I had a 60 gal reef 20 years ago in college and have missed it ever since. So I recently started a 10 gal nano just 2 weeks ago. I'm right in the thick of my diatom bloom as well. Dr. Tim's sure does help! Same thing with the adjustable light colors... solutions we didn't have back inthe day! It's amazing how much the hobby has progressed. Glad to be back in it and glad to see you enjoying it so much, even through the "ugly" times. Your tank looks great!
Nice update. As already said the ugly stage is the norm but you are doing the right thing. Also adding live food such as copepods, baby brine shrimp will help along with additional food for fish.
You said it Jay, stability is key and not to chase those ‘perfect’ numbers. The ugly stage will come and go if you just keep what you’re doing. That’s when the patience part of the hobby will kick in again, easy and tempting to grab the chemicals early on for the quick fix. Interesting vid from Tidal Gardens recently about an algae issue in one of their tanks that’s worth a watch.
Yes, I saw the tidal gardens video on the SPS tank. Very interesting. The issue I have is I can't use a fleet of tangs to hoover it all up. Definitely, going to draft in some more clean up crew. Have a lovely weekend 👍
Hi, Jay just give your tank time to process this cycle. Dont panic it's natural to happen in any aquarium. I remember when my pristine tank just flipped over night and it was worrying, I took advice just maintained water changes and 3 weeks later it passed just like that. I didnt add any chemicals to the tank and I ran my lights still for 11 hours a day but dropped the percentage to only 25% blue. Keep up the videos, I'm in touch with Ryan at prestige at the moment too as trying to find a nice hammer/frogspawn for the tank. This was just how I done it, have a good weekend. Ian
Great advice mate. I really appreciate you giving up your time to help me. Your right, I'm going to keep up with regular water changes. It's reassuring that it should pass in a few weeks. Music to my ears. 👍 Can't wait for my prestige reef delivery. Happy Reefing this weekend 👌
Brilliant video. I have been watching your video's for about a year before I took the plunge and got myself a Red Sea Max Peninsula. I am a few weeks in with fish, CUC and a small GSO frag and hit the ugly stage for sure! Good to know that you have did what I was going to do myself, always a comfort to know I am doing the right things haha Also, filter floss around the return pump is ace. That will be done later tonight to stop the low humming from what is a near silent tank 👍
So worth it when people watch the videos and it helps them with their reefing build. After the first 14 months the tank then gets established and it's so much easier. These little Red Sea Max Nano are a brilliant all in one beginner reef. You should try and join us for a livestream, the one tonight is at 8pm on the Fishpalace RUclips channel. Would be great to have you in the chat. If you want to know anything just ask mate. Thank you for watching and commenting. Take Care 🙂
Great video again Jay and glad so see you are back!! Sorry to see your tank going through the ugly stage. Im sure you will get it back to its best soon. Jump guards, what a nightmare!!
Loving that new logo mate 👍 Didn't recognise you at first. Like you say, up the water changes, easy on a nano and some new clean up crew to crack the whip on it all. 😂👌 Happy reefing this weekend.
Don’t worry jay it’s just a phase that everyone goes through, keep them nitrates and phosphates controlled and it will die off. Crack on with the maintenance and water changes and just patience mate. I know it’s hard, even after multiple reefs, if I’ve had diatoms or cyano. I want it gone immediately 😂. Another top Video 👍🏼
That's so reassuring to here from someone who had the experience of going through it. I've got my second large water change today, and I'm going to employ a few more cleanup crew and then get cracking the whip 😂 Happy reefing this weekend. 👍
The ugly stage is unpleasant, but doesn't last very long thankfully. Thank you for watching and commenting. If there is anything else you want to know, just ask? Take care 👍
I’m sure you won’t be disappointed with Ryan’s corals! I hope not since I’ve got a bunch coming as well! You’ll get past the ugly stage. Just stick to the plan!
Too many! I bought 7 in the end up... so much for taking things slow! 😂 I’ll be doing a RUclips update soon with them all in there and unboxing them corals.
That’s the plan! I’m gonna go for a straight out the wrapper approach as I get too bogged down by the details when I try and post and end up not posting but gonna make a more conscientious to get something out.
Hi Jay, i also got a diatom bloom since last week. The funny thing is, its only on one side of the tank, since my pistol shrimp keeps digging and moving the sand on the other half of the tank. Im going to get some snails too next week, but until then, i‘m just gonna do regular water changes.
Glad to see another video , I’ve had the diatoms as well , the gobys done a good job with the sand by flipping it all & my CUC finally starting to make a small dent in it - emerald crabs seem to be munching on it all day . I’ve tried to buy some trocus snails for the rock work but seem to be sold out everywhere ! We’ll get through this 💪🏼
Done to large water changes now and that's helped to reduce it. I'm going to employ a few more cleanup crew and get them grafting. Happy reefing this weekend mate 👌
Hopefully it clears up in the next few weeks. I'm going to employ some more clean up crew this weekend and crack the whip! 😂. Then its back to coral shopping. Appreciate you helping me. Happy reefing this weekend, I've got a feeling you will be busy👌
@@jaysrealreefuk I definitely will be haha 😆 aww fingers are all crossed for you Jay it will be beautiful in no time and thank you hope you have a great weekend also 🤗
Looks like you doing the right things! You can use a mix of bacteria additives like the Dr Tim’s, Vibrant, and Microbacter 7 they are all different but do the same so adding a mix is good. Also looking into micro bubble scrubbing when you do a water change. It is taking a power head and pulling it just to the surface so it makes a million micro bubbles this will essentially skim your entire tank. Run the filter for a bit to clean out the skim scum then do your water change. Going through a cyano out break myself and it is annoying! Good Luck!
I really appreciate you taking the time to help me. I will give this bubble scrubbing a go, it seems like a great strategy. Thank you for your loyality to the channel. Hope you and your family are all well. Take care.
