URGENT: brown growth appears suddenly

[aedeos]

I just got a new coral beauty angel yesterday. Today, I wake up and there's brown spots all over my live rock and live sand. I've never seen it before and appeared within about 12 hours. I'm about to check nitrate levels and phosphate levels, but I have no idea what it is. I'm uploading pictures as we speak. Help!

 

[aedeos]

 

[aedeos]

nitrate tested to around 10-20 ppm which is high, but shouldn't lead to a sudden bloom like this, correct?

 

[aedeos]

phosphate is at .2-.5 range.

 

[dmjordan]

can you give more specifics about the tank
how long has it been set up
filtration
cleaning crew
how many fish
tank size
how many powerheads
what type of water do you use
probably just a diatom bloom but need more info on your tank.

 

[aedeos]

It's 85 gallons. Been set up about 2-3 weeks, I have a prism 100gal filter and a over-hanging carbon filter from Emperor I believe. The tank has a coral beauty angelfish, 3 domino damsels, and 3 blue-green chromis. I have two penguin 660s. It's tap water with Seachem Prime. I think it's just a diatom bloom, but it just caught me off guard at first because I hadn't experienced anything like it.

 

[stanlalee]

diatoms. the only reason you are just seeing them now is because of the age of your tank. It will likely get much worse over the next few months before it gets better. normal.

 

[aedeos]

any suggestions on keeping it in check? I'll run a search of the forums as well.

 

[azaintcold]

Good water param's, routine water changes. Its normal for new tanks, and if you take care of the tank , it will go away on its own.

 

[stanlalee]

you hardly have a problem so far. On the rocks as long as you have diatoms and not green algae then you are in good shape. Snails virtually live off diatoms so a good clean up crew will help. astrea snails do a great job of keeping the liverock in good shape (mine hardly even venture off the rocks to the glass). Cerith and nassarius will dwell in the sand. The best solution for the sand (besides keeping good water quality as mentioned) is to get a sand sifter. diamond goby is probably most common and easier ones to except prepared food. A fighting conch (not to be confused with queen, crown or any other conch) is suppose to eat diatoms off the sand but I have four and I think they are a bit overated. It also helps to be conservative with the light cycle and feeding. these are the two I fail miserably at with a 11hr MH light cycle and twice a day feedings but I cant change the feeding because of the fish I have and the light cycle isn't going to change because it gets viewed virtually all eleven hours.
PS: you will get more than you have now. nothing you can do about it. If you didn't it wouldn't be natural. No tank is going to stay as clean as the week you filled it with water.