first off this is my first post on here. I'm a car guy so if you have any Q's about LS1 engines or car I know most of it. Ok to start, I have a 44g saltwater tank. I['ve had it for about 4 months now, I've got about 4 corols, 4 fish and alot of little crabs, and I just got a beanie. My problem is I have aglae growth (what I think it is) its brown and is all OVER my rock and sand and my sand bed looks more like dirt than white sand. I have a turkey bastor that I blow the rocks with to get it all off but then it sits on my sand. I need help to clear up this problem. Thanks Jordan
Have a problem with my tank need HELP!!!
- Thread starter Mylilocean
- Start date
Hello, and welcome to Reefs.org! 
Sounds like diatoms to me. They are quite normal for new tanks. Most tanks take about a year or so to balance out and get past several different nuisance algea outbreaks that they normally go through.
The diatoms aren't really hurting anything except your eyes. :wink:
I would recommend you do a water change and siphon the diatoms out. Your sand will be clean as a whistle.
If the diatoms keep coming back, you might want to consider if you are overfeeding. Your tank may be slightly overstocked too, which means you will need more frequent water changes to keep algea in check. What kind of fish do you have?
Do you have a protein skimmer?
Louey
Sounds like diatoms to me. They are quite normal for new tanks. Most tanks take about a year or so to balance out and get past several different nuisance algea outbreaks that they normally go through.
The diatoms aren't really hurting anything except your eyes. :wink:
I would recommend you do a water change and siphon the diatoms out. Your sand will be clean as a whistle.
If the diatoms keep coming back, you might want to consider if you are overfeeding. Your tank may be slightly overstocked too, which means you will need more frequent water changes to keep algea in check. What kind of fish do you have?
Do you have a protein skimmer?
Louey
It sounds like cyano to me. Do a water change, cut down your lighting (time), and cut down your feedings for now. This may help get it under control some. When you use the turkey baster you can try to suck it out instead of blowing it around.
Have you tested your water for Amm., PH, Nitrates 7 nitrites? If so what are they
Kaye
Have you tested your water for Amm., PH, Nitrates 7 nitrites? If so what are they
Kaye
yes I have a protein skimmer, and I only feed once a day and my lighting I have cut back on, its from 12(noon) to 9pm. I check my water once a week and everything is fine. I have damsel fish and one copperband butterfly, I used to have a tang, neo, and fox face but they died. I had an Amm problem at the time. :roll:
Hmm, sounds like your rushing a bit which is what many people do starting out. Is this a brown dusting or brown sheets on your rock and sand ? If it's a dusting it's diatoms and if it's in sheets it's cyano or dinos.
Do you have live rock or artificial rock?
What is your substrate sand or crushed coral? Is it live sand ?
I would not add any more fish for at least 4 months until you get things under control. Your tank has to mature and your not giving it a chance by adding livestock.
Do you have a cleanup crew i.e. snails, hermits, etc. ?
What type of lighting and what brand of skimmer ?
Depending on your answers we can give you more recommendations.
Regards,
David Mohr
Do you have live rock or artificial rock?
What is your substrate sand or crushed coral? Is it live sand ?
I would not add any more fish for at least 4 months until you get things under control. Your tank has to mature and your not giving it a chance by adding livestock.
Do you have a cleanup crew i.e. snails, hermits, etc. ?
What type of lighting and what brand of skimmer ?
Depending on your answers we can give you more recommendations.
Regards,
David Mohr
You are definately trying to stock too many fish and fish that are unsuitable for a 44G tank.
Read up on what size tank a particular fish needs before you buy it.
Like davidmohr said, we all rush when we are new in this hobby. Take these couple of fish losses on the chin, read up, and enjoy your new tank.
One other thing, feeding only once a day can still be overfeeding. It all depends on how much your fish eat within the first couple of minutes of the feeding. After that, allot of food get stuck in the live rock, or in the sump, and then degrades from there. You can cut feeding back to every other day if you need to to get the algea under control.
Louey
I have helped set up a few new tanks and Cyano or diatoms always come about...... IT's normal.
pull out what you can get hold of.
Cyano has some enemies.... Water current and lack of light. Make sure your powerheads are whipping the water around (10 times your tank in an hour minimally IMHO) 44 gallons = 500 gallons per hour.
Then leave the lights off for 2 or 3 days.
Corals won't croak for lack of light for 3 days. I would worry about ammonia levels.
It makes me think something is dead in there, tank isn't cycled, or something. Have you tested you top off water?
yes please do post everything you can about your setup and you will surely get some good advice..... Reefs.org should hand out superhero T's. This Gang has saved many aquatic lives. In my tanks and others.
pull out what you can get hold of.
Cyano has some enemies.... Water current and lack of light. Make sure your powerheads are whipping the water around (10 times your tank in an hour minimally IMHO) 44 gallons = 500 gallons per hour.
Then leave the lights off for 2 or 3 days.
Corals won't croak for lack of light for 3 days. I would worry about ammonia levels.
It makes me think something is dead in there, tank isn't cycled, or something. Have you tested you top off water?
yes please do post everything you can about your setup and you will surely get some good advice..... Reefs.org should hand out superhero T's. This Gang has saved many aquatic lives. In my tanks and others.
Its a brown dusty type
yes I have live rock(about 65 lbs of it)
yes I have live sand as well. Carib sand
I have about 5 crabs, 5 snails, a sepant star, and a couple other little guys that dig in the sand and move around(I forgot the name, there white) :? I know you need aleast 1 cleaner per Gallon(RIGHT?)
I have a aqualight compact with the 10,000Kbulbs and the 50/50 bulb along with the moon lighting LEDS. :wink:
Protien skimmer is a seaclone 100 from petsmart.
My powerheads are located at each end of the tank towards the top, pointing towards the middle front of the glass (its a bow front).
I have a marineland bio wheel wet/dry system. with the Amm, carbon,and white filters.
I just want this stuff gone. How does it remove itself? And is it bad that I move around and readjust the live road and corals? This is about my 3-4 time in 3 months( I just get board looking at it. )
yes I have live rock(about 65 lbs of it)
yes I have live sand as well. Carib sand
I have about 5 crabs, 5 snails, a sepant star, and a couple other little guys that dig in the sand and move around(I forgot the name, there white) :? I know you need aleast 1 cleaner per Gallon(RIGHT?)
I have a aqualight compact with the 10,000Kbulbs and the 50/50 bulb along with the moon lighting LEDS. :wink:
Protien skimmer is a seaclone 100 from petsmart.
My powerheads are located at each end of the tank towards the top, pointing towards the middle front of the glass (its a bow front).
I have a marineland bio wheel wet/dry system. with the Amm, carbon,and white filters.
I just want this stuff gone. How does it remove itself? And is it bad that I move around and readjust the live road and corals? This is about my 3-4 time in 3 months( I just get board looking at it. )
I have a tiny tank (10 gal) that only finnished cycling after removing the biowheel part of the power filter and adding live rock and a skimmer. My tank is healthy, but gets regular 25% water changes to help export nutrients. I have had diatomes and green micro-algea growning in the tank, but they are almost gone now. The hardest part for me in all this is to wait.
I have gotten great advice from this site. most people are knowlegable and helpful
I have gotten great advice from this site. most people are knowlegable and helpful
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