Brown Algae on subsrate and rocks

I have this brown algae that is growing on my sand and rocks.When I do a water change and siphon clean the sand the next day it comes right back really fast,it is starting to cover some of my rocks and coralline algae,Need to know the cause and solution,PLEASE HELP.

 

if you have a fairly new tank most likely it is diatoms. Caused by excess nutrients. It will go away on its own just do water changes, don't over feed.

 

I agree.

If it's a dusty algae that you can easily get off of the rocks and sand, than it's diatoms. This algae lives mostly on silicates which are present in new sand and new tanks. Generally the diatoms will consume all that's available and not come back. It's just one of those phases that a new tank has to live through.

Michael Rice
Marine Engineers Aquarium Blog
Sent from Tapatalk so excuse my poor English

 

Brown Algae

I have a 55 gal. tank that has been up and running for about 8 months or more, so to me I wouldn't think it would be considered a new tank.I was doing weekly water changes until recently ,I don"t have a heavy load I have only one diamond goby which I've had for about three and the few corals that I have all seem to be doing ok.I have not made any changes lately,except for a refugium I working on but have not completed it.

 

If there are plastic parts in the new refugium, that can cause a release of silicates and then diatoms. I recently had a diatom outbreak when I waited too long to replace the DI resin in my RO/DI unit. You may want to check your TDS if your are using RO/DI water. There is also a brown type of cyano I have seen in the past, so you may want to test your phosphate level. If you post a picture and your water parameters, I'm sure you can get some additional helpful advide here.

 

+1 are u using tap water for your top offs?

 

Pictures of the algae will also help. And yes I can vouch for bigjim there are many colors of cyano, I currently have green. I decided to see if I could feed my fish daily twice a day while maintaining my 15% weekly water changes. Didnt work out how I had hoped.

 

Brown Algae

Is it possible that a piece of the return from my refugium which is PVC is partly submerged in the the Display tank, could this be the source of the silica.The refugium is not operating right now, but I have all the plumbing connected and if this is the source of the silica, is it going to become an issue when I start to use the refugium.

 

Except when my DI resin needed changed, I have only had diatoms when I put something plastic in the tank with water passing through it (GFO reactor, skimmer, etc.). I don't know if a piece of PVC submerged would be enough to cause it or not. If it lasts more than a few weeks, you can probably rule out the new refugium. It would be best if you can add a picture here, so we can be sure the brown algae is diatoms.

 

I have the same tank running for the same time as yours and the same problem. I do my water changes on time and barely any fish. I just took a picture so you guys could identify, and Negro see if this is what yours looks like. Water params are tested and all ok including temp and salinity.



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