all help appreciated...

[mh51072]

i have a 46 gallon tank that has been cycling for about 2 weeks--i have live sand and rock with a few damsels--my problem is the sand is getting a brownish color substance on it--is this algae and normal or what??what should i do to help or does anything need to be done??thnks alot--sorry im new it just looks awful

 

[ocellaris_keeper]

mh51072 - this is called the dreaded diatom algae phase. let it grow for a another day or so and take your fish net and scrape it from the bottom. REmove the floating pieces from the water. When it show up again do it again. It'll stop in a few weeks.

 

[shadow puppet]

It sounds like brown algae or diatoms to me.. I believe it is normal, but maybe others with more knowledge can answer.

 

[mh51072]

its been here for about 2 days--should i try to scrape it off now or wait a little longer??--thnks guys

 

[dwf]

I waited til the tank was completely cycled before cleanup. Worked OK for me

 

[zipperfish]

you aren't going to hurt anything either way

 

[chrismilano]

Wow, that happens with sand too? I thought it was just a cc sucks thing.
I got it 24 days into cycle.

 

[thewolfman777]

it is a good idea to have a powerhead blow over your sand, this may keep this problem down a bit