PLZ HELP W/ BROWN ALGEA BLOOM!!!

[Jonathan G.]

i have recently set up my tank, 75g, in february and have 40# live rock and plan on adding 75 more lbs of base rock. i have a 150g rated wet/dry filter with a mag7 for return, i also run a penguin 330 on the back for added circulation and to help remove surface scum. in the tank i have 2 maxi jet 900's for water movement. i use tap water but so does 2/3 of my lfs around here and they all have about $40k worth of corals and inverts in their tank so im guessing our quality of tap water is better than most. but i plan on getting and RO/DI unit asap and putting in a refuge sometime soon.

anyways the algea is not a hair algea but is more of a brown film. like a dark brown smear. it started off small but has slowly taken over small parts of my tank. mainly in my overflow box, my U tube and in my maxi jets. but also on the rocks and substrate in some places. i added some base rock that was white and in less then a few days it was like a brownish color and has discolored some of my liverock. i dont test for phoshates but i plan on getting a test kit for it soon, but i have been putting in phosphate pads for the past week and haven't really seen too much of a difference. i have some turbo snails and some astreas but should i get more? i also have a LMB but he doesnt touch the stuff.

is this just a phase that my tank is going through? should i take out all the problem parts and clean them? is this a bad sign or a good sign? should i keep using phosphate pads? should i add more hermits and snails?

 

[phishead]

Search "diatoms", and "cyano bacteria"

You are using a chlorine / chloramine treatment correct?

Well water can be ok, but city tap is typically going to be a problem. You can internet search your city water and find some additives and someitmes stats on things like nitrate and phosphate.

 

[Jonathan G.]

yea i tried one time but got lost in the website and couldnt find what i was looking for... but yea i use either stress coat, or bio safe to remove chlorine and let my water sit out for a fewdays.

 

[phishead]

As I noticed from the other posts, you have realized that it is Cyano. The best way to get rid of it is with constant water changes with ro water and skimming.

Good luck!

 

[Jonathan G.]

do i scrub the rocks off and syphon the gravel in affected areas as with the equipment or leave the rock and substrate alone? also does it feed off light like algea and if im over feeding my fish how long can i go without feeding? i only have a lawnmower blenny, 2 baby O. clowns, a 6 line wrasse and a rainford/ court jester goby. all fairly small.

 

[RMPD109]

Is the brown algae powder like when disturbed or does it peel off in sheets and look bubbly? If it is powdery it is diatoms and no worry. They are caused by silicates and will likely burn off on thier own. If it is sheets of brown layers it is likely cyano. The most common color is red but it can be a large range of colors. These are normally caused by excess nutrients(phosphates). Good luck

 

[Jonathan G.]

i really cant tell if its slimey or powdery, id say more of a slime but when i scrub it it comes off in lil bits like algea u know??? it sort of breaks off into tiny fine particles. but i know it mainly formed in my overflow and U tube where when i first set up my tank a lot of debris from my substrate settled, and now it has a part of my substrate discolored and my intake flow and powerheads a little discolored in the jet stream, im also noticing tiny spots of green hair algea coming up by it so i tend to think it is just diatoms but do diatoms form on everything or just the substrate?

can someone post some pics on what cyano and wahat diatoms look like on glass? i think my cyano is just diatoms but i want to make sure it doesn't get neglected.