30-40g SW tank.

[PaulieFish]

Alright not much I can tell you, but my grandfather has a 30-40g saltwater tank. And recently he has been getting a lot of brown on his glass. It easily comes back withen a day or two and it covers the whole tank, well glass.

I was wondering what could cause it. I do not have water levels because he is not home, and I do not have experience with SW tanks so I do not want to get involved.

Things he has in the tank. Heater, filter, 2 live rocks.. clown fish and another fish, also has some snails. Looks like a sand bottom, or actually could be crushed coral.

I know I am lacking major detail, and you may not be able to help, but I was wondering if you could give a guess to what could be causing it.

From google it seems to be brown algae or diatoms. I just cleaned it off the glass so I can not even take a picture.

Well, if you can help great, if not I will wait to he gets home to test the water params.

 

[melosu58]

Diatoms would be my guess. I have to take the mag float magnet to my tank every other day after 12 yrs. It`s a reef thing.

 

[PaulieFish]

Really? 12 years wow your daring, I don't even have the tank, and cleaning it stinks. But not ever reef tank has to do it, I mean I see beautiful tanks, which I am sure dont have to do it.

I was googling around and some said that it could be because he doesnt have a protein skimmer.

 

[melosu58]

Some folks get a bad case of it all over their glass sand and rocks which it could run from silicates in tap water to excessive nutrients from over feeding. Does he use tap water. IME you never get rid of all of it.