How long until you can add a cleanup crew?

[daniodude]

I'm new to saltwater, I have a 20g tank that has been cycling for about 1.5 weeks, my test kit says everything is low and fine. I have a lot of algea. How long until I can/ should add a cleanup crew?

Thanx
DD

 

[Navarre]

As soon as the Ammonia spike and Nitrite spike reads 0.0.
If you havae lareg amounts of algea within 1.5 weeks then you must be running with very high Phosphates or nitrates (or both). Did you use tap water to mix up the salt for the tank?

 

[daniodude]

ya, i used tap water w/ aquasafe dechlorinator, and the used Red Sea salt, and i tested yesterday, i will test again today, but my readings were all low, my nitrates and everything were all low.

DD

 

[Navarre]

Have you tested for Phosphates? Im afraid if you use tapwater then you will simply not get rid of the algea. Nitrates as low as 1 and phosphates as low as 0.1 will create an algea bloom im afraid. Nitrates are not as bad but phopshates will cause bad algea outbreaks

 

[daniodude]

ok, ill take it to my lfs and see if they will test phosphates for me. Ill test for everything tomorrow and ill post my results

Thanx
DD

 

[Fish Fingers]

can u use tap water to do waterchanges and top ups without anything drastic happening??

 

[Navarre]

You can buts its risky. Tap water usually carries nutrients in it that can easily be converted to algea!
Also, water companys can at any time and without warning, dose their water with treatments to kill off fresh water shrimps that inhabit our pipes. The treatment they use is jst as deadly to marine shrimps and iverts also

 

[daniodude]

I got new lighting(130 wattscompact flourescent) and the guy at my LFS said that if you keeps your lights on too long it will cause a lot of algea. I used to have my lights on for about 16 hours, and I had a lot of algea, now I have them on for six and have little algea.

DD

 

[kell]

how many hours are u supposed to have ur lights on for??

 

[Navarre]

Algae cannot live on light alone.

Algae needs 2 things to thrive in a tank. Light and nutrients. if either of these are removed then it simply dies.

if you have a tank full of nitrates and no lights at all then algae growth is very poor.

If you have a tank with 400w halides over the tank and no nutrients then your algae growth is going to be poor.


If you have light AND nutrients in the form of Nitrate or Phosphates then you are gonna run into trouble )