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cubsfan79
02/18/2009, 08:15 AM
I asked yesterday and nobody responded my tank has been set up for a year and a half now and i just recently changed my bulbs in my t5 fixture why all the sudden is my tank turning brown all over my rock and powerheads looks like the first month it was cycling can someone tell me am i going for a crash or whats up???

cubsfan79
02/18/2009, 08:16 AM
and also the other changes i have made was i added a phosban reactor a few days ago too with some gfo from bulk reef supply maybe it is leaching

chimmike
02/18/2009, 08:25 AM
well, if you had the tank for a year and a half, the bulbs were overdue for a change. New bulbs are putting out much more PAR which is causing the algae to grow. Give your CUC time to take care of it and it will go away.

landlord
02/18/2009, 08:29 AM
I must be nobody, because I responded yesterday

:(

In any case stirring up the sandbed, with a dropped powerhead, can release nitrogen / nitrates / phosphates back into your system. I have had this happen as the result of a rock fall. Simply standing the rock back up caused a bloom. Time and regular maintenance should get you back to good again.

Good Luck --landlord

cubsfan79
02/18/2009, 08:34 AM
thanks landlord u did respond yesterday i just like mixed opinions because things like this freak me out i have put soo much money into this hobby and my worst fear is a sudden crash,again thanks for ur replies

landlord
02/18/2009, 08:39 AM
I hear you on mixed opinions. I wouldn't look for the "harder to grasp" ideas. As mentioned above the act of changing the bulb will increase the output level. That alone could cause more algae growth but I imagine that it would be uniform (glass, equipment, sand, etc) Your case where the algae is brown in color and primarily on the liverock and sandbed. To me that screams sandbed disturbance, plus I have witnessed it in my own tank.

I hear you about the cash aspect. When I had my issue 2 months back I thought the whole tank would be taken over by the brown muck. Again stick to your routines of maintenance maybe due a little "Turkey Basting" of the liverock. It should pull through.

Personally I spent 14.99 on a little sea cucumber for my own "Piece of Mind". I cannot say for sure if he helped but I wanted to cover my bases.

--landlord