How to get rid of brown colored algae

kilofey

Member
What causes it and how do I get rid of it? Its on the tank walls and my ph and on my sump to tank tube.
 

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
If you just started your aquarium, you will see some diatoms. Diatoms are the cause of brown looking algae on your glass/rocks/sand.
If you post a pic, we can probably get a better diagnosis.
 

kilofey

Member
I started it like 3-4 months ago. The tank never went through a cycle because my rock came with some live critters that were keeping it cycled (thanks craigslist!) Anyhoo, its completely cycled ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 10, kh 13, ph 8.4
Im sure its the new tank stuff u were talking about but my computer went on vacation & wont let me get online & my phone wont let me post pix (not a very"smart" phone imo)
Anyhoo, im sure its the stuff youre referring to, how do I get rid of that stuff, or do I just have to wait it out?
 

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
wait it out.
What kind of sand did you use?
If you used a silica based sand, play sand, or otherwise - you will always have diatom problems. If you used aragonite which is a calcium based sand, then you shouldn't have any problems at all.
Wait it out and they should go away. The more you do to fool around with it, the longer it stays. Water changes, though, are never a bad thing.
 

kilofey

Member
I bought it on craigslist from the same guy I got my LR from so im not exactly sure. I dont think its playsand cause it looks like little tiny rock chips (not crushed coral, its sand sized chips). I dont know what silica sand looks like so I cant rule that out either) I will wait it out, thanks.
I wish I could do a water change but we have well water & its messed up right now so I cant make any new water cause I dont want to thrash my ro/di filters... But I did a very large wc about a week ago. I had a kh problem cause my ro/di filters were bad & I didnt know... So half of my tank water is only a week old. When the water is good again I hope to do some more frequent wc but smaller ones.
 
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