Greenish Brown Algae Prob on my almost new tank

wettfox · 07/24/2017, 07:02 AM

Hi everyone! Im new here and on the hobby as well. I have an algae issue that i dont seem to know how to solve..

Anyway, to begin with, my tank is A 50 gal main tank with a 30 gal sump. My tank has been up for over 6 weeks already, started cycling with just water and an 8x8x4 MarinePure block on June 8, then a week later added in sand (1-2 inches deep) and live rock. Tank cycled for about 4 weeks: ammonia shot up then nitrites, then nitrates. When ammonia and nitrites were at zero, i added in a pair of clowns, then a week later, a purple firefish and a tomini tang.

Everything was fine til about a couple of days ago when i installed a pair of ocean revive t247s. At first brown algae were forming on the rocks, so i thought it was perfectly normal. But then yesterday, i noticed some bubbles forming on the algae which keeps releasing onto the water. When i returned from work today, the tank was a mess. All the rocks were covered in a greenish brown algae with lots and lots of bubbles. Some brown stuffhave been creeping up the glass as well. Also, i noticed some sort of brown particles on the surface of the water.

Anyway, i dont know if this is normal for a new tank, but from the looks of it, im really worried that my tank has a problem

Im planning to do a big water change, and get as much of the algae as i can but before i do, i'd love to hear suggestions from experienced reefers..

I'll post pics in a bit.

Thanks, guys

ahuaia · 07/24/2017, 07:10 AM

It sounds like you stalked to fast. This would lead to higher amount of phosphates which grows algae. I would buy some of your cuc and maybe add a macroalgae to your sump to help reduce the phosphates. Also if you have no coral you could turn off the light to reduce the growth. Make sure to research anything you buy for your cuc so you know it will eat the different types of algae you have.

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wettfox · 07/24/2017, 07:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ahuaia

It sounds like you stalked to fast. This would lead to higher amount of phosphates which grows algae. I would buy some of your cuc and maybe add a macroalgae to your sump to help reduce the phosphates. Also if you have no coral you could turn off the light to reduce the growth. Make sure to research anything you buy for your cuc so you know it will eat the different types of algae you have.

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Yeah, i guess i did.. Have to keep reminding myself to take it slow, just so difficult whenever i visit the LFS. Forgot to mention, i added in some chaeto during the 4th week about the size of a baseball, now it has grown about double.

Have no corals yet, so i'll turn the lights off for the meantime.

Can you help id the algae infesting my main tank so i can properly research on what cuc will help me out?

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ahuaia · 07/24/2017, 08:02 AM

Looks like green slime algae however the blue is throwing me off with those bubbles. I would assume that it is bubble algae but that is one I don't have any personal experience with.

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ahuaia · 07/24/2017, 08:03 AM

You should turn off your blue lights when you take pictures in the future. Hope this information helps.

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LuizW13 · 07/24/2017, 09:16 AM

you didn't do a water change when your tank finished cycling?

Reefiez · 07/24/2017, 09:33 AM

not bubble algae for sure, just algae photosynthesizing too happily and bubbling O2 out. if your LEDs are adjustable, you could turn down the red and green, it could help slow down algae growth.

chaeto is awesome, and you're getting good growth so just let it do it's job (and remember to harvest once in a while to permanently remove the nutrients).

i wouldn't do anything drastic if i were you. seems to just be some new tank issues that will most likely go away without doing anything. just stick to your nutrient export strategy and the problem will go away by itself.

oh and remember to clean your aquarium glass often (i clean it every 3 days), neglecting it for too long makes the algae much harder to remove!

i'm running a 140g system and using 3 thick marinepure blocks, skimmer, red sea nopox, and chaeto as my nutrient export.

mcgyvr · 07/24/2017, 10:00 AM

Looks like diatoms, green film algae and cyano..
All fairly normal part of a new tank commonly referred to as the "ugly stages"..

In general they will pass and are just part of a new tank.. Siphon out what you can during water changes and if you don't have corals yet then drastically reduce your light (or run all blue lights) or just turn them off till it passes..

Its normal... Some just get it a little worse than others..

