Aloha,
Having been only 2 days since the big storm passed, it may take another 5 days or so for everything to return to normal.
In the tropics, heavy cloud cover for an entire week occurs infrequently, but is usually caused by a big winter storm/Monsoon with high surf/very strong flow. Animals stay home/buried/hidden for protection from the increased turbidity and disturbances, which can even include a change in topography/aquascaping. Animal activity/metabolism slows during this time, but pollution increases because algae, a good part of the biofiltration, cannot process/eat N and P in the darkness.
In an aquarium, feeding is best reduced or stopped during an extended lights out situation. This avoids the pollution/excess nutrient problem during, and an algae bloom after, lighting is restored.
It's important to note that pH will drop below range during the darkened period. A well lit Refugium, set for 24 hour illumination during this period, can partly compensate for the lack of light in the display, helping maintain pH within the acceptable range.
At this point there is the potential for an algae bloom. Watch the algae growth and make sure there are enough snails to handle it. Also keep Refugium lights on 24 hours/day for another week and harvest Refugium algae as needed.
Mahalo for reading,
Mark
Topic Options
Post Options
Thanks(0)
