Is this an algae bloom?

[mmync]

Just noticed today that my dsb and rock are turning a brownish color. There was no color at all yesterday then I came home today and it was all over the place. My tank has been up and running foe about a month. If so, what are your suggestions.Should I just cut back on my light time and let mother nature take her course?

 

[mmync]

Another

 

[mmync]

And another

 

[justinx]

most certainly looks like it, but it looks like diatoms to me on the sand there, but on the rocks, it looks normal to me. I have the same growth, but it never did anything more than turn colors to green. How old is your tank?

 

[justinx]

sorry, i just re-read your posts. A couple things, first a diatom bloom like this is normal. Generally it is the marking of a finished cycle. Which makes me think this is even more normal because your tank is only a month old. If you are using RO water, this will disappear on its own, if not i would highly suggest using RO. If you dont want to by the filter, go to meijers. They sell it there for 29 cents a gallon. Secondly, what kind of sand did you use? Diatoms result from silicates which are found in tap water and some types of sands. eliminating the silicates will eliminate the diatoms.

 

[a&m aggie 04']

RO/DI water would be better if you can find it. RO water can still contain silicates and phosphates. If this continues, check your water you are using to see whats in it
Mark

 

[newbiesalttank]

You should just go ahead and cut back your light time for several weeks. I ran into the same problem when I first set up my tank along with a recent light upgrade that created diatoms and an algae bloom. You are probably going to have to cut it back to around 6-6.5 hours of light for a week and slowly increase it little by little. Algae will still grow so you will need to clean your tank walls and get some snails,crabs to take care of the sand until all the nutrients/phosphate in your tank is used up.
Don't delay since algae blooms will eventually cause your tank to crash when it reaches the critical point of stealing oxygen and other essentials from your tank and killing off your tank. Good luck.
btw, your rocks might not sure uncontrolled growth now but they will if you continue to keep your lights on at full strength(time-wise)