ReeferNoob4ever · 07/24/2017, 10:13 AM

Like mcgyvr says, it's pretty normal. If you are using mechanical filtration such as pads, socks, or floss change that out very frequently. Do weekly water changes and this too shall pass. As you SLOWLY start adding corals the light will be used up by them instead of your algae. I am also a big fan of macro algae in a sump or reactor.

Civicman86 · 07/24/2017, 10:25 AM

I'm going through a similar issue and just like mcgyvr said, attribute it to the 'ugly' stages. I did just purchase 2 turbo snails and they have really cleaned some of it up along with my 6 astrea snails and half dozen hermits.

wettfox · 07/24/2017, 04:50 PM

I did about a 20% water change a couple days before i put it fish, and have been doing 15 gal water changes weekly since then.

Thanks for your inputs, guys! Glad to know this is part of the normal process. I wasn't expecting an algae bloom at this rate. I'll do another wc maybe tomorrow, then add in a cuc.

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NanoWave · 07/25/2017, 09:05 AM

+1 for diatoms. I recently finished cycling a 10g with mostly dry rock and they got real ugly at the end. Covered in diatoms. My new scarlet hermits love picking away at the rocks. The nerites snails eat any off the glass too.

Here's how bad mine got, but after only a week of CUC it's looking much better:

Diatom brown algae is very common in a cycling/new tank, but often goes away on it's own as parameters stabilize.

wettfox · 07/26/2017, 07:46 AM

Okay, i think something is definitely not right.. a few days ago, one of my clowns jumped out the tank. Then earlier today before going to work, i was looking for my firefish goby, he usually comes out to feed in the morning, he didnt. When i came home, i found him dead on the sand.

I only have 2 fish left in my 50 gal tank. A 1 1/2 inch clown and a 3inch tomini tang. Now the tang is looking kinda pale and stressed out.

The clown looks ok, though. He actually fed this morning.

Tested water this morning:
Ph: 8.1
Ammonia: 0
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: close to 0

Used the API saltwater test kit.

I plan to do a 30% wc tom, and the day after. Is that advisable?

Geez, im really lost and not sure what to do

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07/24/2017, 07:02 AM	#1
wettfox Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2017 Posts: 7	Greenish Brown Algae Prob on my almost new tank Hi everyone! Im new here and on the hobby as well. I have an algae issue that i dont seem to know how to solve.. Anyway, to begin with, my tank is A 50 gal main tank with a 30 gal sump. My tank has been up for over 6 weeks already, started cycling with just water and an 8x8x4 MarinePure block on June 8, then a week later added in sand (1-2 inches deep) and live rock. Tank cycled for about 4 weeks: ammonia shot up then nitrites, then nitrates. When ammonia and nitrites were at zero, i added in a pair of clowns, then a week later, a purple firefish and a tomini tang. Everything was fine til about a couple of days ago when i installed a pair of ocean revive t247s. At first brown algae were forming on the rocks, so i thought it was perfectly normal. But then yesterday, i noticed some bubbles forming on the algae which keeps releasing onto the water. When i returned from work today, the tank was a mess. All the rocks were covered in a greenish brown algae with lots and lots of bubbles. Some brown stuffhave been creeping up the glass as well. Also, i noticed some sort of brown particles on the surface of the water. Anyway, i dont know if this is normal for a new tank, but from the looks of it, im really worried that my tank has a problem Im planning to do a big water change, and get as much of the algae as i can but before i do, i'd love to hear suggestions from experienced reefers.. I'll post pics in a bit. Thanks, guys

07/24/2017, 09:33 AM	#7
Reefiez Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 157	not bubble algae for sure, just algae photosynthesizing too happily and bubbling O2 out. if your LEDs are adjustable, you could turn down the red and green, it could help slow down algae growth. chaeto is awesome, and you're getting good growth so just let it do it's job (and remember to harvest once in a while to permanently remove the nutrients). i wouldn't do anything drastic if i were you. seems to just be some new tank issues that will most likely go away without doing anything. just stick to your nutrient export strategy and the problem will go away by itself. oh and remember to clean your aquarium glass often (i clean it every 3 days), neglecting it for too long makes the algae much harder to remove! i'm running a 140g system and using 3 thick marinepure blocks, skimmer, red sea nopox, and chaeto as my nutrient export. __________________ my reef tank is the best skimmer... of my wallet