Hello from Liverpool dude. Don't worry about all this things, leave the nature to do its job we are here only to help this process with some maintenance on regular basis . Try to use less chemicals and add more natural sources and useful stuff, but most important thing is your regular water changes. Don't stress your corals with all this dark and blue environment, the most corals we are keeping comes from shallow and not very deep waters and they need as much close to nature light source, full spectrum is very important, but this is up to you. There is a good articles about lights and very good video series from Bulk reef supply . I know people trying to help giving advices and sometimes too much advices lead to crash . Do your own research and you will understand the things better than just follow what people say, then you will never get exactly what's going on. Dr.Tims products are great , but I moved to another brand so the choice here is yours what to use . I'm currently battling diatoms as well as I moved to a bigger tank, changed my lights from led to t5 and few more other things that lead to this problems , but I'm getting there slowly . Nice channel and keep going lad.
Really appreciate you taking the time to help me. A definite voice of experience with these issues. I've reverted back to the LPS setting on the lighting since yesterday as it was stunting the growth of the corals. I've got another large water change today, so I feel I'm slowly turning the tide. Hope your tank is going well. Take Care mate 👍
@@arthurman9021 Brightwell Microbacter7, Microbacter clean to add more biodiversity and to clean rocks and sand , also I have Aquaforest ProBio S and ProBio F , there is lot of stuff on the market. Pridibio is a good brand as well. I'm not going mad with bacteria, adding some more concentrated with water changes and probiotic Aquaforest Probio F powdered bacteria on daily base one little scoop but this is only the first year of my new set up when tank matures I will use them only on monthly base just to maintain the population. This my approach. My tank is without sump and biological filtration is only rocks and sand .
Jay You have a cracking handle on it... and as always a great quality vid! Haven’t read everyone’s comments below but It looked like diatoms and hair algae to me. I would: Get a conch to eat the diatoms Keep going with the great water change and cleaning regimen... it will come good. Don’t get too hung up on loads more dr timms your tank is well seeded with the right bacteria now. Either way I love how much research and knowledge you have e being so new to the hobby... it’s a great attitude and will ensure you have absolute success long term...
Yeah, I've done alot of research and reading to try and get my head around this complex hobby. But that's what I love about it. I appreciate your tips and advice. I'm going to follow it to the letter. Looking forward to your next uodate. Hope all is well with the new fish. The Peacock wrasse is ace 👌. Genuinely, thank you for your help. Happy reefing this weekend.
Wow that tropic Marin salt mixes crystal clear. I’ve been using Reef crystals that seems to always be cloudy no matter how long you mix it. Think I may try and switch salts now, lol. Great, informative video! I found your channel from Nathan W. I just subscribed! 👍🏻
@David I use TM Pro and like how fast and clear it mixes up. But it mixes up to 7.2 PH. I am trying to get a PH of 8.3 to 8.5 @Jay's Real Reef UK how do you get it to mix at 8.3?
@@dannycastaneda1974 No I haven’t switched yet, because I have a bunch of Reef Crystals that I’m trying to use up first. I’ll be picking some up in the near future, I’ll get back to you on the PH numbers once i get my hands on some TM. Do you have any thoughts on whether an air stone may help with the PH when mixing TM? My guess is that the air stone won’t raise the PH to substantially anyways.
@@Messier87_M87 I have a huge bucket of TM Pro I bought recently. I was thinking of trying to sell it and switch to something else. I'm no expert but I don't think an air stone is a good idea when mixing saltwater. It may lower the alkalinity which could affect the ph.
Hello jay ! It looks like diatoms and hair algae nothing to worry at all about just keep up with the gravel vacuum and for the hair algae get more sails and a sea urchin they live for algae
Thank you so much mate. I think the clean up crew is the next step. Best get down to the LSF. Hopefully I can get on top of this on the next few weeks. Really appreciate your help. Take Care.
Water changes can actually fuel diatoms. Silicates are what fuel them. Salt has silicates as well as your water source even if it has been RODI treated
I agree, it is a tricky one trying to battle diatoms. Manual removal and a water change did help me manage their populations and keep them at a sustainable level. Appreciate the comment and hope to see you in the next video.
I've heard Dr Tim's waste away is a good product. I use the eco balance which is brilliant. It real helps to keep pests like Cyano, Dino's and diatoms away. Thank you for watching and commenting. 🙂
I feel your pain, I found Cyano to be flow related so increase the flow and try to eliminate "dead spots". Lastly, forget Yorkshire Tea........ You should have Dr Tims as your sponsor at this stage! :)
Hahaha...I need shares in Dr Tim's 😂🤣. I've just ordered another powerhead, just a cheap Jaebo for now, which should arrive by tomorrow. Hopefully that fixes it along with a few additional clean up crew. How's your tank coming along?
I had this in my first year, the red slimy stuff with bubbles. It was on the sand and even started appearing on the rocks. One dose of chemiclean and that was sorted. As for GHA, just do weekly water changes and then ensure you rinse your biomedia with the saltwater you take out, you will get a sh** done of nitrates and junk. This helped me and now I hardly get GHA. I keep my biomedia (seachem matrix) in 2 bags so easy to pull out and rinse during water changes.
Appreciate you taking the time to help me. I will use chemclean as a last resort, but it's still an option. I review the progress on a week. Just done two water changes and that's helping I think. Hope your tank is goijg well. Happy reefing this weekend 👍
That's interesting, not read about raising the temp strategy. That gives me another tool r strategy before the dreaded chemicals, which I'm trying to avoid at all costs. New clean up crew tomorrow and I will lay them double time for a good clean up 😂👍. Happy reefing this weekend.
Literally just increased my temp to 82 as well to combat a slight Dino problem along with ordering a UV sterilizer. Heard higher temps not only reduces nuisance algae but also promotes better growth.
All been there buddy keep nutrients down and keep the cleaning maybe get a wavemaker for some more flow keep vaccing the sand it will soon clear not sure if u got one but maybe a small conch up your cleaning crew a bit but u will get through it I had one of those tanks but didn't think much of the skimmer so upgraded to the tunze one with controler but more flow will deffo help to
Great video as always, Re-watching all the videos after I started my first tank and its so exciting to see similar problems and progress on my tank to what you experienced. Most of the answers to my problems during the cycle I'm getting from your videos. Now I'm on day 15 and started to see diatoms on my sand bed and some of the rock ( I don't run lights at the moment), but funny enough the side towards the window triggered the diatoms and they started growing on one side of the tank. It took 15 days for the ammonia to reach near 0, after dosing the ammonia twice (day 1 and day 3) and using Dr Tims, but now I'm having nitrite spikes and waiting for them to be converted to nitrates. Can you recall how long your tank took to convert the nitrites to nitrates?
