how do i get rid of brown algae in my reef tank please help?
by Aquaboy on Monday, May 10th, 2010 | 4 Comments
ok so i have a 125gallon saltwater reef aquarium and i always get brown algae all over the rocks and sand all of my levels are perfect i have all the right filtration but it is next too 2 windows i am thinking that if i buy curtains would that help? or what good algae eatting fish or anything would help me please help and the tank is 3 weeks old
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Put the fish in a different tank and drain the main tanks water. scrub the tank until it is gone
The aquarium hasn’t been running for a long time at all, it usually takes up to six weeks to cycle a freshwater aquarium, and often more for saltwater. The algae is normal as it will come from the new tank syndrome, because of all the bacteria trying to populate it. The windows are affecting the tank however, I recommend purchasing curtains and closing them for most of the day if you’re planning on keeping the tank lights on. They should only be on for about 5-6 hours a day, even less if you’re getting algae. Also make sure your tank isn’t overstocked and you’re not overfeeding it as this can also cause algae.
I recommend putting towels over your tank and leaving your tank, unfed and unlit for a few days. The algae will die and it will be more easy to clean it off the rocks, sand and tank walls. I recommend you purchase those algae scrubbers and clean the aquarium walls once a day.
Purchasing algae eating fish will add to your bioload, and purchasing them just to remove the algae in your tank is not recommended. Keep the algae levels under control yourself.
the tank is probably not fully cycled. You could try a long spined sea urchin, a dwarf angel, lots of astraea snails, even a Ctenochaetus tang would do wonderfully. I had the same problem, and I built a 20 gallon refugium and filled it with grape caulerpa. With a cheap old aquarium light the entire 20 gallon is filled with the Caulerpa, and when you get too much of it, you rip out a handful and the fish devour it (so do urchins). It took my nitrates from 80 to 5 ppm in less than a month. You can also grow other algaes in the main tank like shaving brush algae, and Halimeda algae. These are harder, so the animals usually leave them alone, and they look great. They will compete with the microalgae for nutrients. Also is your protein skimmer big enough?
Brown algae in a newly cycled Salt water tank is called Diatoms. It is a dust like algae that brushes off easily. It usually burns off by itself once the bacteria gets well established. It usually grows in tanks that use tap water, or have a poor skimmer.
Please, never add livestock to try to fix a problem. The livestock will add to your bio load and usually starves to death once things have settled down. Most recommended clean up crew members are nocturnal and you would only see them at night anyway. A few snails would be fine if you used anything. Cerith or astrea.