Finally!!!!

[zackish]

my tank is finally cycled!!!!
gunna do a water change tonight after i go to a party and then tomorow afternoon if levels are still good goin to get my fish!!
Hopefully this time it doesn't mess up again.

Also, I have a lot of fuzz on my plants, on my 2 amazon swords it looks like they are covered in fuzzies! any reccommendations?

[Rue]

...well, you sit down in front of the tank...with teeny-tiny tweezers...and start plucking...one little alage at a time...

Goes down better with something to drink...:hmm3grin2orange:

[zackish]

!!!!!!!! seriously!!!!

[RobbieG]

I tell myself that it makes the tank look more natural.

Congrats on the cycle

[zackish]

So I don't have to make another thread, what do you guys think I should also buy tomorow as far as a "first aid" kit. Should I get some ammonia and nitrite lock?

[xoolooxunny]

Are your plants real or fake? How long do you keep the light on the tank per day/what kind of lighting?

[zackish]

Are your plants real or fake? How long do you keep the light on the tank per day/what kind of lighting?

They are real plants I have the light on for about 14 hours a day, I try for about 12 but I am never home and my corallife 65 watt light will be here on monday and I plan to experiment with some DIY C02 this weekend.

[hungryhound]

They are real plants I have the light on for about 14 hours a day, I try for about 12 but I am never home and my corallife 65 watt light will be here on monday and I plan to experiment with some DIY C02 this weekend.

14 hours is way to much and the main reason you have algae. I would cut back to your light to 8 hours a day and then gradually increase it if you want. A time works wonders for keeping your lights to a schedule.

My heavily planted, co2, ferts only the lights on 9 hours a day otherwise I have massive algae. You need to find a balance, and 14 is most assuredly any where near a balance for your if any tank. I know it is a pain but by starting with a smaller photo period you will decrease your chances of algae. And it is not like the tank needs to be on when you are not home to enjoy it anyways.

[zackish]

14 hours is way to much and the main reason you have algae. I would cut back to your light to 8 hours a day and then gradually increase it if you want. A time works wonders for keeping your lights to a schedule.

My heavily planted, co2, ferts only the lights on 9 hours a day otherwise I have massive algae. You need to find a balance, and 14 is most assuredly any where near a balance for your if any tank. I know it is a pain but by starting with a smaller photo period you will decrease your chances of algae. And it is not like the tank needs to be on when you are not home to enjoy it anyways.

Information well taken!
I will turn it on in the morning when I wake up, usually about 7 and turn it off by noon or turn it on around noon and turn off around 9. I am also thinking of moving my turtle tank downstairs and getting a surge protector with a timer for the aquarium and turtle tank. That way I can turn on its basking lamp, UVB light and my aquarium light at the same time without having to be here.

[troy]

Don't add too many fish at one time. I've kept my lights on for around 12 hours a
day for a month with no algae problems.

[dev]

14 hours is way to much and the main reason you have algae.

It may be too much, and i may not be too much. What matters most is the total amount of light the plants are exposed to during a day. While it is believed better to have good lights and only have them on for 8-10 hours a day, you can still compensate for poor wattage by increasing the daily timeframe. I do not reccomend going beyond 12 hours (if this is not enough, I would consider stronger lights), but I see people with great planted tanks that use 14 hours of moderate lighting.

I reccomend the articles at thekrib.com to get a thorough understanding of the important aspects, such as wattage, spectrum and light time.

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Lights are important, but a good and possibly the best way to keep your green algae at a minimum is to keep a good nitrates/phosphate ratio and not have any nitrites. Most seem to think that 15-20 is a good number (something like 15 ppm nitrates for a little less than 1 ppm phosphates)

It also makes sense to get a a bit of algae growth during the first cycle. At some point you will have high nitrites that can trigger an algea bloom, and when the cycle is complete you will have a certain amount of nitrates. Since you have no fish in the tank chances are that you have little or no phosphates. I would guess that this is the main reason this tank has a lot of algea.

Perhaps it would be best to run a fishless cycle without plants and no light .. just a thought :)

[dev]

Don't add too many fish at one time. I've kept my lights on for around 12 hours a
day for a month with no algae problems.

I'm still a bit uncertain about adding fish every week like some suggest. After a fishless cycle your filter should be ready to handle a full stock. Adding new fish causes stress and involves a certain risk, why do it more times than you have to?

[zackish]

Good post dev, that may be why my combamba is growing so well because my lights are on so long.

[hungryhound]

It may be too much, and i may not be too much. What matters most is the total amount of light the plants are exposed to during a day. While it is believed better to have good lights and only have them on for 8-10 hours a day, you can still compensate for poor wattage by increasing the daily timeframe. I do not reccomend going beyond 12 hours (if this is not enough, I would consider stronger lights), but I see people with great planted tanks that use 14 hours of moderate lighting.

I reccomend the articles at thekrib.com to get a thorough understanding of the important aspects, such as wattage, spectrum and light time.


Very good point. I am sure that on some setups you can safely run the lights for 12 hours or more, but every tank is different and finding that balance without growing an algae farm is much harder if you start at a higher photo period.

I may not have been totally clear. I was not advocating that he turn the lights on for 8 hours a day for the rest of the tanks life. I was suggesting that he decrease the photoperiod to help combat the algae. Then once the algae is gone, one can safely slowly increase the photo period to find the balance for the tank in question. It could be that it is safe to run at 12 hours, and I am not refuting that, but with the algae problem that was described it seems like a massive light reduction was in order to help get it under control.

[dev]

Very good point. I am sure that on some setups you can safely run the lights for 12 hours or more, but every tank is different and finding that balance without growing an algae farm is much harder if you start at a higher photo period.

I may not have been totally clear. I was not advocating that he turn the lights on for 8 hours a day for the rest of the tanks life. I was suggesting that he decrease the photoperiod to help combat the algae. Then once the algae is gone, one can safely slowly increase the photo period to find the balance for the tank in question. It could be that it is safe to run at 12 hours, and I am not refuting that, but with the algae problem that was described it seems like a massive light reduction was in order to help get it under control.

Valid points, indeed.

Temporarely reducing the photoperiod, as you say, should help reduce the immediate algae growth. Now that zackish has aldo reduced his nitrates from 80 ppm to 20 ppm there should be a good chance of less algae in the future.