What is this brownish powder matter?

happyandsunny · 12/26/2017, 05:41 PM

Hi,
Needing help desperately.
We came home after a long day and found our relatively new tank covered in brownish powder. We suspect the coral on the right to be the culprit because it was placed in the tank a few days ago and have somehow taken on a yellowish tone (see image2). The sand was still white this morning and is now covered in brownish powder (see image1). The tank glass (inside) also has a thin layer of the brownish powder.
What is this powder and what might have happened? How can we get rid of it?
Thanks!!!

(Two of the current parameters:
Phosphate: 0.25ppm
Nitrate: 10ppm)

Kind regards,
Wing

RogueGrown · 12/26/2017, 09:05 PM

how long has the tank been running? its very likely that its just a diatom bloom, in that case let it run its course.

happyandsunny · 12/27/2017, 04:00 AM

Thanks!
We have cycled the tank for over 1.5 months, all the parameters were good before adding the two corals last Friday.
Somehow the green star polyp turned yellow and then yesterday the tank being covered in brownish stuff.
By running its course, do you mean the diatom will be largely gone over time? We were planning to transfer a few more corals from another tank in the next month, should we pause that?
Thanks!!!

Rover88 · 12/27/2017, 08:12 AM

Given how long its been going, Diatom algae bloom!

Its a natural part of the tank working through silicates that were present. It'll go away on its own (or significantly reduce) in time. You are also likely going to see a hair algae bloom (Looks like little green strands of hair growing everywhere) and maybe some cyano or dinoflagellates.

The more you add now before the tank is fully done maturing, the more you'll have to worry about as things progress. Not that it'll make it any worse or any harder, just that the things surviving the process may not like it very much.

Your tank won't be done 'maturing' until at least 6 months, probably more like a year.

Just bear in mind you'll have these patches you'll go through, and stay the course! I'm a little over 2 months into maturing my own tank now, and I've seen a few blossoms of things come and go. I've started to get coralline algae growing, which I WANTED

happyandsunny · 12/27/2017, 08:53 AM

Thank you so much for your help! You are a star!

12/26/2017, 09:05 PM	#2
RogueGrown Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: Medford, OR Posts: 382	how long has the tank been running? its very likely that its just a diatom bloom, in that case let it run its course.

12/27/2017, 04:00 AM	#3
happyandsunny Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2017 Posts: 7	Thanks! We have cycled the tank for over 1.5 months, all the parameters were good before adding the two corals last Friday. Somehow the green star polyp turned yellow and then yesterday the tank being covered in brownish stuff. By running its course, do you mean the diatom will be largely gone over time? We were planning to transfer a few more corals from another tank in the next month, should we pause that? Thanks!!!

12/27/2017, 08:12 AM	#4
Rover88 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: New Brunswick, Canada Posts: 590	Given how long its been going, Diatom algae bloom! Its a natural part of the tank working through silicates that were present. It'll go away on its own (or significantly reduce) in time. You are also likely going to see a hair algae bloom (Looks like little green strands of hair growing everywhere) and maybe some cyano or dinoflagellates. The more you add now before the tank is fully done maturing, the more you'll have to worry about as things progress. Not that it'll make it any worse or any harder, just that the things surviving the process may not like it very much. Your tank won't be done 'maturing' until at least 6 months, probably more like a year. Just bear in mind you'll have these patches you'll go through, and stay the course! I'm a little over 2 months into maturing my own tank now, and I've seen a few blossoms of things come and go. I've started to get coralline algae growing, which I WANTED

12/27/2017, 08:53 AM	#5
happyandsunny Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2017 Posts: 7	Thank you so much for your help! You are a star!