Algea.............................

[jojo22]

It could (if you left them off for a long time) but black outs are used in extreme cases of algae in established tanks as well.

I have a feeling that your cycle may kill them anyways depending on how you set up the tank and are cycling it.

[MizTanks]

Dont mean to highjack this thread but as it pertains to the subject I gotta add my little mishap here.
Hair Algae issues but no phos readings? No readings cause the algae's eating it all up? Where's the phos/nitrates coming from? Hmmmm ahdah! Could it be the LR rubble I added to chamber #2 of my biocube? The LR rubble I got from the LFS and didn't even clean it, but just put it right in there from the bag. Thinking I was doing something cool? Something IN! NOW what do I do? Anybody????

[jojo22]

Well if it is just from the rubble (which I doubt) the HA will die off once the Phos is gone. Have you tested your source water, if the problem persists that is an indicator that you are adding something on a regular basis that has a reading of some type, or that something in your tank is leaching it into the water. After all ti doesn't just show up. But finding the source can be a real pain some times.

[tazzy695]

first off most phos tests arent verry accuret

another thing is check your source water or anything else in the system

[igot2gats]

Yes, I agree - turn off your lights when cycling. How bad is the hair algae? If it's just "here & there", don't worry too much about it. If it's consistently accumulating, I'd pick it out until you start to add a CUC.

[minichops]

Thanks guys. I turned off the lights for two days and the ha is almost all gone. Now Ive got a few other issues. What are the little white aafid things on the glass? Will a six line wrasse eat them? Also does anyone know what the little pink invertabrates are with the little white extentions that come out in the dark? When the lights come back on they retract and look like a little pink bump. I have a bunch that came on my LR. There is a glass anemone in my tank that just killed the crap out of one:/

[tazzy695]

ok for the ids first thing I would guess it is a copod cant be sure without pics

the second I would have to guess bristle worm again cant be sure without pics

and lastly kill the glass anemone they will kill any corals and several other things in the tank
easy way to kill glass nems is take a dosing seringe and a coffee cup full or water as hot as you can get it (without burning yourself) suck the near boiling water into the seringe and burn the glass nem it will literaly melt away

[graphixx]

agreed that your little bugs are "pods" and a bristleworm.. these are "good guys" that means that your tanks is slowly starting to get established. your nitrobacter and nitrosomas should be being established as well.

in your cycles have you had your nitrite and nitrate peak yet? I would almost assume that you have since your 4 weeks into your cycle.

[minichops]

Im using ro water and Im still getting quite a bit of algea in my tank. Ive got a frog spawn coral, a button pollip, a 6-line wrasse, and a cleaner shrimp, so would a blackout be out of the question? I guess I need an active hair algea eater thats not a sea slug, and wont eat snails....golly

[Werdlone]

the second thing you are describing sounds like mini anemonies. they have a pink base with clear tentacles with little white balls on the end of the tentacles. Only get to about the size of a dime at most. Usually hide in crevices or underside of rocks...they are harmless filter feeders. They don't like light so you typically won't see them unless the lights are out and you look with a flashlight.