily). I saw a bunch of air bubbles in between the hexagon mesh like layers. I don't think they are coming from the sump because my overflow drain barley lets out any more bubbles anymore, and my skimmer lets out tiny micro bubbles that disappear before they hit the surface.


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## Abner (Apr 7, 2009)

i am assuming the changes that you are talking about is the brownish stuff starting to grow on your rock...that is how it starts at least that is how it did with mine. It's good!! and with the way you seem to be on top of your system it will soon be more green and purple. that is the start of algae growing on your rock transforming it from just rock to truly live rock.


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## ScoobyDoo (Feb 26, 2010)

Abner said:


> i am assuming the changes that you are talking about is the brownish stuff starting to grow on your rock...that is how it starts at least that is how it did with mine. It's good!! and with the way you seem to be on top of your system it will soon be more green and purple. that is the start of algae growing on your rock transforming it from just rock to truly live rock.


ya but my rock is already established live rock from another tank? so wouldnt that transformation have already taken place. IDK


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## Abner (Apr 7, 2009)

i don't know about already established cuz it looks all white to me which is how i got my rock which had been out of a system for a few weeks when i got it. I think when you put rock into your system it will always start a mini cycle from stuff dying off..that rock looks like it was dry at some point i may be wrong, but if it was dry then kinda not very live is it?? any which way algae is a good sign.


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## conix67 (Jul 27, 2008)

In my opinion it takes months for a new tank to fully settle down. Although your rocks may have been fully cycled in terms of colonization of denitrificating bacteria, your tank may still go through various stages of reef tank cycling.

The photo looks to me like diatom bloom. I've had it too, which was followed by hair algae bloom. Both disappeared within weeks, so give it some time.


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## aln (Jan 26, 2010)

yah it looks fine to me too  even with cycled rock. in a new tank there is still a bit of cycle that needs to happen  get yourself a cuc later on


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## ScoobyDoo (Feb 26, 2010)

thanks for the replies guys.

I will be getting some CUC but thought id give the tank some time to get going/build up. Plan on getting some snails and shrimp, maybe a crab probably in about a month.

My rock when I got it was out of a tank, here are some pictures of the tank it came from:

















It had the red algae stuff on it (not the bad kind). It was left out of water for 24 hours in a closed bin. The sand was left in a reef crystal buckets, but it was very wet and full of life when I put it in the tank.

If that helps, I also notice that my sand on the surface is getting a tan from the nice bright white to a golding/browning.

Did a 15% water change few days ago. Only to find out that my 20g garbage bin I bought has a leak in it  poor carpet haha.

Did multiple tests daily to ensure health.

Readings were consistent before and after feedings/fish were introduced.

Temp: 26*C 
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0 
Nitrate: 0 
pH: 8.2-8.4
Salinity: 1.024-1.025
KH: 10-11 drops until it turned yellow (forget the actual measurement, to lazy to get out of my chair right now haha)

I tested again this morning to because when I woke up the fish had pale faces but they woke up and 20 mins later were back to normal color. I woke up in the middle of the night and turned the lights on, so maybe that scared/stressed them a bit. But I think they are very comfortable, they swim around the whole tank daily now. They enjoy going into the stream of current and gliding across the tank. I can definitely tell that the bigger one is more bossy, little guy holds his own though haha. They still won't eat flake food but I bought the 50/50 frozen food with Brine Shrimp, Blood worms and Mysis. I feed them about 1/3rd of the cub every night at 8:00PM. Lights out are usually around 2am. (just the schedule I have unfortunately)


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Pale fish is normal  Imagine how you look in the morning if you spent all night sleeping on rocks 

I agree with Conix - cycled and stable are two entirely different things. Right now your tank is cycled, but definitely not stable - your tank won't be able to handle minor paramter swings like a mature system would. 

The algae/colour changes are all normal, and part of the cycle - first you'll get algea development as your tank stabilizes, and then it'll receed hopefully  ).


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## Toronto_Guy (Mar 25, 2010)

Even if you get LR from an established system, it won't let you have an instantly "mature" tank. I started with 250 lbs of established LR, and my tank is still going through the various stages of algae blooms. 

Much of the bacteria and other life on LR will just die off in a new system anyway because it doesn't have the nutrients required to sustain it. 

Patience is key when setting up a saltwater tank. People who've had tanks for years will tell you that it isn't really mature until it's over a year old. 

I just mentioned this because you said you are testing your water multiple times per day.... seems like you are anxious to get going. ;-) I know how it feels, but rushing will only cause problems later on. Testing every 1-3 days would be fine at this stage. Keep in mind too that you could multiple times per day and still miss out on "mini" cycles. 

The brown stuff is a diatom bloom. They feed off of silicates. So any plastic parts in your tank will release silicates when they are new. If you used tap water to start out, that's a source of silicates as well. 

I can't tell for sure from the pics, but did you set up with crushed coral as a substrate? If so, it can trap a lot of crud and be a real pain in the butt to deal with down the line... especially if you plan on adding corals at some point (where water quality becomes even more of an issue). If so, it would be easier to swap it out for sand while your tank is new.


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## ScoobyDoo (Feb 26, 2010)

Toronto_Guy said:


> Even if you get LR from an established system, it won't let you have an instantly "mature" tank. I started with 250 lbs of established LR, and my tank is still going through the various stages of algae blooms.
> 
> Much of the bacteria and other life on LR will just die off in a new system anyway because it doesn't have the nutrients required to sustain it.
> 
> ...


its live sand. I am not in a rush.

now there is little spots of green hair algae on my front glass? next part of the cycle im guessing... should I do anything special during this stage?

btw, thnx for that post Tdotman, very informative.


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## conix67 (Jul 27, 2008)

I'm sorry to hear about your mother and you had to sell your setup. I thought you didn't like aquariumpros.ca, why not post on buy and sell section on this forum?


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## gyros (May 25, 2008)

conix67 said:


> I'm sorry to hear about your mother and you had to sell your setup. I thought you didn't like aquariumpros.ca, why not post on buy and sell section on this forum?


yah i saw this tank for sale at AP...sorry to hear about your mom


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## hojimoe (Mar 7, 2008)

conix67 said:


> I'm sorry to hear about your mother and you had to sell your setup. I thought you didn't like aquariumpros.ca, why not post on buy and sell section on this forum?


yeah i was wondering that too, very unfortunate for you scoobydoo

conix I imagine because AP things can sell much faster than here for SW


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## ScoobyDoo (Feb 26, 2010)

i will just busy right now


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## Toronto_Guy (Mar 25, 2010)

ScoobyDoo said:


> its live sand. I am not in a rush.
> 
> now there is little spots of green hair algae on my front glass? next part of the cycle im guessing... should I do anything special during this stage?
> 
> btw, thnx for that post Tdotman, very informative.


Sorry to hear about your mother. That's rough man. I've been through the same thing with my dad and some other family members, so I know what you must be going through.

With the tank advice, I wasn't trying to imply that you were doing anything wrong.... just trying to help people learn from some of my mistakes here and there is all.

All the best.


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