brown algea growning on sand??

[jds31788]

i have 40lbs of live sand in my new 30gal and ive notice there is this brown fuzzy algea collecting in spots in a few places and im wondering what it is and what i need to do to stop it if it needs to be stopped.. currently there is only 1 goby, 1 cleaner shrimp, 2 hermit crabs, 2 snails, and about 10-15lbs live rock.. i had two damsels but they died. i just cleaned the filter today and i havent had to do a water change yet. my gravity is at 1.0235. i dont have any equipment to check for anything else but the lfs said everything was perfect except my nitrites because of my dead fish but it should cycle out and that was about 4 days ago.
i gladly welcome any advice so please repy.
thanks

 

[jds31788]

lfs said its brown hair algea and it has already doubled in area..its growning on everything.. the lfs said its because i cleaned both filters at the same time..i didnt know cleaning the filter would make the tank dirty...kinda ironic.. there sure is alot to learn about saltwater tanks..well the lfs recomended a rainfordeye goby to eat it.. do u think this is a good idea.???

 

[jdzane11]

The lights could be on for to long that will cause it, and since the tank is new that happened to mine. Just cut down on lighting and the cleaners of the tank should handle some of it

 

[jds31788]

yeah the lfs mentions that too but its not on much longer than the sun is up.. probably from about 8:00 in the morning to 6:atnight...of course im pushing at least 4watts pergal..i plan on growing corals and plants later.. thanks for your reponse

 

[littlebuck]

well i think you need to beef up your clean up crew. In my 2 gal i have 10 nass snails 2 hermits, 15 turbo snails a fire shrimp and a sally light foot crab. I have never gotten anything on my sand or even and algee on my rocks. I have alot of light on it and keep it on for 10 hours a day. 300 watts of light Also are you using tap water? or are you using RO water?

 

[jds31788]

no tap or RO.... i only have two snails and two hermit crab.. a cleaner shrimp but he doesnt eat that stuff does he?? also .. will the snails and crabs eat the green algea because i have some minor green alea on my live rock and it looks reall good.. its under control and everyhting and id liek to keep its..
thanks for your advice please repy

 

[miked0523]

It is normal for new tanks to have alot of algae. just give it some time it will clear up in a couple of weeks. try not to add any more fish until then some more snails will help for now. also you should be using RO water?

 

[aredmon]

I have a realy bad problem with the same thing. My crabs or snails will not touch the stuff. It got super bad in my tank. I left the lights off in my tank for one whole day. Moved the power heads a little lower to blow the top layer of sand a little better and when I turned the lights back on I only ran them for half the time you are for about a day or two and the stuff was almost all gone.

 

[jds31788]

myabe ill try that.. i just had my 4 wisdom teeth pulled this morning so i dont feel like doing anything and the pet store is closed tomorrow. it hasnt gotten any worse and i put my light on a timer so it wont stay on as long.. thanks for ur advice..

 

[jds31788]

its been about a week now and this brown algea has only gotten worse.. i took in a water sample the day before yesterday and i had to raise my ph and they said my nitrites were high.. i got some of those plants u can put in the back of the filter to help with the Trites but what am i gonna do about this algea... i cant add any fish until my levels are back to normal and the lfs said to let it cycle out but its getting pretty thick and has now started to take over some of the green algea... what should i do??

 

[jupoc911]

try adding more flow. could be in a deadspot area.

 

[pfitz44]

How long has the tank been set up for??? IT could be diatoms. 99% of all new tanks go threw this. Beef up your cleaning crew.. that will help. Weekly cleaning of the substrate will help as well.

 

[jds31788]

i dont think its a dead spot because it covers the whole tank.. its about 3 or 4 weeks old but it didnt show up till about a week ago..my snails, hermitts and my cleaner shrimp wont touch the stuff.. i dont really want to clean all the substrate because im afraid of upsetting the delicate balance of the nitrate cycle...last time i checked my trites were to high anyway.
thanks for ur help

 

[pfitz44]

It sounds like diatoms. Dont worry about it. It will turn to green alge (maybe) or go away. If it goes to green alge, your clean up crew will take care of it. Dont sweat it

 

[jds31788]

thank you

 

[jds31788]

.. about how long does this transformation take... i really want u to be right on this but.. its now covered the enire substrate and moving on the glass..brown as ever..i thought it was hair algea but even the oldest stuff hasnt really grown upward... just outwards... i cleaned off a few lose rocks and some decorations in my tank yesterday and today u cant tell i even touched it..also the water seem just a hair cloudy... i should probably get by the lfs...thanks for ur help

