diatoms?

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lulabulla

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Aug 8, 2008
Messages
26
i have been cycling my tank for 25+ days now. about 2+ weeks ago brown algae started growing all over the LR and on the sand. i believe its diatoms. it is getting worse by the day and its really hairy looking by now. is this something that will clear up on its own or can i do something to clean it up. its very unsightly and its bugging me LOL. or could this be something totally different?

just FYI
salinity 1.019 (which is perfect for the dwarf seahorses)
ammonia 0
nitIte 0
nitrate 0
ph 8.0

thanks :confused:
 
Diatoms are part of the cycling process. They should eventually go away as your water quality improves. They also thrive on silicates. What kind of water are you using? RO? Tap? Well?
 
I had the same thing on my new 34gal tank -- for the most part a lot of it went away... now just a few brown spots in LS here and there
 
If it's hairy it might not be diatoms. Does it brush off easily? Can you get a pic?
 
here is some pics. the back rock looks like diatom, how its described anyway and the front has more hair on it.. hope these pics. help.
thanks
 

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