BROWN algae Help, I'm new:3

ryandefones

Member
Well I am still extremely new to the hobby but when I first started my tank everything had been fine. I have a 25 gallon, with T-5 lighting (an actinic bulb, and a 6700k), just a normal aquaclear canister filter which actually works great. I am not using carbon, but I just use ammonia remover, a sponge, and the biomax or rock that holds the bacteria. I waited nearly a month and two weeks before I put anything in my tank besides live rock. At first when I decided to buy fish, I had bought two damsels, but the aquarium shop that I had went to gave me a sickly looking one, so I returned it and kept one. But after learning about how aggressive they can be I took the fish back and instead got a black clown, two turbo snails, three bumble bee snails, one frag of button polyps, and two anenomes. Despite my clownfish being OOBER finnicky about food, for almost a month everything had been fine; but little would I know that one night my bubble tip would be burdend and get sucked into my aquaclear jet and blended out the other end. Within 24 hours of me fetching limp tentacles and mucus membrain in my tank, I did a water change, and hoped everything would be okay and not be poisoned. Although I was sad that my anenome passed, I still have my haiti pink tip that looks wonderful, BUT after the incident I had A HUGE brown algae outbreak. My tank has to stay lit up for my anenome so I cant dim the lights but my snails have tried so hard to rid the pest...
It has been 4 weeks since this all happend and my brown algae isn't AS bad but I can't get it to go away, it just lays on my fine sand bed. I bought a true carpet anenome that is about 6 inches and healthy, but my black clown wont host it, and still it is SUPER picky abut eating, barely eating much at all. My polyps are healthy as well as my snails but I would love any advice that anyone could give me.
I have tank expierience with freshwater but this is a whole new realm; I just want to know what's best for treating brown algae, and making my clownfish eat more and perhaps host my anenome!? I know I may be doing alot wrong, but please be nice! Thank you
 

btldreef

Moderator
It's sounds like diatoms, which is a naturally occurring thing in newly set up tanks.
Some pictures would really help.
As for anemones, your tank a) doesn't have the proper lighting for them and b) your tank is too young for them. Anemones need high lighting and a stable environment, neither of which your tank is offering right now.
As for a clown hosting an anemone, there are many different methods that people use, but they may never work. If you have a black clown, chances are it is tank bred/raised and it is going to be harder to get it to host with an anemone.
Some methods that have worked for people:
1) turn off all lighting, shine a flashlight at the anemone and hopefully the clown follows the light, and finds the anemone
2) feed near the anemone
3) chase the clown into the anemone with a net (allow room for the clown to swim out as well as it has to get used to the stinging)
4) Put a large picture of a predator fish on the opposite side of the tank from the anemone
5) Put a picture of a clownfish hosting with an anemone on the tank
 

levinjac

Active Member
i have to say your tank is way to new for your tank it needs 6 months at leats before an anemone how long do you keep th elights on what are your parimeters
 

levinjac

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by BTLDreef http:///forum/thread/381499/brown-algae-help-i-m-new-3#post_3323638
It's sounds like diatoms, which is a naturally occurring thing in newly set up tanks.
Some pictures would really help.
As for anemones, your tank a) doesn't have the proper lighting for them and b) your tank is too young for them. Anemones need high lighting and a stable environment, neither of which your tank is offering right now.
As for a clown hosting an anemone, there are many different methods that people use, but they may never work. If you have a black clown, chances are it is tank bred/raised and it is going to be harder to get it to host with an anemone.
Some methods that have worked for people:
1) turn off all lighting, shine a flashlight at the anemone and hopefully the clown follows the light, and finds the anemone
2) feed near the anemone
3) chase the clown into the anemone with a net (allow room for the clown to swim out as well as it has to get used to the stinging)
4) Put a large picture of a predator fish on the opposite side of the tank from the anemone
5) Put a picture of a clownfish hosting with an anemone on the tank
+1
 

ryandefones

Member
Well I'll do a test this weekend to let you guys know, but my ammonia is stable .02 ppm.
sorry about the quality! I dont have any other camer besides my phone!
 

levinjac

Active Member
there shouldnt be ammonia at all............. and i would get the bubbles out irritates corals and also i would get out the anemone
 

btldreef

Moderator
That's diatoms from best I can tell. They should go away on your own as the tank stablizes itself.
There should be 0 ammonia in your tank if you have inhabitants in it.
Those bubbles are not good for your fish. Is that coming from your return pump? You may need to put the return pump further down, under the water line in the tank to stop that from happening.
That anemone does not look healthy.
You need more live rock.
 

slice

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by BTLDreef http:///forum/thread/381499/brown-algae-help-i-m-new-3#post_3323691
That's diatoms from best I can tell. They should go away on your own as the tank stablizes itself.
There should be 0 ammonia in your tank if you have inhabitants in it.
Those bubbles are not good for your fish. Is that coming from your return pump? You may need to put the return pump further down
, under the water line in the tank to stop that from happening.
That anemone does not look healthy.
You need more live rock.
I think the OP used the wrong term for the mechanical filter; called it an AQ canister. The picture shows a regular HOB powerfilter, like an Aqua Clear 30 or 50. I have an AQ 70 on my QT. It puts bubbles like that in the tank when the water level is too low below the return. Raising the water level up until the return flows across the surface stops the bubbles.
Also, the intake of my AQ 70 isn't really that strong; a 30 or 50 would we weaker. The intake's strainer holes are rather small. I can't imagine an AQ sucking up an anemone unless it was already down the road towards disintegration.
And yeah, diatoms. Also agree with some kind of background.
PS
Happy Friday!!
 

ibew41

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by BTLDreef http:///forum/thread/381499/brown-algae-help-i-m-new-3#post_3323691
That's diatoms from best I can tell. They should go away on your own as the tank stablizes itself.
There should be 0 ammonia in your tank if you have inhabitants in it.
Those bubbles are not good for your fish. Is that coming from your return pump? You may need to put the return pump further down, under the water line in the tank to stop that from happening.
That anemone does not look healthy.
You need more live rock.
+1
 
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