Thank you so much. Really pleased you find the videos helpful. It seems like your tank is following the same path mine did. Nitrates took ages! At least 6 weeks after starting the cycle to register 0.5ppm nitrates. Are you on Instagram? I would love to follow your journey. Thank you for taking the time to comment. 👍
@@jaysrealreefuk not on Instagram at the moment, but might actually create an an account just to document my journey :) Gotta fix my phone camera beforehand, as the time I decided not to purchase phone insurance ( I've had one for 6 years and never claimed any device) the first year I didn't buy out the insurance, I smacked the camera....
Deeper sand beds. This is a thing of the past but think about how deep the ocean sand bed is. It filters the entire system. If you make a deeper sand bed, you allow colonies to grow. These critters prevent build up and gases to build up and prevent nitrate from the water. You’ll be amazed at how nature takes over without chemicals and all these fancy gadgets these corporations have u buying. They tell you aesthetics are more important so your sand bed is an inch or two, maybe even smaller. You allow no filtration. The snails don’t have enough room to burry themselves. Then you have critters that break up things even more the deeper you go with the sand. Since I’ve had deep sand bed, I’ve never had a single problem with my levels. I barely even have to check them. Nature is the best way. The ocean doesn’t change its water, doesn’t have a man mad filter. It has a big sand bed! It goes miles. Your sand is the most important part of having a piece of the ocean in your living space!
Hello Jay, brilliant effort, unfortunately I don't have any experience with this (or maybe I should have said fortunately) but I'm sure it will come at some stage and will definitely follow your instructions for removing it, I do keep my whites down at a really low level on my tank tank have done from the start so hopefully won't be too bad, keep up the great work mate! (I also prefer the DD jumpguard, looks more classy than the other one you have)
Hahaha...stop it with the DD jump guard 😂 Done me head in wasting that money 😂😂. I'm employing a new clean up crew tomorrow. They are on double time! 😂. Should be on top of it soon. Hope your little friends are doing wel? lTake care mate and happy reefing this weekend.
Diatom is brown and dusty, if you use a turkey baster and blow on it, it should go into the water column. Diatom in a new tank is normal, you just need to let it burn out by itself, the extra flow is only to remove it off the sand bed and rocks, i think using a turkey baster is better for this job. Silicate is what supports the growth for diatoms and by turning off the white light doesn’t fix the issue, all that does is prolong it being in your tank for longer. If you want to remove it quicker, you’ll need something like Sera Silicate Clear. Cyanobacteria which you’ve already picked up on is basically caused by high nutrient in the water. Keep on top of what you did in your video and the cyano will go eventually. Regular water change is more than enough for the amount of corals you have in your tank...
It's always great to hear from experienced reefer like yourself. You know your stuff and I'm going to follow your advice. 👍 I'm going to recruit a new clean up crew in the next 48 hours and set them to work! We should be on top of it soon with those water changes like you say. Thank you for taking time out to help me. Happy Reefing this weekend. 👌
@@jaysrealreefuk careful not to buy too many cuc, when it all clears up they’ll have nothing to clean up. The bacteria in your tank will slowly adjust itself according to your livestock and how much you feed. If you maintain the quality of your water with stable parameters everything in your tank will fall i to place 😊
I would just like to say what a Chanel Jay, always look forward to your updates and cracking info, started a tank with my son just 12 months ago and you give us more confidence in what we are doing and joy that we are doing it wright, all the best mate, thanks again #willberwoo
Really appreciate your kind words about the channel. It's a special moment going on this journey with your children. Did you have the ugly stage? I'm slowing turning the tide and the addition of some new clean up crew is really going to help. Is that you Instagram? I would love to see your tank. Take care my friend. Wishing your family well. 👍
I was having problems with vibration from the return pump. But also it helps me to polish the water before going back into the display. Double benefit. 😊👍 Happy reefing this weekend 👌
That’s great I mite give it try the vibration on mine is killing me lol I started my nano tank same time as yours so loving your videos keep it up mate 👍
@@lukerichards1051 haha....mine was doing my head in! Pump was dancing around in the sump. It will transform your life 😂🤣. Let me know how it goes. Hows your tank getting on? Have you had an ugly stage? Really glad you follow the channel. Take care mate 👍
The clownfish should be fine, they are hardy little fish. When you add the bacteria it sits in the water column for a few hours, so thats why you have to let it settle with the skimmer off. The bacteria will colonise the sand, rock and biomedia. So if you vac the sand you should top up the bacteria eevey now and again. I pour most of my bacteria in the sump. Few weeks and it should pass. Keep up with the regular water changes, but make sure you have phosphate and nitrate readings. Don't want to crash the tank. You will be fine mate 👍
Man i just used chemiclean because i got frustrated and now i regret it because its brown algae and i thought it was cyano. No im extremely frustrated please help.
@@jaysrealreefuk man im at work and now im worried that when i get home my tank will look bad. Tomorrow as soon as i wake up i will do a huge water change and take all the steps you did in this video. Should i take your steps tomorrow and also add a bag of chemi pure blue ? With the light spectrum i thought it was cyano till i cut the blues and realized its just a bad algae bloom.
@@jaysrealreefuk of course we are all in this together. Just have to take your time, as is always said nothing good happens fast in a reef tank. I’ve had several systems and all but one has gone through this I’ve learned the hard way haha
I used 3 things about this issue mate, Rowa-phos Water change little more than usual weekly And sand sifting starfish to move the substrate But I think u have cyano bacteria and green hair algea on the rocks
Yep, that's the right approach. How long did it take to get rid of your issues. Definitely need to pick up some more clean up crew over the weekend. Thank you for taking the time to follow and comment.
