New tank syndrome in an addition?

[doch]

Ok, I added a frag tank and a water change tank to my relatively new, but fully cycled tank. I have noticed over the last couple of weeks that the algae in the frag tank has exploded. Up untill now, I just figured that I need a clean up crew, but tonight my wife suggested that it's only NTS. Is this possible? The frag tank is the same water as the 160... but it has a huge algae bloom. Is it a bloom that I should wait our, or should I add some serious clean up crew?

Something to add... I'm running cheap made in china ebay style LED lights on the tank. All the corals seem to be doing OK.. not spectacular, but OK... could this be the problem?

[reefwars]

whay kind of algae like diatoms??

[Cal_stir]

I would say NTS, it takes about 6 months to completely cycle a system, any time you add something to a new system it will cycle,the system will adjust, wait it out, don't add anything else for a while.

[doch]

There's a little bit of diatoms, but mostly a weird hair algae that I've never seen before. I'm not going to be adding anything until November... I'm working a shutdown right now so there's not much time for anything but work. Hopefully by then it's settled in. I just wish that I had a chance to grab a handful of snails and hermits for the sump and the frag tank. Oh well.

[Myka]

Explaining algae with NTS is a crock imo. The only algae that should be expected is diatoms. Anything else is a nutrient problem. Do you have GFO? Have you tested nitrate and phosphate? If so, which kits, what readings?

[reefwars]

Originally Posted by Myka

Explaining algae with NTS is a crock imo. The only algae that should be expected is diatoms. Anything else is a nutrient problem. Do you have GFO? Have you tested nitrate and phosphate? If so, which kits, what readings?

i knew it would happen eventually but we agreed on something lol

shes right , algae feeds and like anything if it starves it dies.diatoms will die off and dissapear in time as well and if theres any sort of excess nutrients in your tank algae will feed off it and it really doesnt take much.i doubt your light is the problem

[reefermadness]

Originally Posted by Myka

Explaining algae with NTS is a crock imo. The only algae that should be expected is diatoms. Anything else is a nutrient problem. Do you have GFO? Have you tested nitrate and phosphate? If so, which kits, what readings?

I agree that it's not NTS or a "cycle". But I don't agree that it has to be a nutrient problem. I have done this a few times and what I notice is that when adding a new brightly light frag tank to an existing system, you will get algae in the frag tank for months till the new surfaces get coralline and bacteria coated.

In fact I just did the same thing again about a month ago....and my frag tank is growing algae like no ones business....yet my display is awesome with not a sign of algae and 0.00ppm p04 on a hanna in the system. I know I don't have a nutrient problem.

This can be explained by my above statement about new surfaces and also the fact that I have many algae eating inhabitants in the display tank and none in the frag tank.

People say if you can grow algae you have a nutrient problem.....which you may but it's not a very good sign. Many algae's (especially macro algae such as hair, cheato, clalurpa and bubble) need very little nutrients to grow. Think of awesome tanks with refugiums loaded with algae.

Micro alage like diatoms should never be an on going problem.

I say you manually clean for now and add some fish or snails if you can. It should get better in time. It's good to run the tank for a few months with nothing in it and the light on it.

[Myka]

Darryl, I've seen this many times as well. I can explain this.

As you said, the new surfaces don't have a bacteria coating nor any coralline algae growth. This means there is nothing competing against the algae in that tank. If a person leaves the new tank in the dark (cover it) for a few weeks to age it without light he won't get this algae bloom. Some people call it NTS, I would prefer to call it Reefer Not Taking Required Steps For Prevention.

Hair algae actually requires quite a lot of nutrients to grow well. If there is hair algae there is a nutrient problem, a person can't argue that imo.

Chaeto, Caulerpa, and especially Valonia all require much less nutrients. This is why Chaeto and Caulerpa are often used for macroalgae culture for nutrient export. Valonia is too invasive for most people to want to use as it releases spores, and requires very very little nutrients to grow very well which can be problematic. Caulerpa can "go sexual" and spawn in the tank, so it is often avoided for nutrient export as well. Valonia and Caulerpa have roots so pieces that break off will sprout up elsewhere which can make them invasive. Chaeto doesn't have roots and doesn't "go sexual" so it doesn't sprout up elsewhere and is not invasive. Chaeto and Caulerpa will not survive in an ULNS provided by Zeovit or other systems, however Valonia may still persist...that is low little nutrients it requires.

Awesome tanks loaded with macroalgae in a culture tank (I prefer this word to refugium as I believe a refugium is not for nutrient export, but for zooplankton culture) are possible because there are excess nutrients in the tank. The macro culture tank provides a place to store the culture algae away from an area where it could become invasive. Chaeto is a great tool for this because as described, it is not invasive, but also because it requires less nutrients than hair algae, diatoms, cyano, dinos, etc. So Chaeto will suck up the small amount of nutrients before they can build up to a point where there are enough nutrients that other algae will start to grow. Essentially, Chaeto will out compete most other algae provided it has a good place to grow.

[Cal_stir]

Originally Posted by Myka

Explaining algae with NTS is a crock imo. The only algae that should be expected is diatoms. Anything else is a nutrient problem. Do you have GFO? Have you tested nitrate and phosphate? If so, which kits, what readings?

The frag tank is a new tank and the algae is only in that tank, if there is a nutrient problem then why no algae in the main tank. the frag tank should cycle it out, could be something that was on the glass, imo.

[Myka]

Originally Posted by Cal_stir

The frag tank is a new tank and the algae is only in that tank, if there is a nutrient problem then why no algae in the main tank. the frag tank should cycle it out, could be something that was on the glass, imo.

I thought I explained that in my last post...?

Originally Posted by Myka

the new surfaces don't have a bacteria coating nor any coralline algae growth. This means there is nothing competing against the algae in that tank. If a person leaves the new tank in the dark (cover it) for a few weeks to age it without light he won't get this algae bloom. Some people call it NTS, I would prefer to call it Reefer Not Taking Required Steps For Prevention.