Is there any way to end the ugly stage early

[tyreefkeeper]

Hi I'm going through the ugly stage now and my tank has 2 clowns and no corals (yet). Is there a way to end the ugly stage early or speed it up

 

[slingfox]

What should I do to get coralline algae grow faster?

Test for alkalinity, keep it around the level you want to target long run, and wait.

I bought two of those coraline algae in a bottle solutions. I don't think either did anything for me. It just took time.

 

[bozo]

My reef is over 20 years old. To this day, If I toss in a piece of dry rock our pour in dry aragonite sand, it takes months to progress through the uglies and look like it belongs in the reef. It is just they natural progression, there is no way around it.

Absolutely agree.

Even if you add tanks + new rocks onto an established system, you will still see uglies in those new tanks even though the original system has been running for a long time.

 

[adamg77]

I would highly recommend the addition of copepods and live phytoplankton. @Reef By Steele is a great source for them! Personally I do not believe starving your fish to make your tank prettier is a good idea but watching to ensure your fish are eating what you feed it is good. Limiting light will reduce algae growth but the implimentation of a clean up crew will help. I like turbo snails and emerald crabs but be aware that once the algae is gone they still need to eat!

 

[Solo McReefer]

Will coralline algae help ?

Of course

That growing on the rocks prevents algae from "rooting" to the rocks

My hypothesis is that a layer of bacteria on the rocks can as well

Obviously when your rock is encrusted with coral, algae isn't going to "root" there either(especially)

Try a few drops of 'cleaning' bacteria each night. Microbe Lift or/and MicrobacterClean for example. See what that does. I have noticed remarkable results doing this

An algae reactor/scrubber/refugium is always a good idea. Set one up. Tell us how it went

 

[tyreefkeeper]

Of course

That growing on the rocks prevents algae from "rooting" to the rocks

My hypothesis is that a layer of bacteria on the rocks can as well

Obviously when your rock is encrusted with coral, algae isn't going to "root" there either(especially)

Try a few drops of 'cleaning' bacteria each night. Microbe Lift or/and MicrobacterClean for example. See what that does. I have noticed remarkable results doing this

An algae reactor/scrubber/refugium is always a good idea. Set one up. Tell us how it went

Thanks for this great reply I thibk I'll do the bacteria dosing and add fast growing coral like gsp ans zoanthids.

 

[BeanAnimal]

what will you when they take over?

 

[Uncle99]

Keeping all 7 parameters on point, all the time, with little to no flux creates an environment which good algae’s and bacteria’s multiply fastest.

These guys are the ones we can’t see, but keep rocks clean and sand white without interference from the reef keeper.

The best ones are of course are the slowest, but stable chemistry aids their population.

That’s why true live rock, (not LFS wet rock) is best as it comes, with all the good guys.

 

[shcrimps]

real live rock or live sand, copepods and patience do wonders

 

[JoJosReef]

As @TangerineSpeedo and @GlassMunky said. Add ocean live rock, such as that sold by Tampa Bay Saltwater.

Yes, it will absolutely speed things up. But you can't just neglect it. A mix of ocean live rock and dry rock means you still need to work on the dry rock side, but the ocean rocks will help. Worked for my first tank, and it was 100% attributable to the new ocean rocks/sand.

Want to skip the uglies altogether? Replace all of your current rock and sand with ocean rock and sand. Add lots of corals. Smile and enjoy.

But watch out for bubble algae--that stuff even plagues ocean rocks.

 

[Solo McReefer]

real live rock or live sand, copepods and patience do wonders

Yes, good point

Add a jar of Galaxy Pods or Ecopods or equivalent

I think I'm getting some of that live phyto this time for mine

 

[Reef By Steele]

Good advice, but if you decide to get a uv sterilizer don't bother with phyto or copepods it will kill them.

I tend to not agree that UV kills Phyto and copepods. Yes if set really slow it will kill those that pass through it, but if dosed properly phytoplankton can be a huge benefit. Copepods (the right ones) benthic will live and reproduce in your rocks. Some will go through the sump and a portion of those will find the UV unless it is sized to handle the full return in which case it will find more. But I run oversized IV’s on all 6 of my displays and even though I culture hundreds of gallons of pods, I rarely have to add them to my own systems.

