Strange brown Algae ?????????????????

[OceanMist]

My tank is nearing the end of its cycle (or at least i hope it is, perhaps you can tell me), the ammonia is at around 0.1 and the trites/trates are also low (not sure exactly because i dont think the test kit is 100% accurate but is showing light orange) etc.

There is horrible light brown algae growing all over my tank (on glass, gravel & rocks) and is growing in small patches which look like a sort of rust, any ideas on what it is and how i can eradicate it ???


Please Help !!!

 

[Phyl]

Welcome to the diatom phase. Time and grade is all you can do for it. Diatoms are a dust-like algae that are a result of the silicates that are in the system when you first start one up. They are very common in new tanks. They eventually die off and you shouldn't really see them resurface under normal circumstances.

Good luck waiting through it! I was dealing with diatoms just before Thanksgiving (when I was expecting 20 people to my house)! Luckily it went away just before T-day or I'd have had a sheet over it! It looked horrible! Patience, patience, patience!

 

[OceanMist]

ok, thank you

 

[SsSarahsS]

I had the same thing happened to my tank once I added fish and feeding. Mine went away on its own though

 

[Kam]

I also got diatoms during my cycle. They are fairly easy to clean up when on the sand and glass. The only noticeable remains are on the rocks that were in the tank during the diatom outbreak. Those rocks still have a brown color compared to the other rocks, added after the tank cycled.

 

[OceanMist]

how long does anyone reckon they'll last ??

 

[Phyl]

Anywhere from 3 days to 3 weeks (to longer if there is something feeding silicates to the system). Normally it is fairly quick. I think my diatoms lasted way less than a week.