Algae

[dirk]

My 55 Gallon saltwater tank is just ten days old. I have a wet/dry system, some live sand and a couple of live rocks.
Unfortunately, when I purchased my set-up, the store clerk told me I could introduce fish within a couple of days.
So....he sold me two tangs, two clowns, a wrasse and a mandarin. After researching about mandarins, I found that was a huge mistake. That's one of the reasons I decided to introduce some live rock.
Anyway, day 10 my tank is beginning to develop brown algae spots in the sand and on the dead rocks/shells. Is this normal??
What can I do to prevent it. Do I want to prevent it? Are there fish I can buy that will clean my tank??

 

[harris]

A good idea would be to order up some snails and hermit crabs, they eat that type of stuff and also keep your viewing glass pretty clean. They are also easy on the ammonia nitrate balance as well. Bag a couple and acclimate them and toss em in. cheap and hard working. Can someone else back me up on this?

 

[the rock]

the rock says...
the brown algae is a sign your tank is ending the cycling process, a good sign, it should clean itself as you then will get the green algae. snails and hermits are a great way to go to keep algae and detritus under control, every tank should have snails and inverts unless you have big invert eating fish

 

[ladd]

My tank has been set up since October. I got the brown stuff, then it went away. Then I got green hair algae, and bluegreen algae, so I ordered the "Keep it Clean package" off of this site. It just arrived yesterday, and all I can say is "WOW!" I now have 60 little creatures (snails, hermits, crabs, shrimp...) running around. It is amazing how much stuff the stirred up for the filter to then clean. They have been in for 24 hours now, the rocks are already looking better. I would highly recommend this package to anyone! The price was great, the creatures and doing their job, they are fun the watch (that's all I did yesterday) and everything arrived in perfect condition right to my front door!

 

[obsessedwithfish]

I agree with everyone else. You can't get enough of the clean up crew (which you can get on this site) get more than you need.
Originally posted by Dirk:
My 55 Gallon saltwater tank is just ten days old. I have a wet/dry system, some live sand and a couple of live rocks.
Unfortunately, when I purchased my set-up, the store clerk told me I could introduce fish within a couple of days.
So....he sold me two tangs, two clowns, a wrasse and a mandarin. After researching about mandarins, I found that was a huge mistake. That's one of the reasons I decided to introduce some live rock.
Anyway, day 10 my tank is beginning to develop brown algae spots in the sand and on the dead rocks/shells. Is this normal??
What can I do to prevent it. Do I want to prevent it? Are there fish I can buy that will clean my tank??

 

[bonnethead shark]

thanks for the plug ladd and obsessed with fish!