Help! brown algea covering colaline algea on live rock

fishiesRfriends · 04-04-2005, 07:17 PM

Hello,
I am new to saltwater and my tank is about 3 months old. Ive read that brown algea will turn to green algea, but it is covering my coraline algea on my live rock. I had beiutiful colors on the rocks and slowly I am loosing it to an ugly brown. I am also getting the algea on my glass and sand.My ammonia and Nitrite are at 0 and Ph is 8.2. I dont have any other test kits right now. I dont believe I am overfeeding, can anyone help me? Will my preety colors on my live rock come back? In my 55 gal. I have:
2 lg. cleaner shrimp
banded coral shrimp
camel shrimp
giant feather duster
sm. single red mushroom coral
sm. single green mushroom w/puple spots
3 three striped damselfish
3 blue damselfish
baby yellow tang
a brittle starfish
a blue starfish
So far I have had great luck and have not lost anyone I have added to the tank

fishiesRfriends · 04-04-2005, 07:18 PM

oh I forgot about the 2 sm. condy annome !!

bjmd22 · 04-04-2005, 07:54 PM

Thats alot of damsels! I have one in my tank...we are like cartoon enemies! I just cant catch the little *******! And he does things that I know he does not enjoy just to annoy me. He tore the top off my feather duster while I watched. If I ever do catch him.....

fishiesRfriends · 04-04-2005, 08:15 PM

That sucks! I guess Im lucky everone says there so mean but mine aren't yet. They dont pick on a sole in my tank.They chase each other around, but all in good fun. We got them to start the cycle process thinking we would get rid of them later, but ive gotten attached to the little buggars and want to keep them.

fishiesRfriends · 04-04-2005, 08:17 PM

Does anybody know how to post a pic?

SweetReef · 04-04-2005, 08:48 PM

Get some snails in there they love that stuff they keep that stuff in check!!!

fishiesRfriends · 04-04-2005, 09:06 PM

How many should I get? My fiance hates snails but this would be a good excuse to get some. Are there any certain kinds of snails I should watch out for(damaging things already in my tank)?
Will I get the color back in my rocks?

tims · 04-04-2005, 09:52 PM

to post a picture..
hit reply
under the message box that you woudl tyoe in you shoudl see manage attachments. click on that. another little window shoudl open. as long as your picture is not a monster size you can up load it from there. once you up load it, just close that little window adn go type your message and submit noramlly.
HTH

tims · 04-04-2005, 10:01 PM

i dont want to sound mean.....

take your tang back to the pet store. your tank is way too small for a tang.they need at least 100 gallons.
the damesls will at some piont intime start pickiing on each other more and everyone inthe tank.
also your tank is really young for the aenomes.. they really are a hard thing to keep..

the brown is it like a dust? that woudl be diatoms, part of the cycling of the tanka dn will go away, the color on your rock is from the coraline aglae, this will come back in time, having Ca and Mg added to the tank will halp that. usally it will be on the glass first. the move to the rocks.
what test kits do you have?
a clean up crew woudl be a good thing, but you have a lot in there already... clean up crew being red leg hermits, blue leg hermits, turbo or astea snails. they will take care of most alga.
HTH

Shayne · 04-04-2005, 10:22 PM

Your tank has not finished cycling at all. It sounds like your tank is overstocked becareful it will crash and you will loose a lot of time and money. Also anenomes are not easy to care for and especially in a tank that is so young good luck also I would suggest you get a nitrate test kit immediatly.

fishiesRfriends · 04-04-2005, 10:28 PM

Thanks for the info her are some pics! (I hope).

Shayne · 04-04-2005, 10:40 PM

cant see pis are they in members gallery?

fishiesRfriends · 04-04-2005, 10:40 PM

I was under the impresion that tank cycled a while ago. The ammonia went sky high then the nitrite. When the nitrite went down everything has been at 0 ever since. Doesnt that mean Im done or no? So far I havent lost any livestock, I thought they were doing well. I looked up yellow tangs on the internet and only bought him because it said min tank size 55 gal. I really like him, he is only about 2 inches now. As for the annome(impulse buy I know) But the guy at the pet store said they were the sturdiest kind I could get. They are eating there Brine Shrimp from my turkey baster like they never ate at the pet store.I know Im pretty full right now. What do think, am I cycles its been 3 months.
Ps PIcs not working I will try again

fishiesRfriends · 04-04-2005, 10:47 PM

Hello,
the stupid pic file is to large, its only one pic.Do you know how I can make the file smaller? Thanks

Shayne · 04-04-2005, 10:53 PM

It takes at least 6 months for your tank to fully cycle. As a supplement for the fine filter feeders phytoplankton is doing very well for my tank but is expensive but worth it. Tangs are very seseptable to ich which is caused by stress including tank size watch him closely for any signs. Also I had an alge problem I cut back on brine shrimp from daily to 2x a week added a cleaner crew of 2 astria snails and 5 turbo snails and a sand sifter star also have a cleaner wrasse which by the way eats ich off the tang and a cleaner shrimp I have no alge in sight. I feed my anenomes zoo plankton in place of brine also krill 1x week if they like it. Also lighting is a essential element for anenome survival