Brown Algae

[dhemp34]

SO my new tank is up and running..my levels are great i'm wondering now that i have some mushrooms if i'm running my lights to long. My Tank sand and also rock have developed brown algae looking stuff. Now i've read that one person said his tank turned brown before the coraline started is this true. i know the next question are you using RO water..Currently now. But the growth didnt start until i got my Compact fixture and put in mushrooms with light dosing about 10 hours daily.

 

[roka64]

How old is the tank? It sounds like it may be diatoms. They will burn themselves out.
When you mean dosing...what are you dosing?
Typically, your PWCs will replenish your trace elements and dosing is not needed....

 

[dhemp34]

dosing= the time i leave my lights on...so theres nothing i need to do correct? i dont have a bunch of stock just one tiny damsel and liverock

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

"Dosing with light"... interesting way to think about it! Normally though, "dosing" refers to the addition of some chemical additives... just FYI. 10 hours is not too long for lighting. With power compacts, I wouldn't run them any less.

Regarding the brown algae, it does sound like diatoms. If you don't have any snails like astrea or trochus in there yet, you probably want to add some now. They will help munch away on the stuff, and the other algae that will spring up.

You say your parameters are "great", why not post up those numbers - some folk's "great" numbers sometimes aren't that great, so it's good to rule that out right in the beginning.

 

[abrahamavelar]

have u done ur phosphate test when i had high phosphates i got alot of brown algae and i now dont have any brown algae since i removed the phosphates while pwc

 

[blue71]

Do some water changes, and then get a Clean-up-Crew, if you get a starfish, make sure it is a brittle star, and not a chocolate chip. That's what worked for me when I had diatom, dont even bother with algacides.

 

[abrahamavelar]

but ill wait on the star fish if your tnk isnt mature enough it will died ill get either a nassauru snails or ill get a diamond back gobby

 

[blue71]

but ill wait on the star fish if your tnk isnt mature enough it will died ill get either a nassauru snails or ill get a diamond back gobby

Very true, I would get about 4 golf ball size snails to start off with.

 

[abrahamavelar]

those are called turbo, how big is your tank?? and a guy told me that for my 75 gal i should have from 8 to 15 turbos and at least 20 margaritas and 12 nassauros but that will be up to you and 15 hermits and 4 emerald, i dont have that many but i hve a alot of snails

 

[thincat]

Keep the amount of Hermit crabs down to no more then 5. They only cause trouble when they get larger.

 

[abrahamavelar]

true and they will kill some of your snails do to their shield, also make sure they are blue leg i heard somewhere that red leg were bad

 

[melorse]

i have a brown algea problem too i currently have 5 very large turbos and alot of nassauru snails that came with my live rock and have since reperduced and become a small plague but still dont harm my tank even with all these my alage doesnt relent,
and my tank is a year or so old, i have to agree about hermits they are a pain red legged ones are anyways i removed all mine they where striping my live rock of all coraline algea and kelp.

i have a smaller speices of hermit in there its black with red antena and little white spots on his leggs and he is incredible passive and none thretning to my tank just eats algea and deteria if i knew what species he was i would sugest it but also anouther hitch hiker on my live rock lol

 

[thincat]

Nassa snails will not eat algae. I believe that the Hawaiian convict Hermit is an algae eater and makes for a great Hermit if you have to have Hermits in your tank. They have black and white legs,

 

[joy13]

I got a couple of those convict hermit crabs last week for a small patch of hair algae that I couldn't get to go away, they nearly have it gone. The margaritas are a snail the prefers cooler water and don't long. Dwarf Cerith eat diatoms, cyano, film algae, detritus, and hair algae but their favorite is the film algae in my tank.

 

[abrahamavelar]

Nassa snails will not eat algae. I believe that the Hawaiian convict Hermit is an algae eater and makes for a great Hermit if you have to have Hermits in your tank. They have black and white legs,

True they wont eat the algae but they will shift the sand. Also somethin that you can do is try to siphone it out or kind of move it wit your net