 

[Reef By Steele]

As for how to beat or lessen the effects of the ugly stage. As some have said there are products in the market, but I tend to lean into more natural methods. Here is a thread I started and from this have multiple customers who have had great results following this system.

CAN YOU WIN THE BATTLE AGAINST THE UGLIES?

How to beat the uglies!! Are you starting up a new tank or are you about to embark on your first journey into the exciting world of saltwater aquariums? There are multiple great threads on the forum that will answer every cycling question you can possibly ask. There is vast information on...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Solo McReefer]

I tend to lean into more natural methods.

Cleaning the rocks with a brush, should be done, a few times even, before systematically adding a fungicide to the tank

I would take the rocks out and squirt H2O2 on them first, and I don't do that anymore. On the algae, avoiding the coralline. H2O2 will kill your coralline

 

[JCH]

Hi I'm going through the ugly stage now and my tank has 2 clowns and no corals (yet). Is there a way to end the ugly stage early or speed it up

You could try using one of the bottle bacteria products that are out there. I just set up a new 160 gallon system. I used 100 pounds of live sand and 2 bottles of the API rapid start . Threw some food pellets in to feed the bacteria and waited just a couple days and started adding fish. My ugly stage literally lasted only a couple days . All fish are doing great a month later.

 

[gbroadbridge]

You could try using one of the bottle bacteria products that are out there. I just set up a new 160 gallon system. I used 100 pounds of live sand and 2 bottles of the API rapid start . Threw some food pellets in to feed the bacteria and waited just a couple days and started adding fish. My ugly stage literally lasted only a couple days . All fish are doing great a month later.

With respect - If your tank is only a couple of months old the uglies haven't even started yet

 

[Reef By Steele]

You could try using one of the bottle bacteria products that are out there. I just set up a new 160 gallon system. I used 100 pounds of live sand and 2 bottles of the API rapid start . Threw some food pellets in to feed the bacteria and waited just a couple days and started adding fish. My ugly stage literally lasted only a couple days . All fish are doing great a month later.

You are at the perfect stage to use the approach that I outline in the thread I linked. If you stay ahead of the early stage it is much easier than battling it after it has begun. Copepods like Tisbe, Apocyclops and our Harpa pods are great herbivores and tiny enough to get in and eat GHA down to the roots in even the smallest cracks and crevices.

You said you added 100 pounds of “live sand”, how much rock and what type did you add? Bottles bacteria such as a quick start product is generally for establishing your nitrogen cycle. This bacteria really doesn’t do much in terms of fighting algae growth.

 

[Reef By Steele]

Cleaning the rocks with a brush, should be done, a few times even, before systematically adding a fungicide to the tank

I would take the rocks out and squirt H2O2 on them first, and I don't do that anymore. On the algae, avoiding the coralline. H2O2 will kill your coralline

I agree in part with scrubbing the rock. However tank size and rock scape can determine if you can take it out. In my larger tanks it would be a huge process to pull and replace. But if scrubbing in tank, I recommend siphoning as much of the released algae either through socks into the sump while running or straight to a bucket or brute can depending on tank size.

I personally haven’t ever used a fungicide, bought vibrant once, but read the threads on her stating that it is a chemical herbicide vs bacteria so I never opened the bottle.

 

[dan’s tanks]

I personally just threw some chaeto in the display to limit nuisance algae’s access to nutrients.

 

[ScottD]

This came a long at a great time for me as I’m about to start my tank. I plan on using mostly dry rock but want to supplement it was some ocean rock. I plan on adding pods early on and the first signs of algae start adding my Cuc to not let it get established. Although after reading the post by @Reef By Steele I may start them a little earlier and feed with algae tabs.

What are peoples thoughts about keeping the lights off in the tank for awhile but running a light and cheato in the sump for awhile to use that to get established and outcompete the uglies?

 

[NeedAReef]

I would have to agree here.

I have had a 52 watt Aqua UV on my 50 gallon total volume tank (overkill forsure) and I do not have and pods. This particular tank has been up for 2 years now.

Even though I breed pods and phyto for the past year and dose every week.

But I would never run a tank with out a UV. Just my personal preference.

depends on where you put that. If you have a sump and you put it in a different chamber it does not kill phyto or pods in a different chamber. For example, if you put it in flow before your refugium, you will have plenty of pods and such. I have had mine that way for years and a fat mandarin at least 2 years of it.