07/24/2017, 10:00 AM	#8
mcgyvr Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 20,050	Looks like diatoms, green film algae and cyano.. All fairly normal part of a new tank commonly referred to as the "ugly stages".. In general they will pass and are just part of a new tank.. Siphon out what you can during water changes and if you don't have corals yet then drastically reduce your light (or run all blue lights) or just turn them off till it passes.. Its normal... Some just get it a little worse than others.. __________________ Who me?

07/24/2017, 10:13 AM	#9
ReeferNoob4ever Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2017 Location: NM Posts: 523	Like mcgyvr says, it's pretty normal. If you are using mechanical filtration such as pads, socks, or floss change that out very frequently. Do weekly water changes and this too shall pass. As you SLOWLY start adding corals the light will be used up by them instead of your algae. I am also a big fan of macro algae in a sump or reactor. __________________ Get a life! Current Tank Info: 20gL mixed reef, 10g mixed reef w/nem & clown, 5g NPS & harlequin

07/24/2017, 10:25 AM	#10
Civicman86 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 138	I'm going through a similar issue and just like mcgyvr said, attribute it to the 'ugly' stages. I did just purchase 2 turbo snails and they have really cleaned some of it up along with my 6 astrea snails and half dozen hermits. __________________ -Dustin Current Tank Info: 75G FOWL Build

07/24/2017, 07:10 AM	#2
ahuaia Registered Member Join Date: May 2017 Posts: 228	It sounds like you stalked to fast. This would lead to higher amount of phosphates which grows algae. I would buy some of your cuc and maybe add a macroalgae to your sump to help reduce the phosphates. Also if you have no coral you could turn off the light to reduce the growth. Make sure to research anything you buy for your cuc so you know it will eat the different types of algae you have. Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

07/24/2017, 08:02 AM	#4
ahuaia Registered Member Join Date: May 2017 Posts: 228	Looks like green slime algae however the blue is throwing me off with those bubbles. I would assume that it is bubble algae but that is one I don't have any personal experience with. Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

07/24/2017, 08:03 AM	#5
ahuaia Registered Member Join Date: May 2017 Posts: 228	You should turn off your blue lights when you take pictures in the future. Hope this information helps. Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

07/24/2017, 09:16 AM	#6
LuizW13 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Under the sea Posts: 309	you didn't do a water change when your tank finished cycling?

07/24/2017, 04:50 PM	#11
wettfox Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2017 Posts: 7	I did about a 20% water change a couple days before i put it fish, and have been doing 15 gal water changes weekly since then. Thanks for your inputs, guys! Glad to know this is part of the normal process. I wasn't expecting an algae bloom at this rate. I'll do another wc maybe tomorrow, then add in a cuc. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

07/25/2017, 09:05 AM	#12
NanoWave Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2017 Posts: 7	+1 for diatoms. I recently finished cycling a 10g with mostly dry rock and they got real ugly at the end. Covered in diatoms. My new scarlet hermits love picking away at the rocks. The nerites snails eat any off the glass too. Here's how bad mine got, but after only a week of CUC it's looking much better: Diatom brown algae is very common in a cycling/new tank, but often goes away on it's own as parameters stabilize.

07/26/2017, 07:46 AM	#13
wettfox Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2017 Posts: 7	Okay, i think something is definitely not right.. a few days ago, one of my clowns jumped out the tank. Then earlier today before going to work, i was looking for my firefish goby, he usually comes out to feed in the morning, he didnt. When i came home, i found him dead on the sand. I only have 2 fish left in my 50 gal tank. A 1 1/2 inch clown and a 3inch tomini tang. Now the tang is looking kinda pale and stressed out. The clown looks ok, though. He actually fed this morning. Tested water this morning: Ph: 8.1 Ammonia: 0 Nitrites: 0 Nitrates: close to 0 Used the API saltwater test kit. I plan to do a 30% wc tom, and the day after. Is that advisable? Geez, im really lost and not sure what to do Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk