Diatoms

[Marinebeginner]

My tank is four weeks old, has live rock, clean up crew, ammonia 0.2, nitrites 0 and nitrates <10ppm. I am getting brown deposits on the glass / back wall which I understand are diatoms. I have been cleaning these off daily as feel they are unsightly (!) but should I be leaving them? The cleaning crew don't seem to touch the glass or back wall.
Thanks for any advice!

 

[jcolon]

Very common in newer tanks ... Unsightly, but harmless to fish. I'd say continue cleaning them up. If you find you still have them a couple of months from now, your PWC source at be rich in silicas diatoms use to produce their shells.