I know there has been a lot of posts about the Ugly Phase, but I am new to this and have learned my LFS is worthless when it comes to advice or really anything other than taking my money.
Through reading articles and these forums I assume I am in the middle of the Ugly Phase, but I don't know if I am supposed to be doing something or just enjoying watching the rock and tank change? Nothing I can find seems to explain what to do during the Ugly Phase....
- Do I just sit and watch while continuing water changes and monitoring parameters?
- Am I supposed to clean this stuff out of the sand and rock?
- Do I add something else to my tank?
- Do I turn my lights down or off?
- How do I know when it is safe to add coral and other fish? (want a goby and shrimp pair later)
- Am I supposed to keep feeding more to keep the nitrates and phosphate from bottoming out? (read if they do you can get dinos)
20 gallon Innovative Marine AIO Peninsula
Filtration - Floss, Carbon, Marine Pure Bio Balls (will use for QT tank later)
Eschops Nano Skimmer
Viparspectra Light - white (12%) for 2 hours, blue (18%) for 6 hours. 8in. above tank.
3 months old
2 Ocellaris Clown
4 Blue Leg Hermits
4 Astrea Snails
4 Nassarius Snails
Salinity - 1.023
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 4
Ph - 8.3
Alk - 7.1
Phosphate - 0.02
Through reading articles and these forums I assume I am in the middle of the Ugly Phase, but I don't know if I am supposed to be doing something or just enjoying watching the rock and tank change? Nothing I can find seems to explain what to do during the Ugly Phase....
- Do I just sit and watch while continuing water changes and monitoring parameters?
- Am I supposed to clean this stuff out of the sand and rock?
- Do I add something else to my tank?
- Do I turn my lights down or off?
- How do I know when it is safe to add coral and other fish? (want a goby and shrimp pair later)
- Am I supposed to keep feeding more to keep the nitrates and phosphate from bottoming out? (read if they do you can get dinos)
20 gallon Innovative Marine AIO Peninsula
Filtration - Floss, Carbon, Marine Pure Bio Balls (will use for QT tank later)
Eschops Nano Skimmer
Viparspectra Light - white (12%) for 2 hours, blue (18%) for 6 hours. 8in. above tank.
3 months old
2 Ocellaris Clown
4 Blue Leg Hermits
4 Astrea Snails
4 Nassarius Snails
Salinity - 1.023
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 4
Ph - 8.3
Alk - 7.1
Phosphate - 0.02