Need some algae help asap!

[fellerr]

Kinda in a pickle here with not much time to research the issue…

3 month old tank. 40 gallons. Two clowns who are happy. Added two snails and two crabs, 2 weeks ago. Added a light about a week ago. Started light on low power, 12 hrs a day i think. Tank has started to develop some diotomes (i think?). It gradually getting worse. One snail has died. LFS said the diotome algae is natural and part of the cycle.

So…is the new light and algae related? Snail death related?

2nd…a guy i know has a 20 gallon tank. Same age as mine. He has two clowns, snails, crabs, shrimp, sea urchin, goby, some other fish, and some corals. He is wanting to dump and get rid if his tank ASAP, as in tomorrow. Some of the corals are dying he said. Am I safe to take any of his fish? They are sourced from safe fish store. Should i take any with the d algae issue in my tank?

Thanks for any help!

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Your tank is brand new and will go through a few months of different algaes... I suspect your snail died of starvation since you say you added it before you had any algae - plus, not all snails eat the same types of algae.

If you take your friend's fish, I'd take his tank too and keep his fish, etc, in there just to be safe.

Your system is so new, it's hard to predict what would happen if you add all his livestock to your tank. Plus, you already have 2 clowns... adding another pair is not recommended.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Scroll past the nitrogen cycle info to "intermission"... to learn about the algae cycle that has just begun in your tank.

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The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium This article was sponsored by @MarineDepot at www.marinedepot.com. Introduction The marine environment is one of the most complex systems on the planet. The aquarium you are about to set up is only a tiny sliver of the vast ocean...

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[fellerr]

Im hesitant to add any of his fish…i think i will wait for sure.

Thanks for the link! I have scrolled it a while back, will bookmark it this time though

Hopefully i can take his tank, offload the dying stuff and maybe transfer to a bigger tank to start at work…everyone there has always wanted one, so this might be an ok time to try it. Will see how it goes…

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Im hesitant to add any of his fish…i think i will wait for sure.

Thanks for the link! I have scrolled it a while back, will bookmark it this time though

Hopefully i can take his tank, offload the dying stuff and maybe transfer to a bigger tank to start at work…everyone there has always wanted one, so this might be an ok time to try it. Will see how it goes…

Good luck!

 

[blecki]

You don't have an algae issue, you have a lack of algae issue. There's nothing here for your clean up crew to eat.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Im hesitant to add any of his fish…i think i will wait for sure.

Thanks for the link! I have scrolled it a while back, will bookmark it this time though

Hopefully i can take his tank, offload the dying stuff and maybe transfer to a bigger tank to start at work…everyone there has always wanted one, so this might be an ok time to try it. Will see how it goes…

Fwiw, you can certainly add another fish or 2 to your tank now... just go slow overall and let the tank mature. You can also add coral although most coral does better in a more stable tank, and a new setup is going to me unstable for a while. No reason not to add his coral, just don't expect miracles, depending on the condition they are already in.

 

[fellerr]

You don't have an algae issue, you have a lack of algae issue. There's nothing here for your clean up crew to eat.

i had wondered about that before buying the snails and crabs…but figured it was worth a try. LFS said it could go either way.

 

[fellerr]

Here is what i picked up….any input appreciated. Maybe it is also in an ugly stage like my tank in the original post but if there is anything i could or should be doing to help it out id like to try to. For the time being im going to keep this tank on its own. Ideally id like to transfer some to my current tank.

Its a 20gallon all in one. It has the heater and sock and some sort of filter system all in the back. It seems really dirty…

2 clowns
1 purple goby
Multiple crabs
Peppermint shrimp
Conch
An urchin
Some other sand creature i havent seen yet
Supposedly there is starfish in here.

There was multiple corals/plugs but i dont think some survived the trip.

I just put it all back together and am going to plug it in and see what happens.

 

[Rmckoy]

Kinda in a pickle here with not much time to research the issue…

3 month old tank. 40 gallons. Two clowns who are happy. Added two snails and two crabs, 2 weeks ago. Added a light about a week ago. Started light on low power, 12 hrs a day i think. Tank has started to develop some diotomes (i think?). It gradually getting worse. One snail has died. LFS said the diotome algae is natural and part of the cycle.

So…is the new light and algae related? Snail death related?

2nd…a guy i know has a 20 gallon tank. Same age as mine. He has two clowns, snails, crabs, shrimp, sea urchin, goby, some other fish, and some corals. He is wanting to dump and get rid if his tank ASAP, as in tomorrow. Some of the corals are dying he said. Am I safe to take any of his fish? They are sourced from safe fish store. Should i take any with the d algae issue in my tank?

Thanks for any help!

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To correct what you were told by the lfs .
doatoms are not caused by the cycle . But the silicates in the substrate but if very common in a new and freshly cycled system .
the beginning of life in your ecosystem
Add livestock slow and this would include any cuc .
there isn’t much for them to eat and they will most likely starve .
Happy reefing and welcome to the salty side .
feel free to post asking questions as your journey progresses

 

[paragrouper]

May want to pull out as much of that algae as you can.

 

[fellerr]

Plan is to keep this small tank rolling (hopefully) and as my 40g cycles more and is better prepared for more critters, ill add these to it and eventually shut down the small tank.

I will pull out what i can for sure! Im assuming it gets to be a point where to much is to much?