# New tank and cycle



## squirrel502 (Apr 3, 2011)

First off I know that everyone seems to post questions regarding tank cycles, and I have been reading them, however, everyone is asking specifics and responding the same way. So, without further ado.....my question:

So I just got a 55g tank from craigslist and have it setup. I replaced everything that was provided with the tank because in short...it was nasty. That said, I have 100lbs of "play sand" as my sub-straight...1 rather large piece of driftwood and 2 plants in the tank to help with the cycle. I am using a bio wheel 350 filter as well as a Koralia 750 pump. Using regular tap water w/ appropriate amount of "tetra" water conditioner. The tank has been running now since Thursday, and the "cloudiness" disapated by Saturday. Now I am noticing a green ting to the water which I can only assume is algae.

So...is this normal? do I need to worry about this algae? do i need to consider a partial water change? or just ignore it all and let it get funky over the next couple of days/weeks?

Any advice would be welcomed, as I have never owned an aquarium before.

Thanks.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

It is sort of normal for a new tank, although there is usually ammonia present when it happens. The way to address it is to cover the tank and keep the light out for about 3 days. You could use a blanket, comforter, towels, etc.

Have you tested the water? Do you have atest kit? If not, I'd get an API fw master kit. It has all you need. Stay away from the strips if you can.

Did you plan to cycle the tank with fish or do it fishless? You'll need a source for ammonia to start your cycle.


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## phys (Feb 4, 2011)

Where's the water source? some water sources do have a bit of natural algae in them still. partial water changes are always good.. its probably a good idea to start practicing them now. as jrman said, turning the lights off for a few days will help rid that green water. Keep an eye on the water parameters and do buy at least some test kit. Strips can give you an idea of whats in the water. I usually dont follow them to the letter so if it looks like something is higher than it should be (meaning any reading other than zero for ammonia, nitrates, nitrites), then you do something about it. Later on, you'll need to be checking the PH, KH, nitrates, and GH and thats where you want a little more precision in the numbers especially after you get fish in the tank.

To keep the algae under control in the future, be sure to either have enough plants to eat up all the nitrates, do water changes to keep it low, or find some filtration that works well enough not to have to worry about it as much. Or, do it all! lol


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