 

[9lives]

You keep wanting to go back to the LFS.
If you go there,buy yourself some more cleanup crew,turbo snails,various other snails(around 20-30 total),maybe some more hermits.
Don't go adding chemicals to try and rid all of this,you'll do more harm to your tank than it's worth.
New tank syndrom takes awhile to clear up.
Also,you never say whether you use RO water or not. Tap water has too many nasty things in it for a saltwater tank and conditioner doesn't remove this junk.
Don't let the LFS talk you into buying any fish to supposedly eat the brown algea.Get a good cleanup crew,cut back on your lights,you can use a soft,clean brush to clear some of it off. But patience will work best.

 

[aredmon]

I have the exact same thing still in my tank. It is a new tank only been up about 4months now. I have had this brown stuff all over my sand and glass for about a month and a half. It is very anoying but it won't hurt your fish. You just have to wait for it to run its course. I know it is a pain. Is the alge slimey or like dust? Is it growing what looks like hair? I had diatom and now I have the slimey, hairy even has bubbles in it in the thick spots. Realy nasty looking. If it is the second kind I mentioned then there realy isn't a cleaning crew that will help you. You just have to wait for it to go away. To help decrease the amount of it turn your lights off for one whole day. This will kill alot of it but it will not get rid of all of it. After that run your lights from like 8am to 3 or 4pm until it goes away or stops spreading like crazy. Keep up cleaning the decor and do water changes with Ro water if possible. Tap does help the stuff to grow. Like everyone stated it is new tank syndrome. Just like being patient in a cycle you have to let your tank establish its self after being set up. It will control the algae in its own good time.

 

[jds31788]

Originally Posted by jds31788
no tap or RO.... i only have two snails and two hermit crab.. a cleaner shrimp but he doesnt eat that stuff does he?? also .. will the snails and crabs eat the green algea because i have some minor green alea on my live rock and it looks reall good.. its under control and everyhting and id liek to keep its..
thanks for your advice please repy

no tap or RO water.. i use nutri-sea water.. that saltwater in a jug stuff.. and i think ts exactly what ur describing, AREDMON, some places look slimey and could grow intro hairs but its mostly fuzzy with bubbles in the thick spots... there is some really nice looking green algea but its being overtaken by the brown stuff...i have already cutt the light down to about 8:30-5 i guess i could cut off another hour... ill try and stay away from the chemicals.. i have two snails and hemits but like u said they dont really help.. they act like its not even there...i think the snails are actually avoiding it on the glass (they neve leave the glass) will cleaning it just stirr it up and cause it to spread??
thank you for your advice

 

[sly]

This is one of the problems with having a deep sand bed. If you ever disturb it, it could crash which sounds like what happened to you. It is good to clean your tank but when you vacuum your sand, be gentle with it. Only lightly vacuum the surface to remove any detrius. Don't go any deeper. In the lower levels of your sand bed are filled with anaerobic bacteria. This is the bacteria that reduces your Nitrates to form nitrogen gas and is the final stage of the nitrogen cycle. If you stir your sand bed, you will expose this bacteria to oxygen and it will die leaving nothing to remove nitrates from your tank.
I would recommend leaving your tank alone for awhile. It could take a month to stabilize. Then lightly vacuum your tank. Scrub off any algae that forms on your rock and do a water change to remove the dead algae. Always use high quality filtered water that has no phosphates or silicates in it. These contribute to your algae problem. And remember to be careful with your deep sand bed. They work well at reducing nitrates but they can not be disturbed.
If you want to eliminate the problem with deep sand beds altogether, then remove the sand until you only have about an inch or less. Then add some more LR and possibly some macro algae to your tank or a refugium. These can not crash a tank when disturbed. LR has deep pores where anaerobic bacteria also live. If you move the rocks, you will not disturb the bacteria and it will not crash. Also plants love nitrates and phosphates. That's what is in most fertilizers. If you put in some plants, they will remove your nitrates very effectively and possibly provide free food to your fish.
Brown algae will go away but sometimes you have to let it run its course to consume whatever is feeding it. After your nitrogen cycle resumes (in about a month), it should quit growing on its own. Don't forget your water changes... Also it is okay to clean out any foam prefilters your system may have. This usually houses aerobic bacteria which will not die when exposed to air. If you rinse out your prefilters whenever they get dirty, you will remove a lot of the filtered junk that can cause high nitrates in a tank. Anaerobic bacteria doesn't live in those filters anyway...