Algae?

[Benauld]

Hi,

I'm on the ninth day of my fishless cycling and I was wondering when I should start to see any algae? The tank is unlit at the moment (no fish or plants) but is between 3 - 4ft away from a large window with net curtains. I would have expected to have seen something even if only diatoms which can cope with low light levels. I just hope I haven't inadvertently managed to sterilise my tank? It looks cleaner now than when I set it up!

 

[mlawson]

It is natural for a tank to look cleaner than when it was setup, this is caused by initial cloudiness which soon clears. In a unlit tank it would be unusual to see any algae after 9 days (In a lit tank too). After a few weeks algae might appear, but do not be alarmed if none is visible. Less algae can mean a cleaner aquarium with less nitrogen present in the water.