help with diatoms

[lwaxman]

so diatoms have been invading my tank. the glass has brown spots all over it. i cleaned the glass with a sponge and most of it came back. less than a day later it was back, but more of it, now my lr is very hairy. whats going on. and how do i remove it. can i get a clean up crew for the glass and what would that be.

29 g running for 3 weeks
2 damsels
a cleaner shrimp i believe
2 crabs, one sally foot, one emerald
snail
4 little hermit crabs i think

thanks

[an411]

part of the initial stages of the tank it will pass. Monitor phosphates and nitrates

[lwaxman]

how do i get rid of it

[an411]

You can try to move as much as you can manually and do more water changes. What are the water parameters in the tank

[dileggi]

lwaxman, I had the same problems at about the same point that you are. It's definitely part of the intial cycle and quite normal. It will go away on it's own, along wtih some help:

Keep your phosphates and nitrates in check. Mostly your phospahtes, as phosphates = brown algae. This is what I did...I started using phosban to help lower my phosphates, did weekly water changes with distilled water....I didn't have an ro/di yet. Kept my feedings low, added a skimmer and continously cleaned my filter pad and filter floss and glass. When I did my water changes, I tried to siphon as much off the sand as possible without disturbing the sandbed too much, and I would use a turkey baster to blow any detrius off the rocks before I started siphoning any water out.

[zotzer]

It will go away on it's own.
No snails? A trochus snail or two and some ceriths would be a nice addition.

Tracy

[lwaxman]

should i get something like a starfish to clean up the glass