7 Days in and something is growing

Ok so I just started my 75 gallon saltwater tank. Never done this before. I have 65lbs of LR, 6 hermits, 2 clowns and a starfish. It's been 7 days with water in, and 3 days with the rock and the above animals. All my levels are to par, I'm not noticing a change in anything every 2 days. Now I have green mucus slime stuff growing all over some of my rock, also the stuff seems to be producing clear bubbles. it looks green in water and dark brownish almost black out of water. When I pull some off it looks like ink.

Please help, I'm new to this and want to pick up this hobby so bad! 0

Picture coming tomorrow

 

Your tank is cycling, why did you stock it with fish?

 

I was told i could put clowns in while it's cycling to produce some sort of ammonia. Hermits and starfish ended up in LR for free

 

Clowns are pretty tough, but it is still a risk to them to cycle with them in... it does help to cycle with ready live rock, but you're seeing one of the effects...

Probably cyanobacteria, but possibly dinoflagellates or diatoms, all of which thrive when the amount nutrients in the water are too high. You can suction it out, that will remove some of the nutrients out, but it will continue to grow until the cycle is complete. Normal.

You might want to consider returning the clowns for a few weeks just in case, and instead throw a raw dead food shrimp like the kind people eat in there, that will produce all the ammonia you need (and not kill anything) .

We didn't have anything except LR in there during the cycle, and the me and the kids had fun just looking for all the critters on the live rock...worms, feather dusters, pods, amphipods, snails, some kinds of flatworms, etc. (nighttime was best!)

 

Stick to this site for good advise. My tank has only been up for 4 months, but the hardest part of starting a reef is letting the cycle complete. I am not a person that likes to rush, but omg it was so hard to sit there week after week and stare at that rock!

Trust me it's so worth it though, I remember reading something someone posted that said, you don't just want your livestock to survive, you want them to thrive!

 

Well, If it's slimy it's most def NOT Diatoms. If you can I would see if you could take the fish back to your LFS and if they wont credit you maybe they can hold them for you untill your cycle is done. They will go through poisoning due to the high amount of AMM and TRITE.You CAN do a cycle with fish but of course, it is highly recommended that you use a piece of raw shrimp for the AMM source. Clowns are very hardy but the spike in AMM will be really high, between 4.0-8.0 so you will be lucky if they live through that. If they do it will shorten the life span of the fish dramatically. Just a thought

 

Welcome to 3Reef ! sorry to read/hear that you have been given some bad advice.

Please see these links for some reference on a tank cycle, what to expect.

Reef Cycle:
Nitrogen Cycle

Reef Tank Parameters:
Reef Aquarium Water Parameters by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com
Randy’s tank basics:
Part I: Part I
Part II: Part II
Part III: Part III
Part IV: Part IV

Honestly, I think the damage has already been done to the clowns and star (agree, clowns are tough). If it were me I would just let it be and don't mess with it until well after it cycles. Pull the star out when it dies, there is already enough decay in the tank. Same with the clowns if they die pull and flush. If the LFS will take them back consider this option. Good luck to you. again, my advice is let it be and cycle, then wait another 2-3 weeks to let it mature before doing anything. And of course we are all here to help you any time of day ! 3Reef rocks !

 

Glown Fish are tough but that is not the best thing to do. IMO it is tortue on the fish :-[ with the amonia spikes that are going to occur.
The tank needs to be cycled with Raw Shrimp. See if your LFS is willing to hold them why the tank cycles.

 

Actually since he has live rock in the tank he wouldn't have needed the raw shrimp either......

 

Hey guys thanks for the help, I will talk to the guy who sold me the fish and see what he can do for me. He seems reasonable and will help me out. I will be going to an exhibit this weekend to shop around. Let me list everything I have right now.
75 gallon tank
20 gallon tank(sump)
550gph hang on back filter
740 gph pump (sump)
Aquamaxx 100-300gal protien skimmer
650gph overflow box
Light setup (2-250watt MH, 2-54watt T5, 6-led)
Reef master test kit and saltwater master test kit
Bio balls
65lbs live rock
Few hermits, 1 star fish and 2 clowns.



I would like to know what I should get at this expo, i need sand for my sump for sure