Dear all,
Happy new year! It's been 1 month and 3 days since I set up my 2.5gallon tank without shrimp but I have still yet to see any algae growth. It it normal? My LED has been set on a 12hrs cycle. How can I further encourage its growth?
Secondly, how do opae's tank "cycle" without any ammonia and filter?
Thank you.
New tank algae
Moderator: Mustafa
Re: New tank algae
this was highly discouraged but i actually had the same thought when i started with my tank and found that i can add plants to encourage natural "life cycle" and also found that Marimo moss balls can live in brackish water. i had 1 Marimo ball so after a small acclamation period, i put it in the tank and found this to be helpful. so i added 2 more.
this was discouraged because these Marimo balls came from a unknown source and you may be introducing parasites you may not want in your tank. which is a reality when introducing plants and animals into a tank but when plan not to have a filter, the risk can be a quite a bit higher then it would be treat for parasites with a filter.
also,I ended up with worms.
let this be a lesson to you...
if you look up how other people got there tanks started you will see that there are 2 key factors: light and air. plants will grow well enough with a light that is 600-800 lumen, i have a 800 lumen bulb. "lumen" or "lm" is the light strength. you can get light with more lumen but having a stronger light isn't always good, some plants can't take it so its important to make sure that you have the right light for the job. you can get the nice lights from a pet store as long as you consult with them and made sure that it was intended for plants and not just for show/displaying the fish and/or coral.
also, it would be go idea to have it exposed to air. algae spores float in the air, will collect on the surface of the water first and then make their way down so if you want algae you need to keep the tank exposed. even in the winter months, all you'll need is one spore and it will grow like wild fire with good lighting.
if you really want to get a head start while by-passing any risks from adding a aquatic plant, your better off ordering the moss ball from the super shrimp site. the moss ball will have algae on it and in it and it will help gave it a boost. maybe if you order the moss ball and make a note of your intention and the trouble your having, he may give you a nice algae covered one.
hope this helps.
this was discouraged because these Marimo balls came from a unknown source and you may be introducing parasites you may not want in your tank. which is a reality when introducing plants and animals into a tank but when plan not to have a filter, the risk can be a quite a bit higher then it would be treat for parasites with a filter.
also,I ended up with worms.
let this be a lesson to you...if you look up how other people got there tanks started you will see that there are 2 key factors: light and air. plants will grow well enough with a light that is 600-800 lumen, i have a 800 lumen bulb. "lumen" or "lm" is the light strength. you can get light with more lumen but having a stronger light isn't always good, some plants can't take it so its important to make sure that you have the right light for the job. you can get the nice lights from a pet store as long as you consult with them and made sure that it was intended for plants and not just for show/displaying the fish and/or coral.
also, it would be go idea to have it exposed to air. algae spores float in the air, will collect on the surface of the water first and then make their way down so if you want algae you need to keep the tank exposed. even in the winter months, all you'll need is one spore and it will grow like wild fire with good lighting.
if you really want to get a head start while by-passing any risks from adding a aquatic plant, your better off ordering the moss ball from the super shrimp site. the moss ball will have algae on it and in it and it will help gave it a boost. maybe if you order the moss ball and make a note of your intention and the trouble your having, he may give you a nice algae covered one.
hope this helps.
Re: New tank algae
Here's an option. Just pay for shipping and I'll send you water seeded with algae from my tanks. You figure maybe a half gallon or quart? That is if you're here in the U.S. Just a thought. Or you can go to your local fish store and get their salt water amd then mix it.
Re: New tank algae
I think when you have quite a bit of waste generated by the opae you get more algae right? Algae needs a food source. I no longer feed mine but I did at one point, That's why there's so much algae present. My jars show less waste but I had only fed mine 3x to start, Still there's quite a bit of biofilm. Opae are doing well and breeding in the jars.
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Nellyville41
- Shrimp
- Posts: 156
- Joined: Fri Nov 24, 2017 2:01 pm
Re: New tank algae
You’re fine. Order the shrimps and snails and algae in like 2 weeks. Mine never developed any visible signs of algae. They always ate the microorganisms. The algae barely developed after and it’s hard to see but it’s there.