@@jaysrealreefuk diatoms gone in 2 and half weeks but if that is cyano need some other treatment, Get some blue hermit crabs they are good cyano bacteria eaters and for me the best sand sifting clean up crew is the sand sifting star fish, trust me because i did try lots others clean up crews
Sorry, but that's reassuring and makes me feel alot better 😬😂. I'm employing more clean up crew tomorrow and setting them straight to work 😂. Happy reefing this weekend. 👌
Hi Jay, I've just gone trough the same stage. Had same stuff on the sand bed which think was just diatoms. This has now burnt itself out after a few weeks and sand bed is now clear. I did nothing special to get rid just kept up the weekly water changes.
That's really re-assuring to hear. I've got 3 water changes planned in close succession. Water mixing as we speak. Also employing a new clean up crew and setting them to work tomorrow. 😂👍. Happy reefing this weekend.
So sorry mate. I've just seen your message. This is where I got mine from, but it appears to be out of stock at the moment. www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01ID6E9MM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_J6N7Y56M86C33T16JZHZ?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Looks like all diatoms to me, its unavoidable completely all tanks will go through it some just worse then others. The important thing is keep up with water changes and keep your nutrients in check, less light or shorter photo periods will help, you also dose a bacteria product to help rather it be vibrant, microbacter clean or 7 from brightwell or prodibios products all will help get through this stage and a little patience. Its a good sign your tank is on its way through the stages and will be gone soon enough
some good info. but be warned, if you do water changes & your nutrient values are already low as is, don’t do so. just siphon it into a filter sock & reuse the water
@@MACNTOSFAM 3 tanks 🙌....that's an addiction to reefing. it's going well mate. I uploaded a new video to my Instagram channel today. 🙂 I'm really enjoying the hobby.
@@jaysrealreefuk i did send 2 pictures taken by my phone , sorry I didn’t have any filter lenses, / water change weekly only, and a tiny skimmer, carbon, nothing else 😊 let me know your opinion about my tank mate
I trust what you tell me. A voice of experience. Some more clean up crew is going in tomorrow and they are getting set to work! 😂👍Happy reefing this weekend.
What are your nutrient levels at, cyano can be caused by an imbalance of nutrients even at really low levels, oxygenation feeds cyano too, all those chemi clean products work by starving cyano of oxygen, diatoms will burn out naturally, but both normal in first year or so and will correct themselves with good maintenance, just watched ending, ab+ definitely cause 🤣
Really appreciate your help mate. My nitrates are 1.41ppm and phosphates are 0.10ppm. Are the nitrates too low? I'm trying to avoid chemi clean, but never say never 😂. Yeah, bit stupid dosing AB +, so waiting till its stocked with corals. Thank you for taking the time to follow and comment. 👍
@@jaysrealreefuk nutrients good, it was just dosing the ab+ , my 220 ltr tank is 1.5 years old with moderate amount of corals and 4ml daily of ab+ did same for me, you'll beat it in no time
@@jaysrealreefuk there just so minimal can’t hardly tell they are there I love the d&d lids , all the plastic everywhere killed it for me on the other one
Minimalism is what I loved too. Also there is still condensation build up under a skeleton Clear view lid! I appreciate the honesty of your comment. 😊👍
I had a 60 gal reef 20 years ago in college and have missed it ever since. So I recently started a 10 gal nano just 2 weeks ago. I'm right in the thick of my diatom bloom as well. Dr. Tim's sure does help! Same thing with the adjustable light colors... solutions we didn't have back inthe day! It's amazing how much the hobby has progressed. Glad to be back in it and glad to see you enjoying it so much, even through the "ugly" times. Your tank looks great!
Love the Waves acoustic version!
Such a great song and appropriate for us reefers. Thank you for watching 🙂
Missed this one jay great video and advice loving the Friday night's 👍🍺
See you tonight mate 🙂🙌
Nice update. As already said the ugly stage is the norm but you are doing the right thing. Also adding live food such as copepods, baby brine shrimp will help along with additional food for fish.
You said it Jay, stability is key and not to chase those ‘perfect’ numbers. The ugly stage will come and go if you just keep what you’re doing. That’s when the patience part of the hobby will kick in again, easy and tempting to grab the chemicals early on for the quick fix. Interesting vid from Tidal Gardens recently about an algae issue in one of their tanks that’s worth a watch.
Yes, I saw the tidal gardens video on the SPS tank. Very interesting. The issue I have is I can't use a fleet of tangs to hoover it all up. Definitely, going to draft in some more clean up crew. Have a lovely weekend 👍
Ha ha, yes probably best to avoid the tang police in a nano.
Haha...I've heard about the tang police! It would end the channel 😂😂😂
Hi, Jay just give your tank time to process this cycle. Dont panic it's natural to happen in any aquarium. I remember when my pristine tank just flipped over night and it was worrying, I took advice just maintained water changes and 3 weeks later it passed just like that. I didnt add any chemicals to the tank and I ran my lights still for 11 hours a day but dropped the percentage to only 25% blue. Keep up the videos, I'm in touch with Ryan at prestige at the moment too as trying to find a nice hammer/frogspawn for the tank. This was just how I done it, have a good weekend. Ian
Great advice mate. I really appreciate you giving up your time to help me. Your right, I'm going to keep up with regular water changes. It's reassuring that it should pass in a few weeks. Music to my ears. 👍 Can't wait for my prestige reef delivery. Happy Reefing this weekend 👌
Brilliant video. I have been watching your video's for about a year before I took the plunge and got myself a Red Sea Max Peninsula. I am a few weeks in with fish, CUC and a small GSO frag and hit the ugly stage for sure! Good to know that you have did what I was going to do myself, always a comfort to know I am doing the right things haha
Also, filter floss around the return pump is ace. That will be done later tonight to stop the low humming from what is a near silent tank 👍
So worth it when people watch the videos and it helps them with their reefing build. After the first 14 months the tank then gets established and it's so much easier. These little Red Sea Max Nano are a brilliant all in one beginner reef. You should try and join us for a livestream, the one tonight is at 8pm on the Fishpalace RUclips channel. Would be great to have you in the chat. If you want to know anything just ask mate. Thank you for watching and commenting. Take Care 🙂
Great video again Jay and glad so see you are back!! Sorry to see your tank going through the ugly stage. Im sure you will get it back to its best soon. Jump guards, what a nightmare!!
