Coralline algae?

[crystina18]

I'm new to reef tanks. I have a JBJ 12G nano cube DLX, for about a week and a half. I have been seeing a couple of amphipods and bristle worms, green hairy strands on the sand bed, glass and rocks. The brown algae (diatoms) seem to be disappearing (the rocks used to be covered in it).
http://x9b.xanga.com/93c8404b45c354967929/b4389350.jpg

I have two small patches of this purple/magneta stuff dusty in appearance ont he underside of live rock. And underneath another live rock it seems to have some kind of orange, spongy growth? Don't have pics for those cuz I cant get a shot under the rocks.


Day 7
http://x33.xanga.com/ed18554a56d354968085/b4379965.jpg

Day8
http://x2c.xanga.com/d3684543774344968519/b4389696.jpg

Is this corraline algae growing on the live rock? It appears like its a mix of whitish, pale purplish, and pale greenish stuff and its spreading...

[wharyat]

Welcome to TRT!!!

Can barely tell from the pics; but at 8 days you will start seeing some growth. Has the tank only been up a total of 8 days?

[crystina18]

Today would be about the tenth day....
I dunno what else to do with it.. I am waiting for it to cycle enough I guess.
Day 6 pH=8.4 Ammonia=0.25 Nitrite=0 Nitrate=10
Day 8 pH=8.4 Ammonia=0 Nitrite=0 Nitrate=0
Am I supposed to see a higher Ammonia spike for cycling?

[wharyat]

Sometimes you wont see any ammonia spikes; but ammonia degrades into nitrite, and nitrite to nitrate. So the presence of nitrate shows that you had ammonia.

A good cycling time is a month or 2.