Have i done something wrong?

[skrimpz]

I satrted a tread the other day about how all this brown algea was on my fake plants. My light is on a timer for 10 hrs a day and when i got home from work today i found my cc and fake white coral covered in the same brown algea. Am i doing somehing wrong? I don't have a skimmer and am plaaing on getting one it a FOWLR tank. Will the skimmer get rid of the algea? Please help i;m afraid ill wake up tom and the whole tank is gonna be brown!!!:notsure: :help:

 

[skrimpz]

maybe it can be seen better on this one

 

[tuningvis]

take the time of lighting down... to around 6 hours ... see if that helps

 

[skrimpz]

I have a choc chip starfish in there i know they need a certain amount of lighing will he be of with about 6
:happyfish

 

[arkey.d]

Looks like brown diatoms, if so they can grow in minimal light. Reducing the light most likely won't help. The brown are the dead shells of the diatoms. They thrive on silicates and once they are all used up then it will go away. Some new SW Tanks go through this.
If your using tap water change to DI/RO water.

 

[ophiura]

Originally posted by Skrimpz
I have a choc chip starfish in there i know they need a certain amount of lighing will he be of with about 6
:happyfish
?? Seastars have no light requirements.
But give us more info, please, on your specific tank parameters...age, filtration, livestock, lighting, specific water quality (especially nitrates), what is your water change schedule and do you use tap water?

 

[snipe]

You want to flip flop that to RO/DI lol

 

[unleashed]

get some turbo snails that might help keep that under control

 

[waterwolf]

Silicates or phosphate levels might need checked. Absolutely do not use tap water and make sure your source is good quality. Skimmer would only help but I don't see it as a solution to the problem. Do a search on diatoms I am sure you could find more.

 

[ophiura]

Or a search under one often mentioned topic like "red slime algae" I am sure there will be LOTS of ideas! Do you have any other circulation, like power heads?

 

[skrimpz]

My tank is a 30 gallon hexagon, i have a fluval 204 on there right now and am planning oon getting a skimmer, Its a FOWLR. I went to my LFS last night and got 2 large snails one turbo and one thated started with an a i forgot how to say it. The tank has been up for about 3 months i added 3 clown fish and the choc chip early last week, and have 2 damsels that i had gotten to start the tank. I only have one light i think its called a powerglo i got its the most basic light . I uesd tap water when i started the tank but have been using DI every time since that. My water is fine i work at a lrage chain pet store so i always take my water up there and test it i will go up there today and test it and give the exact results.