Hopefully lasts only a few weeks. I'm employing a heavy clean up crew in the next 48hours 😂👍 Happy Reefing this weekend mate 👌
Great maintenance Jay. If you keep that up and with the water changes, you will get past this stage real soon 😌
Loving that new logo mate 👍 Didn't recognise you at first. Like you say, up the water changes, easy on a nano and some new clean up crew to crack the whip on it all. 😂👌 Happy reefing this weekend.
@@jaysrealreefuk Thanks mate. Really happy with it 😀 Picking up a new addition this weekend. So nervous 😬
That's an exclusive. So excited to see your video to see what it is. Have a good one mate 👍
Omg..it's not a blue spot jawfish is it! I'm going to be so jealous 😂😂😬 bag one up for me if it is.
@@jaysrealreefuk 😉
Don’t worry jay it’s just a phase that everyone goes through, keep them nitrates and phosphates controlled and it will die off. Crack on with the maintenance and water changes and just patience mate. I know it’s hard, even after multiple reefs, if I’ve had diatoms or cyano. I want it gone immediately 😂. Another top Video 👍🏼
That's so reassuring to here from someone who had the experience of going through it. I've got my second large water change today, and I'm going to employ a few more cleanup crew and then get cracking the whip 😂 Happy reefing this weekend. 👍
This has been really helpful, my max nano has just started the ugly stage.
The ugly stage is unpleasant, but doesn't last very long thankfully. Thank you for watching and commenting. If there is anything else you want to know, just ask? Take care 👍
Great video! Thank you
Thank you. Hope you found it useful 🙂. Have a great weekend.
I’m sure you won’t be disappointed with Ryan’s corals! I hope not since I’ve got a bunch coming as well! You’ll get past the ugly stage. Just stick to the plan!
Super excited for my Prestige Reef delivery. What did you go for.
Too many! I bought 7 in the end up... so much for taking things slow! 😂 I’ll be doing a RUclips update soon with them all in there and unboxing them corals.
Goodness...7 I'm so jealous. I could only afford 3 🤣😂. I will definitely be watching the arrival of your new corals mate. 👍
Are you doing the unboxing on your channel mate?
That’s the plan! I’m gonna go for a straight out the wrapper approach as I get too bogged down by the details when I try and post and end up not posting but gonna make a more conscientious to get something out.
Hi Jay, i also got a diatom bloom since last week. The funny thing is, its only on one side of the tank, since my pistol shrimp keeps digging and moving the sand on the other half of the tank. Im going to get some snails too next week, but until then, i‘m just gonna do regular water changes.
Haha..got to love a pistol shrimp 😂. Clean up crew is definitely the key. I'm going to set my new clean up crew to work tomorrow on double time 😂👌
Hi Jay, will email you a link. Getting both these in my frag tank since adding the coral 2 weeks ago. It’s worth a read. All the best.
Awesome link my friend. Thank you for sharing. It the link and your experiences. It really does help me. Happy Reefing this weekend.
Glad to see another video , I’ve had the diatoms as well , the gobys done a good job with the sand by flipping it all & my CUC finally starting to make a small dent in it - emerald crabs seem to be munching on it all day . I’ve tried to buy some trocus snails for the rock work but seem to be sold out everywhere ! We’ll get through this 💪🏼
Done to large water changes now and that's helped to reduce it. I'm going to employ a few more cleanup crew and get them grafting. Happy reefing this weekend mate 👌
Brilliant video and good choices of how to fix the issue too 🙌🏻
Hopefully it clears up in the next few weeks. I'm going to employ some more clean up crew this weekend and crack the whip! 😂. Then its back to coral shopping. Appreciate you helping me. Happy reefing this weekend, I've got a feeling you will be busy👌
@@jaysrealreefuk I definitely will be haha 😆 aww fingers are all crossed for you Jay it will be beautiful in no time and thank you hope you have a great weekend also 🤗
Looks like you doing the right things! You can use a mix of bacteria additives like the Dr Tim’s, Vibrant, and Microbacter 7 they are all different but do the same so adding a mix is good.
Also looking into micro bubble scrubbing when you do a water change. It is taking a power head and pulling it just to the surface so it makes a million micro bubbles this will essentially skim your entire tank. Run the filter for a bit to clean out the skim scum then do your water change.
Going through a cyano out break myself and it is annoying! Good Luck!
I really appreciate you taking the time to help me. I will give this bubble scrubbing a go, it seems like a great strategy. Thank you for your loyality to the channel. Hope you and your family are all well. Take care.
Hello from Liverpool dude. Don't worry about all this things, leave the nature to do its job we are here only to help this process with some maintenance on regular basis . Try to use less chemicals and add more natural sources and useful stuff, but most important thing is your regular water changes. Don't stress your corals with all this dark and blue environment, the most corals we are keeping comes from shallow and not very deep waters and they need as much close to nature light source, full spectrum is very important, but this is up to you. There is a good articles about lights and very good video series from Bulk reef supply . I know people trying to help giving advices and sometimes too much advices lead to crash . Do your own research and you will understand the things better than just follow what people say, then you will never get exactly what's going on. Dr.Tims products are great , but I moved to another brand so the choice here is yours what to use . I'm currently battling diatoms as well as I moved to a bigger tank, changed my lights from led to t5 and few more other things that lead to this problems , but I'm getting there slowly . Nice channel and keep going lad.
Really appreciate you taking the time to help me. A definite voice of experience with these issues. I've reverted back to the LPS setting on the lighting since yesterday as it was stunting the growth of the corals. I've got another large water change today, so I feel I'm slowly turning the tide. Hope your tank is going well. Take Care mate 👍
what other brand of bacteria are you using mate?
@@arthurman9021 Brightwell Microbacter7, Microbacter clean to add more biodiversity and to clean rocks and sand , also I have Aquaforest ProBio S and ProBio F , there is lot of stuff on the market. Pridibio is a good brand as well. I'm not going mad with bacteria, adding some more concentrated with water changes and probiotic Aquaforest Probio F powdered bacteria on daily base one little scoop but this is only the first year of my new set up when tank matures I will use them only on monthly base just to maintain the population. This my approach. My tank is without sump and biological filtration is only rocks and sand .
