New tank question

[Joel_155]

Hey all,
So im in the middle of my cycle ( which is proving to be a painly slow process...but i know to be patient ) and ive noticed that some of my live rock is changing color. A few pieces are starting to develop a dark green / brown color on them. I assume that this is a good thing but im not sure. Any info on this? I dont have a photo but i can post one later on if that will help.

My tank is a 100 gallon reef ready tank with dual overflows. Ive got a 30 gallon sump and a 10 gallon refugium. For flow im using a mag 12 as my return and ive got a tunze 6105. Ive got two AI sol blue units but those havent been mounted yet. Any info about this would be appreciated. Thanks!

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[Humuhumunuku]

Could be algae or diatoms or cyanobacteria. You'll notice your tank go through different stages as various nutrient levels change and something more efficient at using them takes over.

[Joel_155]

http://i1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa446/joele_6817w/2012-04-22_14-46-08_229.jpg

Heres a shot of what im talking about. Its a cellphone pic so the quality isnt fantastic

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[Humuhumunuku]

Probably diatoms... they will pass in time. They are using up silicates, as your filtration removes them, you'll remove the silicates, and someone new will set up shop!

[Reeferz412]

All part of the beginning stages of your tank, you should be overjoyed this is appearing. Test your parameters and see where your tank stands, chemistry wise! Look out for nitrates, that means your tank is ready for a water change.

[Joel_155]

Okay thats what i was hoping to hear. Ive been testing my parameters every day and my ammonia and its been staying around .75 ppm. My nitrites / nitrates have consistently stayed at zero. I assume that the process is going fine but i guess im just looking for confirmation that the process is going fine.

The ammonia level hasnt gotten any higher than. 75 for as long as ive been testing the water. To start the process i had a shrimp in for 2 days...took that out bc it started to stink and then ghost fed the tank. A few weeks later i added a mandarin goby (huge mistake...lfs sold me a fish that requires an established tank....im pretty sure its dying) .

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[Reeferz412]

Well, you know what you did wrong and that is what matters. Any update on your parameters?

[jerseygurl]

I'm late on this thread but did you save the Mandarin? If it's still alive please rescue it.