billyjoemac
Member
Can anyone tell me what is causing this nasty brown layer on my sand bed, it started a few days after i added my first fish (clown). water parameters are fine
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rickross23
Active Member
Do you have any powerheads? ANy clean up crew? How old is the tank?
Looks like diatoms....normal for a new tank, BUT you need the above items
Yes, diatoms. Problem is the tank is probably not suited for a fish and probably not cycles yet.
Looks like diatoms....normal for a new tank, BUT you need the above items
Yes, diatoms. Problem is the tank is probably not suited for a fish and probably not cycles yet.
billyjoemac
Member
I have a powerhead. Should I move it? I have a peppermint shrimp as well, no CUC. The tanks is appx 6 weeks old. Ammonia spikes to like 6ppm and went down to zero about 2 weeks before I added the fish. What should I do?
Im very patient, I honestly thought the tank was ready
Im very patient, I honestly thought the tank was ready
rickross23
Active Member
Turbo snails are great also.
billyjoemac
Member
30 gallon, i did some further reading about diatoms and it appears its not the end of the word, lol. Im gonna buy a couple snails tomorrow.
It said in a new tank this normally occurs when the nitrogin cycle is complete. Ill do a water change and replace the filter and see what happens. How many snails?
It said in a new tank this normally occurs when the nitrogin cycle is complete. Ill do a water change and replace the filter and see what happens. How many snails?
snakeblitz33
Well-Known Member
If ammonia and nitrite tested zero, then the tank was ready. Rick is just new to saltwater tanks as well and still needs to do a little research. No worries though, he is learning a lot every day! We all are here on the forums! Welcome to the forums by the way, I hope you enjoy your stay.
Powerheads circulate water around and bring o2 to your fish and to aerobic bacteria which keeps your tank continuously cycling...
Diatoms which is what that brown algae is... is using up all the available silicate in your water column. If you are just seeing them now, consider using RO/DI water instead of tap water - RO/DI is pure water and undergoes a process that will remove all minerals, nitrates, phosphates and other chemicals from it. If you have been using RO/DI water and you are just now seeing it, ... it is just another stage of maturity of a tank. Think about it like this...
When the Earth was created it sat lifeless for nearly 3 billion years... and then all of the sudden through heat, water, and electrical storms long amino acid chains started to appear... and then they started to gather into single celled organisms called cyanobacteria. (which you will most certainly experience at one point or another in your lifetime as a saltwater hobbyist) Cyanobacteria is some of the most primitive form of live on Earth... and then over time other organisms found their niches - such as diatoms, which used silicates to make their shells... Over millions of years high form of life evolved and single celled plants were created such as various species of phytoplankton - which produced oxygen in abundance... and then they became more and more complex - to form multicellular plant life and so on and so forth.
The reason for the small history lesson is that you are watching, (in quick time) various progressions of algae that has happened over millennia.... neat huh? Eventually brown will give way to green, green will give way to reds and purples and yellows... It's a cycle of life right before your eyes. Enjoy it!
Diatoms last anywhere from one week to one month depending on the amount of silicate in your sand, rocks and water column. You could get a small clean up crew like a few nassarius snails to turn the sandbed over a bit - and a few hermits to eat excess foods. There's not really much that you could do about diatoms besides just waiting to let it die off.
Powerheads circulate water around and bring o2 to your fish and to aerobic bacteria which keeps your tank continuously cycling...
Diatoms which is what that brown algae is... is using up all the available silicate in your water column. If you are just seeing them now, consider using RO/DI water instead of tap water - RO/DI is pure water and undergoes a process that will remove all minerals, nitrates, phosphates and other chemicals from it. If you have been using RO/DI water and you are just now seeing it, ... it is just another stage of maturity of a tank. Think about it like this...
When the Earth was created it sat lifeless for nearly 3 billion years... and then all of the sudden through heat, water, and electrical storms long amino acid chains started to appear... and then they started to gather into single celled organisms called cyanobacteria. (which you will most certainly experience at one point or another in your lifetime as a saltwater hobbyist) Cyanobacteria is some of the most primitive form of live on Earth... and then over time other organisms found their niches - such as diatoms, which used silicates to make their shells... Over millions of years high form of life evolved and single celled plants were created such as various species of phytoplankton - which produced oxygen in abundance... and then they became more and more complex - to form multicellular plant life and so on and so forth.
The reason for the small history lesson is that you are watching, (in quick time) various progressions of algae that has happened over millennia.... neat huh? Eventually brown will give way to green, green will give way to reds and purples and yellows... It's a cycle of life right before your eyes. Enjoy it!
Diatoms last anywhere from one week to one month depending on the amount of silicate in your sand, rocks and water column. You could get a small clean up crew like a few nassarius snails to turn the sandbed over a bit - and a few hermits to eat excess foods. There's not really much that you could do about diatoms besides just waiting to let it die off.
billyjoemac
Member
Thanks for the help. Really appriciated. So far Ive been very happy how my tank has come along. Cant wait for the future. Im sure I will pick ur brain at some point if you dont mind. Currently reading 'The new marine aquarium'