General help with cycle.

[iroll253]

Curious if ill be okay throwing a rock covered in green hair in my new tank with all my cured rock to start my cycle, with out letting it sit without lights.

I like the shape and there is about a 60 head colony of zoos on it.

Will the zoos survive the cycle? How much will them and the green hair have an effect on the cycle, i was planning on just waiting till all the green hair died off and my nitrates of course to be at zero before water changing. Maybe a month or so later.

 

[Bosco83]

I wouldn't want to put green hair algae in my tank on purpose you would probably regret that later on.

Brian

 

[iroll253]

Wouldn't it just eventually die off or would i just face problems with it coming back?
Do you think that the zoas are enough to feed the algae and cause a breakout in the tank?

 

[returnofsid]

You'll have more of a chance of it spreading than of it dying off. Also, the Zoanthids surviving a full blown cycle is highly unlikely. Chip the piece of rock with the Zoanthids off, place them in another tank, or with a friend, until cycle is complete. Remove as much of the hair algae as possible, prior to putting the rock in the tank.

 

[iroll253]

Alright will do. When my past tanks were cycling i would usually get green hair on the new rocks i just figured it would die off with the rest of it through its cycle.

 

[NC2WA]

i just figured it would die off with the rest of it through its cycle.

Nope. It will add fuel to the fire and it will spread like mad...leave that headache for someone else.

 

[burning2nd]

u should id the algea.. b4 you do anything... could end up saveing you a lot more money then you know

 

[Scooterman]

Every rock you get that is live will have some sort of algae, knowledge of the common ones helps determine how you keep it from taking over your tank. This does sounds like you would be adding to the fire, rocks that look totally clean will one day pop up with all sorts of life on it & algae is part of a requirement to have a successful tank believe it or not. Most propel prefer Coralline because it is encrusted & pushes out other unwanted alga's but sooner or later you will deal with all sorts of alga's & their unique characteristics, good or bad!

 

[burning2nd]

Well put scooter , i forgot to mention qt

Get a qt tank

 

[HumblePie]

I agree. Dropping a rock with (potentially) hair algae on it into a cycling tank is increasing your chances of spreading the algae to other rocks and around the tank. Probably best to not include it unless you scrub it and boil it first...

 

[iroll253]

I scrubbed the hell out of it but didn't boil it. There is no algae left visible to my eye. But after the first cycle with my rock when algae does present itself should i just seed the tank with Coraline and battle the other algae with my media reactor, skimmer and fuge? I mean since i'm not feeding wont it just die down?

 

[iroll253]

I was thinking, after the first month or so getting a small black spine sea urchin while there is nothing else in the display to take care of the rest of it. Then giving him back to my lfs after he has nothing else to eat. Im about a week and a half in and diatoms are presenting its self along with hair algae.

 

[IWishIWasAFish]

I have stomatella snails...once they reproduced enough almost all of my non-coraline micro-algae(including green hair) virtually disappeared. The only thing they won't eat is this brown hair/fur stuff. Personally, I wouldn't eat that either - it looks yucky ;-) but I think based on its location that growth is just a sign I need a new T5 bulb in front. The snails hide, so I don't see them much, but now they are under every rock I move. If you are ever up this way I'll happily give you some.

 

[iroll253]

lol Thanks ill keep that in mind.