Jay
You have a cracking handle on it... and as always a great quality vid!
Haven’t read everyone’s comments below but
It looked like diatoms and hair algae to me.
I would:
Get a conch to eat the diatoms
Keep going with the great water change and cleaning regimen... it will come good.
Don’t get too hung up on loads more dr timms your tank is well seeded with the right bacteria now.
Either way I love how much research and knowledge you have e being so new to the hobby... it’s a great attitude and will ensure you have absolute success long term...
Yeah, I've done alot of research and reading to try and get my head around this complex hobby. But that's what I love about it. I appreciate your tips and advice. I'm going to follow it to the letter. Looking forward to your next uodate. Hope all is well with the new fish. The Peacock wrasse is ace 👌. Genuinely, thank you for your help. Happy reefing this weekend.
Wow that tropic Marin salt mixes crystal clear. I’ve been using Reef crystals that seems to always be cloudy no matter how long you mix it. Think I may try and switch salts now, lol. Great, informative video!
I found your channel from Nathan W. I just subscribed! 👍🏻
@David I use TM Pro and like how fast and clear it mixes up. But it mixes up to 7.2 PH. I am trying to get a PH of 8.3 to 8.5
@Jay's Real Reef UK how do you get it to mix at 8.3?
@David did you switch to Tropic Marin? How s the PH?
@@dannycastaneda1974 No I haven’t switched yet, because I have a bunch of Reef Crystals that I’m trying to use up first. I’ll be picking some up in the near future, I’ll get back to you on the PH numbers once i get my hands on some TM. Do you have any thoughts on whether an air stone may help with the PH when mixing TM? My guess is that the air stone won’t raise the PH to substantially anyways.
@@Messier87_M87 I have a huge bucket of TM Pro I bought recently. I was thinking of trying to sell it and switch to something else. I'm no expert but I don't think an air stone is a good idea when mixing saltwater. It may lower the alkalinity which could affect the ph.
@Messier87_M87 I’ve been using reef crystals for years since I haven’t seen coralife and both were really clear within 10mins..
Great video Jay! seems to me that u know your stuff! 😀👍
Thank you so much for watching and commenting. 🇸🇬Hope your tank is going well. Join us for the livestreams on a Friday night 8pm UK time. 👍
Hello jay !
It looks like diatoms and hair algae nothing to worry at all about just keep up with the gravel vacuum and for the hair algae get more sails and a sea urchin they live for algae
Thank you so much mate. I think the clean up crew is the next step. Best get down to the LSF. Hopefully I can get on top of this on the next few weeks. Really appreciate your help. Take Care.
Water changes can actually fuel diatoms. Silicates are what fuel them. Salt has silicates as well as your water source even if it has been RODI treated
I agree, it is a tricky one trying to battle diatoms. Manual removal and a water change did help me manage their populations and keep them at a sustainable level. Appreciate the comment and hope to see you in the next video.
I’ve used Dr Tim’s waste away for diatoms. After 2 weeks the diatoms were gone. I used the gel strips so u can’t over dose your tank.
I've heard Dr Tim's waste away is a good product. I use the eco balance which is brilliant. It real helps to keep pests like Cyano, Dino's and diatoms away. Thank you for watching and commenting. 🙂
I feel your pain, I found Cyano to be flow related so increase the flow and try to eliminate "dead spots". Lastly, forget Yorkshire Tea........ You should have Dr Tims as your sponsor at this stage! :)
Hahaha...I need shares in Dr Tim's 😂🤣. I've just ordered another powerhead, just a cheap Jaebo for now, which should arrive by tomorrow. Hopefully that fixes it along with a few additional clean up crew. How's your tank coming along?
I had this in my first year, the red slimy stuff with bubbles. It was on the sand and even started appearing on the rocks. One dose of chemiclean and that was sorted.
As for GHA, just do weekly water changes and then ensure you rinse your biomedia with the saltwater you take out, you will get a sh** done of nitrates and junk. This helped me and now I hardly get GHA. I keep my biomedia (seachem matrix) in 2 bags so easy to pull out and rinse during water changes.
Appreciate you taking the time to help me. I will use chemclean as a last resort, but it's still an option. I review the progress on a week. Just done two water changes and that's helping I think. Hope your tank is goijg well. Happy reefing this weekend 👍
Good video mate, I got on top of my cyno by regular maintenance and raising the temp to 82.
That's interesting, not read about raising the temp strategy. That gives me another tool r strategy before the dreaded chemicals, which I'm trying to avoid at all costs. New clean up crew tomorrow and I will lay them double time for a good clean up 😂👍. Happy reefing this weekend.
Literally just increased my temp to 82 as well to combat a slight Dino problem along with ordering a UV sterilizer. Heard higher temps not only reduces nuisance algae but also promotes better growth.
All been there buddy keep nutrients down and keep the cleaning maybe get a wavemaker for some more flow keep vaccing the sand it will soon clear not sure if u got one but maybe a small conch up your cleaning crew a bit but u will get through it I had one of those tanks but didn't think much of the skimmer so upgraded to the tunze one with controler but more flow will deffo help to
what are you using to vacuum the sandbed?
I bought a Syphon from Amazon and it seems to do the trick. Thank you for watching and commenting. , ☺️
A silicone heat mat may work as good as the floss around your pump, will,save you on the floss and collect less detritus
Great video as always,
Re-watching all the videos after I started my first tank and its so exciting to see similar problems and progress on my tank to what you experienced. Most of the answers to my problems during the cycle I'm getting from your videos. Now I'm on day 15 and started to see diatoms on my sand bed and some of the rock ( I don't run lights at the moment), but funny enough the side towards the window triggered the diatoms and they started growing on one side of the tank. It took 15 days for the ammonia to reach near 0, after dosing the ammonia twice (day 1 and day 3) and using Dr Tims, but now I'm having nitrite spikes and waiting for them to be converted to nitrates.
Can you recall how long your tank took to convert the nitrites to nitrates?
