New Tank & No Algae after 5 Weeks

[Cameron]

After my tank failed about three years ago, I put the few remaining shrimp in a temporary container- a plastic mixed nuts container. The shrimp continued to die and I expected all to do so, but to my surprise, one shrimp has survived all this time in this container. This little critter has convinvced me to start anew.

So, I set up a small tank (don't remember how many gallons- it's small, from 1 to 2.5 gallons. Dimensions are about 12" x 6" x 8") with gravel, distilled water and instant ocean- salinity is just about perfect according to the guide. I'm using crushed egg shells as a buffer. I have an AquaRay that was for a bigger tank that I'm not using- so I set it up with the tank and timer on a 12 hour off/12 hours on schedule. I have a Plexiglas cover that was custom cut for the little tank and fits really well.

I took some water and even some algae from the original container and have had it set up and cycling for about five weeks now. But, instead of the abundant algae growth I have in the container, there has been no new algae growth in the tank at all, and the algae I did transplant seems to be dying. I wonder what is going on. I thought the light from the AquaRay would be great. But I'm wondering if its somehow too much light now. Or if the cover is too tight (no oxygen exchange) or what else might be happening. What do you guys think?

[i<3Opae]

You could try drop some fish food in there to promote algae growth.

[Mustafa]

It can take time before you see any (visible) algae growth. Until then, yes, algae that you scrape from another tank and put in there will most likely die. There should be plenty of algae by now though. I don't think your tank cover is too tight or your light too strong.

Any updates?