Algae bloom w/o fish or plants???

[TxChic]

HELP! Last night my water was crystal clear and this afternoon I come home and have apparently had an algae bloom of some sort (I think) without having anything in my tank but substrate, rocks and driftwood. How do I get rid of it? If it's not an algae bloom, what is making my water cloudy? I had planned on planting the tank this week.

It went from this...
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd19/SWright428/000_0023_edited.jpg

to this...

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd19/SWright428/000_0030.jpg

and I found this along the back of the tank...(sorry, this is as clear a pic as I could get)

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd19/SWright428/000_0033.jpg

[daayda3]

Cylcing tank... bacterial bloom and diatoms :D
Both should go away in a few weeks

[TxChic]

Does that mean I can't plant or add any fish?

[daayda3]

You can add plants... No fish yet though, get a FW test kit for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH and test it now, and let it cycle... then add fish, but only 1-2 at a time so it doesnt cause a mini-cycle :)
What size is this tank?

[TxChic]

It's a 30. I have an API FW master test kit but I haven't used it yet because I didn't have anything in the tank.

[daayda3]

Your gonna need to use it to test the progress of the cycle... can you test it now? Or whenever... but post the results

[TxChic]

It might take me a few minutes since I'll have to read the instructions.

[daayda3]

Thats fine... I'll be on a while, or, someone else will help too :D

[TxChic]

PH - 7.6
ammonia - 1.5
trites - between .25 and .50
trates - between 0 and .5

[TxChic]

I'm not really sure what my levels are supposed to be. I started with "live" FW gravel supposedly full of all the good bacteria, rocks and cured driftwood. Once everything settled the water was a little murky so I put in the recommended amount of clarifier and aquasafe to de-chlorinate and everything seemed fine. Water was clear, a little tinted from the driftwood but still clear. And then today.....brown stuff in the back of my tank and cloudy water.

I have no clue how to fix this or how to bring my levels to an acceptable level for what I have planned for the tank, i.e. live plants and a small assortment of fish. (Rams, tetras and cories) Any advice would help.

[Hooked Newbie]

Only time will fix it. It may be frustrating, but you're on the right track. The tank is cycling and like Daayda said it's ok (and even beneficial) to plant the tank now, but don't add fish. When you do, do it slowly. Test your water each day or so to monitor the progress of the cycle. The goal being a stable zero for Ammo & NO2. I wish I could go back and sacrifice some impatience for the frustrations that came with trying to rush things... you'l enjoy it much more (and the fish will too!) if you take your time at the beginning. It will save you a ton of time and pain in the long run.

[TxChic]

So I can plant my tank which is great but what about all the not so lovely brown stuff accumulating in my tank and cloudy water? Will that clear up on it's own when the levels change? Should I be doing water changes?

[Star_Rider]

the 'brown' stuff appears to be brown algae aka diatoms
in new tanks they are a fact of life. they are related to an excess of silicates and or phosphate.
if the tank is glass and has been set up less than 1 year..they are common. it takes time for them to go away(up to a year)
they are easily cleaned but can comeback quickly.
some have used blackout effectively(the jury is still out on this )
I usually suggest frequent cleaning of the tank.changing water can help.

[silentskream]

change the water regularly (half the water every week) and the brown stuff will go away on its own. also, leave the lights off on the tank until you get your plants.

the cloudy water happens sometimes.. occasionally it goes away in a day, sometimes it doesn't go away for a week or two. keep testing your water (daily) did you read the sticky on cycling? if not, here's the link its very informative:
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=84598

[zanytomato]

My tank is < 1 year old (only about 4 months, now) and I get flare-ups of the ugly brown stuff. It tends to come and go, however, and I usually just leave it be and it eventually goes away. I believe you can get silicate reducer that you can add to your tank, but I have no experience with this. I've just decided to ignore it, for the most part, understanding that I've got a baby tank still. :)

[TxChic]

Cool. I've been leaving the lights off and plan to plant the tank on Sat.

I did read the stickies but just panicked a little is all.

Thanks everyone!