Thank you so much. Really pleased you find the videos helpful. It seems like your tank is following the same path mine did. Nitrates took ages! At least 6 weeks after starting the cycle to register 0.5ppm nitrates. Are you on Instagram? I would love to follow your journey. Thank you for taking the time to comment. 👍
@@jaysrealreefuk not on Instagram at the moment, but might actually create an an account just to document my journey :) Gotta fix my phone camera beforehand, as the time I decided not to purchase phone insurance ( I've had one for 6 years and never claimed any device) the first year I didn't buy out the insurance, I smacked the camera....
Deeper sand beds. This is a thing of the past but think about how deep the ocean sand bed is. It filters the entire system. If you make a deeper sand bed, you allow colonies to grow. These critters prevent build up and gases to build up and prevent nitrate from the water. You’ll be amazed at how nature takes over without chemicals and all these fancy gadgets these corporations have u buying. They tell you aesthetics are more important so your sand bed is an inch or two, maybe even smaller. You allow no filtration. The snails don’t have enough room to burry themselves. Then you have critters that break up things even more the deeper you go with the sand. Since I’ve had deep sand bed, I’ve never had a single problem with my levels. I barely even have to check them. Nature is the best way. The ocean doesn’t change its water, doesn’t have a man mad filter. It has a big sand bed! It goes miles. Your sand is the most important part of having a piece of the ocean in your living space!
great video mate :)
Thank you for watching and commenting. Hope it helped 🙂
Hello Jay, brilliant effort, unfortunately I don't have any experience with this (or maybe I should have said fortunately) but I'm sure it will come at some stage and will definitely follow your instructions for removing it, I do keep my whites down at a really low level on my tank tank have done from the start so hopefully won't be too bad, keep up the great work mate! (I also prefer the DD jumpguard, looks more classy than the other one you have)
Hahaha...stop it with the DD jump guard 😂 Done me head in wasting that money 😂😂. I'm employing a new clean up crew tomorrow. They are on double time! 😂. Should be on top of it soon. Hope your little friends are doing wel? lTake care mate and happy reefing this weekend.
Diatom is brown and dusty, if you use a turkey baster and blow on it, it should go into the water column. Diatom in a new tank is normal, you just need to let it burn out by itself, the extra flow is only to remove it off the sand bed and rocks, i think using a turkey baster is better for this job. Silicate is what supports the growth for diatoms and by turning off the white light doesn’t fix the issue, all that does is prolong it being in your tank for longer. If you want to remove it quicker, you’ll need something like Sera Silicate Clear. Cyanobacteria which you’ve already picked up on is basically caused by high nutrient in the water. Keep on top of what you did in your video and the cyano will go eventually.
Regular water change is more than enough for the amount of corals you have in your tank...
It's always great to hear from experienced reefer like yourself. You know your stuff and I'm going to follow your advice. 👍 I'm going to recruit a new clean up crew in the next 48 hours and set them to work! We should be on top of it soon with those water changes like you say. Thank you for taking time out to help me. Happy Reefing this weekend. 👌
@@jaysrealreefuk careful not to buy too many cuc, when it all clears up they’ll have nothing to clean up. The bacteria in your tank will slowly adjust itself according to your livestock and how much you feed. If you maintain the quality of your water with stable parameters everything in your tank will fall i to place 😊
I would just like to say what a Chanel Jay, always look forward to your updates and cracking info, started a tank with my son just 12 months ago and you give us more confidence in what we are doing and joy that we are doing it wright, all the best mate, thanks again #willberwoo
Really appreciate your kind words about the channel. It's a special moment going on this journey with your children. Did you have the ugly stage? I'm slowing turning the tide and the addition of some new clean up crew is really going to help. Is that you Instagram? I would love to see your tank. Take care my friend. Wishing your family well. 👍
What’s filter floss around the return pump for mate ? Vibration ?
I was having problems with vibration from the return pump. But also it helps me to polish the water before going back into the display. Double benefit. 😊👍 Happy reefing this weekend 👌
That’s great I mite give it try the vibration on mine is killing me lol I started my nano tank same time as yours so loving your videos keep it up mate 👍
@@lukerichards1051 haha....mine was doing my head in! Pump was dancing around in the sump. It will transform your life 😂🤣. Let me know how it goes. Hows your tank getting on? Have you had an ugly stage? Really glad you follow the channel. Take care mate 👍
Haha what floss did use ? Yea it’s going great thanks and I’m having the ugly stage now batting cyano aswell ! All part of the fun tho eh 😂
Try more flow Jay. I had the same problem when I first started added another wavemaker problem
solved. Good luck.
I just ordered a Jaebo powerhead, just a cheap one. Hopefully a temporary measure. Thank you so much for your help - appreciate it mate 👌
Agree, id say flow as well. Also, maybe a UV sterilizer, but that's going to be kinda hard with a tank with no dedicated sump.
Just ordered a new powerhead this evening. Thank you for helping me and sharing your advice. Happy reefing this weekend 👍
I am going through the same stage Jay and am worried about losing my 2 clown fish. With extended water changes does it take out the good bacteria 🤔
The clownfish should be fine, they are hardy little fish. When you add the bacteria it sits in the water column for a few hours, so thats why you have to let it settle with the skimmer off. The bacteria will colonise the sand, rock and biomedia. So if you vac the sand you should top up the bacteria eevey now and again. I pour most of my bacteria in the sump. Few weeks and it should pass. Keep up with the regular water changes, but make sure you have phosphate and nitrate readings. Don't want to crash the tank. You will be fine mate 👍
Man i just used chemiclean because i got frustrated and now i regret it because its brown algae and i thought it was cyano. No im extremely frustrated please help.
Mate, chemiclean can be bad news. Have you tested your parameters? I would also do a water change to try and get it out of the system or dilute it.
@@jaysrealreefuk man im at work and now im worried that when i get home my tank will look bad. Tomorrow as soon as i wake up i will do a huge water change and take all the steps you did in this video. Should i take your steps tomorrow and also add a bag of chemi pure blue ? With the light spectrum i thought it was cyano till i cut the blues and realized its just a bad algae bloom.
