Algae growth ? Is this BAD?

[Sunny]

My tank is cycling for 10 days now. I have lights on the the fuge/sump for 12 hrs. I also added chaeto on Thursday.
Today I see the green algae growth in the fuge. I also see brown algae on the rocks and some green growth on rocks as well. The brown is because of the salt mix I used (Red Sea) I guess.

Is the green algae out break hair algae? So far I only see green algae in the fuge. I see some brown algae on rock in the DT.

Please help - what can I do?


Here is a link to the pics.

http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv178/eyecanburs/TANKandRocks/DSC_0281.jpg
http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv178/eyecanburs/TANKandRocks/DSC_0282.jpg
http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv178/eyecanburs/TANKandRocks/DSC_0283.jpg
http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv178/eyecanburs/TANKandRocks/DSC_0285.jpg
http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv178/eyecanburs/TANKandRocks/DSC_0284.jpg

 

[duijver]

The brown looks like normal diatoms that will pass. Are you using RO/DI water or tap? The brown diatoms should come off easily with a turkey baster, but I'm not sure about the green grass.

 

[Sunny]

I am using RO water. God point forgot to mention that.
Could the green algae be chaeto developing?

 

[Jcurry@wesketch]

Yeah the brown algae is the usual diatoms that every reef tank gets when cycle it. They will go away as they use up the availble nutrients. The green stuff is hair algae and it's also typical and will go away as well. Don't panic algae is not bad unless it's out of control and over growing corals.

 

[Sunny]

I believe hair algae is bad, no matter what. I have known people who have had issues trying to contain it.

A 10 days old tank can get this amount of hair algae?

 

[Phyl]

I'd pick up a handful of snails to help with the algae (turbo/astrea). Are you keeping the lights on? That's a lot of algae for an unlit tank. If you are running the lights leave them off for the next week or so until the snails get the rock cleaned up.

 

[Sunny]

Yes the lights were on in the fuge for 12 hrs a day. I thought the microalgae needs it.
I turned them off now. The hair algae is only in the fuge so far, nothing in DT yet.
Should I put snails in the fuge?

 

[Dave]

The macro algae will need light to survive/thrive, but I would suggest keeping the light cycle shorter.

 

[Jcurry@wesketch]

I believe hair algae is bad, no matter what.

Hair algae is part of the natural ecosystem and many zooplankton critters (Copepods and Mysid shrimp) depend on it for food. The refugium is a place to try and grow zooplankton for your fish to feed on. I wouldn't panic about having algae and maybe research a little more about what makes a healthy reef tank or you may have a long road ahead of you.

There is a really good post by Eric Borneman, the author of Aquarium Corals : Selection, Husbandry, and Natural History, on his Marine Depot forum about cycling a tank and tank maturity. I would encourage to read it:

http://forum.marinedepot.com/Topic23945-9-1.aspx

 

[blange3]

;D What Jeff said!

Any amount of any type of algae this early in the cycle is not an emergency.

It just teaches you the natural order of things in an artificial reef ecosystem,


And patience!

 

[Sunny]

Ok so we are saying I need not do anything about it? It is OK to have hair algae in the fuge?

 

[Jcurry@wesketch]

Yes it's fine, don't panic. As the nitrients are used up it will die off.