Cycling Tank

[Steve...]

Hi Everyone,

I have been cycling my 220 gal for close to 3 months now and I still noticed a bit of hair algae on the rocks. Should I wait for the algae to die off first before adding live stock? I added a bunch of Turbo snails to help clean up
and have bio pellets in a reactor. Any thoughts? I have my fish in qt right now. I would say 95 % of the algae is gone.

[daplatapus]

How long has everything been in QT?

[Aquattro]

3 months? I'd say your tank was ready at least 6 weeks ago. Hair algae isn't a sign of curing, it's a sign of excess nutrients.

[Steve...]

so what would you recommend of I do? Hold of adding any fish until I get if fixed or should I get a fish that will take care of the problem.

[Aquattro]

What are your nutrient levels at? PO4/NO3, primarily. Are you running a skimmer? What kind? Water change schedule?
You could add a fish or three, but not to take care of the problem. The algae is your problem, not the fishes'
Adding fish will add more nutrients, so have a management/remediation plan before you go there. You either need to skim very efficiently or do frequent larger water changes.

Lighting can also encourage algae, so it might be a good idea to list all gear (make/model), levels of nutrients, water change schedule, RO or tap water.

[daplatapus]

And I would humbly add, if your fish have been QT'd long enough. Nothing like taking your time getting this far and introducing fish you've QT'd for only 2 weeks.

[The Grizz]

Originally Posted by Steve...

have bio pellets in a reactor. Any thoughts?

I'm I the only one that caught this...............it's NOT a good idea to run pellets this soon. It is reccomended that your tank matures for at least 6 months first to build up the proper levels of beneficial elements. Pellets can strip a system of everything bad & good very very fast. It's also recommended to start off with 1/4 of the recommended amount of pellets for your water volume & SLOWLY add to the recommended amount over several months.