@@Coral-reef. Mate, it should be ok. Just do your water change tomorrow to dilute it. 🙂
@@jaysrealreefuk thank you so much and your video is the best 👌 i am so thankful for this video dude thank you
Sometimes cleaning things and thusly removing nitrates etc can actually make certain forms of pests like these come back ten fold. My experience
Absolutely, I learnt that a healthy reef is not a spotless reef. Couldn't agree more mate. Thank you for watching and commenting.
@@jaysrealreefuk of course we are all in this together. Just have to take your time, as is always said nothing good happens fast in a reef tank. I’ve had several systems and all but one has gone through this I’ve learned the hard way haha
I used 3 things about this issue mate,
Rowa-phos
Water change little more than usual weekly
And sand sifting starfish to move the substrate
But I think u have cyano bacteria and green hair algea on the rocks
Yep, that's the right approach. How long did it take to get rid of your issues. Definitely need to pick up some more clean up crew over the weekend. Thank you for taking the time to follow and comment.
@@jaysrealreefuk diatoms gone in 2 and half weeks but if that is cyano need some other treatment,
Get some blue hermit crabs they are good cyano bacteria eaters and for me the best sand sifting clean up crew is the sand sifting star fish, trust me because i did try lots others clean up crews
@@tand2109 thank you so much for sharing your experience on clean up crew. 🤞 They are in stock tomorrow. Have a lovely weekend.
what music???
Open window right next to your tank...ooof you are brave
I’m in the same place as you iv just hitting my 6 muth mark on my 280l tank it’s horrible
Sorry, but that's reassuring and makes me feel alot better 😬😂. I'm employing more clean up crew tomorrow and setting them straight to work 😂. Happy reefing this weekend. 👌
Hi Jay, I've just gone trough the same stage. Had same stuff on the sand bed which think was just diatoms. This has now burnt itself out after a few weeks and sand bed is now clear. I did nothing special to get rid just kept up the weekly water changes.
That's really re-assuring to hear. I've got 3 water changes planned in close succession. Water mixing as we speak. Also employing a new clean up crew and setting them to work tomorrow. 😂👍. Happy reefing this weekend.
Mate I asked previously for the link to purchase the extendable algae scraper , please 😅
So sorry mate. I've just seen your message. This is where I got mine from, but it appears to be out of stock at the moment. www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01ID6E9MM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_J6N7Y56M86C33T16JZHZ?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Looks like all diatoms to me, its unavoidable completely all tanks will go through it some just worse then others. The important thing is keep up with water changes and keep your nutrients in check, less light or shorter photo periods will help, you also dose a bacteria product to help rather it be vibrant, microbacter clean or 7 from brightwell or prodibios products all will help get through this stage and a little patience. Its a good sign your tank is on its way through the stages and will be gone soon enough
Try omitting the light from your window,, sure it doesn't help,,,,if it doesn't work,, cover your tank, over for a few days,, stay well all, 👍
Thanks mate. Your right, so I kept the curtains closed all day yesterday. ☺️👍
some good info. but be warned, if you do water changes & your nutrient values are already low as is, don’t do so. just siphon it into a filter sock & reuse the water
Using the filter sock is good advice my friend. I would also dose a bit of reef mud now. Thank you for watching and commenting. 🙂
@@jaysrealreefuk i enjoyed your video. as i am now dealing with cyano in our 3rd tank. i will update you on my methods. how is your tank doing now?
@@MACNTOSFAM 3 tanks 🙌....that's an addiction to reefing. it's going well mate. I uploaded a new video to my Instagram channel today. 🙂 I'm really enjoying the hobby.
Water change is not the key it's part of the reefing process mate no matter how much you clean the class or sand bed it all ways come back👍🐠
It's helped to reduce it significantly now. Once a get a few clean up crew employed, I should be well on top. Happy reefing this weekend 👍
Wish i can share here my 2 months old waterbox cube 20 picture 😊
I would love to see what it looks like. O do like Waterbox tanks. Send it over to my email at j.staffordgeaography@gmail.com 👍
@@jaysrealreefuk i did send 2 pictures taken by my phone , sorry I didn’t have any filter lenses, / water change weekly only, and a tiny skimmer, carbon, nothing else 😊 let me know your opinion about my tank mate
@@jaysrealreefuk for some reason idk why it says adres not found!!! Trying to email u some pictures
cyanobacteria I know you don't want to use chemicals but I use cyan rx got rid of it within 24 hrs
Haha...I'm going to give it 2 weeks and then I will resort to Cyano RX. 😂 never say never! Take Care.
Now is the time to add the snails if you have not already done it. This is all normal just trust the process...
I trust what you tell me. A voice of experience. Some more clean up crew is going in tomorrow and they are getting set to work! 😂👍Happy reefing this weekend.
What are your nutrient levels at, cyano can be caused by an imbalance of nutrients even at really low levels, oxygenation feeds cyano too, all those chemi clean products work by starving cyano of oxygen, diatoms will burn out naturally, but both normal in first year or so and will correct themselves with good maintenance, just watched ending, ab+ definitely cause 🤣
Really appreciate your help mate. My nitrates are 1.41ppm and phosphates are 0.10ppm. Are the nitrates too low? I'm trying to avoid chemi clean, but never say never 😂. Yeah, bit stupid dosing AB +, so waiting till its stocked with corals. Thank you for taking the time to follow and comment. 👍
@@jaysrealreefuk nutrients good, it was just dosing the ab+ , my 220 ltr tank is 1.5 years old with moderate amount of corals and 4ml daily of ab+ did same for me, you'll beat it in no time
Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Most helpful. Happy reefing this weekend.
Get a bottle of Vibrant
🤦♂️ definitely looks a better
Hahaha..😂😂😂 thing is your dead right. I preferred it too, but it was the battle with my brain telling me I'd wasted £200! Haha.
@@jaysrealreefuk there just so minimal can’t hardly tell they are there I love the d&d lids , all the plastic everywhere killed it for me on the other one
Minimalism is what I loved too. Also there is still condensation build up under a skeleton Clear view lid! I appreciate the honesty of your comment. 😊👍