# Day 5 fishless cycle-algae



## Fishnoob78 (Oct 30, 2005)

Today is day 5 of my fishless cycle of my 46 gallon bowfront and when I woke up this morning there was algae on the tallest rock and some on the sand. Not much, very little but enough to notice right away.

Is this normal?

My water temp is around mid 80's.

Ammonia about 6-7 ppm

Nitrites are zero.

I've been using Eco Start by Kent since day 1 of the cycle to help establish bological filtration but haven't used any today.

thanks for any input


----------



## fishfreaks (Jan 19, 2005)

is it brown algae? if so that is common in newly setup aquariums


----------



## shev (Jan 18, 2005)

reduce your ammount of ammonia.


----------



## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

Yes algae is common in new setups, whether it be brown algae, hair algae, green spot or whatever. Algae is unavoidable in fishtanks, no matter how hard you try. In new setups, algae may bloom because your tank is unbalanced. Its normal and once the tank settles, it will start to disappear. Depending on the type, you may need to remove as much as possible as some are more resistant than others. Can you describe it?


----------



## Alin10123 (May 22, 2005)

Are you turning your lights on and off as if you had fish in it? Too much lighting can cause algae to grow like crazy.


----------



## Fishnoob78 (Oct 30, 2005)

The algae is green. And yes I am turning the lights off and on.

I also make sure that no sunlight shines on the tank.

The tank started showing nitrites a few days ago. Other then the alage everything is going good.


----------



## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

Is the water green colored or is the algae growin on something (ie tank walls in spots or substrate or decorations).


----------



## Fishnoob78 (Oct 30, 2005)

Simpte said:


> Is the water green colored or is the algae growin on something (ie tank walls in spots or substrate or decorations).


The water is crystal clear. 

There is alage on the top of the largest rock, you can see some starting to form on the sand itself, about 5% of the sand and there are a few small spots on the glass. 

I cleaned what was on the glass.


----------



## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

The algae on the glass is what is commonly know as green spot algae. All tanks will have a little. The algae on the rocks is common and all tanks will have a little also. Sounds like your tank is doing well. Just keep up with the maintenance and you will be happy  Good luck!


----------



## Fishnoob78 (Oct 30, 2005)

Well I jinxed myself by saying that my water was clear.

I noticed a few hours ago when i got home that its a little clody.

I dont have a clue why, all i did was add ammonia this morning and clean the alage last night. The tank was clear this morning so i dont think cleaning some of the alage had anything to do with it.


----------



## Fishnoob78 (Oct 30, 2005)

Well i'm still trying to figure out why my tank is a little cloudy. You have to look at it from the side, looking down the length of the tank to really notice it.

The only thing I can think of is for the last few days ive been using ammonia that i had in a coffe can and maybe it's reacting with the metal in the can. The bottom of the can does look a little dark.

I put some ammonia in a coffe can because it just made it easier for me to measure out the desired amount. 

think that could be it?


----------



## RockabillyChick (Nov 18, 2005)

ammonia does react with metal. i would put it in a plastic container. i dont know if it will hurt the fish when you add them though.


----------



## Fishnoob78 (Oct 30, 2005)

RockabillyChick said:


> ammonia does react with metal. i would put it in a plastic container. i dont know if it will hurt the fish when you add them though.



I hope not, that would mean basically draining the tank, cleaning and starting over. I really dont need that right now. 

I just tested the water for ammonia and it shows 0 and my nitrites 1-2ppm (Ihave trouble telling i'm color blind)

Its been a few hours since my last post and it looks as if the water has cleared up for the most part.

It took about 2 weeks since I started adding ammonia for the nitrites to kick into action. Does that sound about right?


----------



## fishfreaks (Jan 19, 2005)

If its a white cloudyness its common with newly setup tanks and cycling/mini cycling


----------



## Fishnoob78 (Oct 30, 2005)

The tank has been doing well and nitrites are almost gone. However the largest (tallest) rock with algae on it has bubbles on the rock. Is this normal and what is it?


----------



## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Hooboy.

Okay, first the bubbles. What kind of rock is it? If it's porus, it could just be bubbles escaping from inside it. If the bubbles are on the algae, then the algae is probably producing them.

6-7 ammonia? YIKES. Too high; that much will stunt your bacteria more than feed it, but it does explain your having algae this soon. Don't get rid of the algae yet. It's possibly the only reason your bacteria are still alive. Once the nutrients have been used up sufficiently the algal growth rate will decrease, and then you can remove it with minimal grow-back.

The water always turns cloudy in a new tank. The bacteria population grows so much that you can actually see it. It clears up in a few days.


----------



## Fraser (Dec 5, 2005)

lol i leave my community tank's light on all the time  

I guess having 2 plecs in the one tank sorta counters the algae issue quite well, topped off by a few fish which like a little vegetation now and again :mrgreen:

When I setup my new 190L tank which arrives on wednesday should I keep the light on all the time, off all the time or partially off and partially on :???: ? The setup will be for malawi cichlids with coral sand & plenty of tufa rock.


----------



## fishfreaks (Jan 19, 2005)

You really shouldnt leave the lights on all the time. Fish do need their "sleeping" period as well


----------



## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

A fishtank is NOT a night-light!!! You are killing your fish.


----------

