Brown algea

[method0075]

I`m getting a lot of brown algea in my tank now. I have a large cle an up crew and they don`t seem to touch the stuff. Is this normal in tank growth or should I invest in something to start removing this stuff. It`s everywhere live rock and all. It`s not a big deal but I`m just curious about it. I`m use to the green algea in fresh water tanks.

 

[boardsurfer]

How old is your tank? The reason I ask is because you will see an algae bloom after the tank has cycled. This could be a couple of weeks, or a month or more- depending how you cycled your tank. This is normal.

Also, what water did you use in your tank to fill up, for water changes, and topoffs? If you use tapwater for every water change, this will cause an algae bloom every time. I would suggest to use RO/DI water (do a search on it if you don't know what that is).

 

[method0075]

The Brown I noticed has been dying off very quickly in the past day or two and is being replaced with green on the live rock. I bought some snails and they seem to be cleaning things up well on the sand bed. I used tap water and believe this caused some of it. Thanks for the help and do you think it will be long before the red and purple algea on the live rock will spread. I have a 20 watt full spectrum flourecent ten gal aquarium lid/light system.

 

[RMPD109]

The brown algae is probably diatoms. They are caused by silicates in the water. Once the silicates are used the diatoms will dieoff on their own.