Brown algae!!!

Matt S.

New Member
Ive had my tank for about 8 mos and there is brown algae taking it over. Not sure y or how to get rid of it
 

Matt S.

New Member
Ok. Do i need to turn the lights completely off or do the blue night life lights? N what about feeding. Do i need to back off on that. I feed them a cube of reef plankton a day.
 

geridoc

Well-Known Member
Ok. Do i need to turn the lights completely off or do the blue night life lights? N what about feeding. Do i need to back off on that. I feed them a cube of reef plankton a day.
Don't worry about the nightlights, just cut down on the daylight phase. Depending on the size of the tank and the bioload a single cube might be too little, or much too much. What I'm saying is give us a little more information about your system and we can give you more precise advice. You also might consider using macroalgae in the sump or in the main display.
 

Matt S.

New Member
Don't worry about the nightlights, just cut down on the daylight phase. Depending on the size of the tank and the bioload a single cube might be too little, or much too much. What I'm saying is give us a little more information about your system and we can give you more precise advice. You also might consider using macroalgae in the sump or in the main display.
77G, 2 oc clowns small, serpent starfish, konk snail, goby and blue tang. Filtration system is 2 national geographic CF50 canisters
 

lmforbis

Well-Known Member
The tap water may be the source of your problem. If the brown algae is diatoms, they need silica which they get from tap water. Tap water can be high in phosphates and nitrates which algae needs to grow.

A pic might help.

How often do you clean the canisters. They need frequent cleaning, weekly, to keep nitrates down.
 

geridoc

Well-Known Member
77G, 2 oc clowns small, serpent starfish, konk snail, goby and blue tang. Filtration system is 2 national geographic CF50 canisters
That's a pretty light bioload, and a lot of food. Try feeding 1/2 cube of frozen, and supplement with nori for the tang. My guess is that you are seeing a diatom bloom due to using tap water. I would urge you to either buy RODI, or a RODI system (cheaper in the long run), and use that to make seawater and as make-up water as well. Macroalgae will help clean up your present water.
 

one-fish

Active Member
Good info above.......using RODI less feeding ..weekly canister maintainence clean only one at a time as not to disturb the biologgical filteration, might be able get away with a longer schedule cleaning with that bioload. Just had a GHA issue did a blackout for 2 weeks or so still have the white lights on 60% intensity while I try again to grow chaeto in the sump.Using tap is probably your main issue for the diatoms. Just my 02...
 

beaslbob

Well-Known Member
basically you need to balance out the tank so the good stuff grows and not the algae.

Increasing consumers of the algae and its nutrients are the key. Adding macro or other algae to keep the uglies away. clean up crew and/or algae eating fish will help also.

Finally killing the lights will cause the algae to die off. Then adjust duration and feeding to the good stuff thrives and the uglies don't come back.

my .02
 

Matt S.

New Member
Thank you all for the advice. I do have some chaeto but its in the tank. Do i need to bury it in the live sand or just let it stay on top of it. Im goin to cut back on feeding and keeping the lights under control. Goin to try my best and not buy any fish until i can fix this issue. Do u have any suggestions on verts that i can get to help it also and other types of algae to btr my tank.
 

one-fish

Active Member
Inverts are your choice depending on how your tank is set-up. I have a deep sand bed and went with CUC that will sift the bed. Most tanks will have an assorted snail and hermit crab population. Nassarius, astrea cerith are good ones, small hermits blue legged, scarlet. I have about 20 snails and during feeding time they all pop out of the sand like Zombies covering the tanks substrate...interesting creatures all to them selves.
 
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