Algae ID. What cuc will help?

Reef Devils · Oct 6, 2023

My tank is 5 months old. I came home to this brown algae. Is this diatoms or Dino’s? I never can tell the difference. What cuc will eat this?

Stealthreefer · Oct 6, 2023

Diatom bloom.
You're better off just cleaning it yourself if it bugs you.
The sand is holding onto nutrients, you may be over feeding.
Watch some videos on youtube about gravel vacing sand.

Reef Devils · Oct 6, 2023

Ok might clean it my self. Yes I have been over feeding to help raise nutrients. But but there a snail that eats it?

Stealthreefer · Oct 6, 2023

The issue with getting stuff that eats diatoms is they usually end up starving when the tank starts cruising.
Ceriths I think will eat it but seriously get 1 to 3 not 20.

Reef Devils · Oct 6, 2023

Stealthreefer said:
The issue with getting stuff that eats diatoms is they usually end up starving when the tank starts cruising.
Ceriths I think will eat it but seriously get 1 to 3 not 20.

Yeah I was think of getting 1-2. I don’t want the to starve.
Thanks

vetteguy53081 · Oct 6, 2023

Reef Devils said:
My tank is 5 months old. I came home to this brown algae. Is this diatoms or Dino’s? I never can tell the difference. What cuc will eat this?

My guess too is diatoms and film algae. is this tank at or near a window?

For major outbreaks you may want to consider the three day blackout. Diatoms are easily wiped from the glass with a mag float, a turkey baster or a toothbrush can access other areas of the tank. Be prepared for them to re-establish themselves quickly, they are likely to be able to resettle and have re-growth rates.
To prevent their return, maintain water changes, and prevent overfeeding and assure the skimmer if one is running at peak.
Some cleaner crew to help control it are : Cerith snails, Nerite snails and Trochus snails and also Astraea snails are effective at removing diatoms.

Reef Devils · Oct 6, 2023

vetteguy53081 said:
My guess too is diatoms and film algae. is this tank at or near a window?
Diatoms are a brown algae that typically appear in a reef tank that has just completed its cycle but they can also appear in an established reef tank. They can cover sand, rock, pumps, glass, you name it. Diatoms look ugly but in most cases they are harmless so the key is to not panic when they appear.
Diatoms feed mainly off of silicates but also consume dissolved organic compounds, phosphate and nitrates. Unfiltered tap water can contain silicates and is a good way to jump start a bloom if you use it to mix salt or to replace water that evaporated from the tank. The best way to prevent this from happening is to filter water through a RODI unit, although you can still get a diatom bloom when using RODI if the cartridge that removes silicates expires.
Diatoms are typically harmless to a captive reef and can be beaten once their food source expires. Once you put the end to the source, the outbreak should last a couple of weeks so just be patient and it will pass.

For major outbreaks you may want to consider the three day blackout. Diatoms are easily wiped from the glass with a mag float, a turkey baster or a toothbrush can access other areas of the tank. Be prepared for them to re-establish themselves quickly, they are likely to be able to resettle and have re-growth rates.
To prevent their return, practice good aquarium husbandry by doing regular water changes, keep the substrate clean, don’t overfeed the fish, ensure your skimmer is running at an optimal level and rinse out filter socks and sponges on a regular basis.
Some cleaner crew to help control it are : Cerith snails, Nerite snails and Trochus snails and also Astraea snails are effective at removing diatoms.

I have had this algae come and go over the past 4 months. Tank is not by a window. I use RODI water. I have been over feeding to help get nitrates and phosphate up.

I think I might vacuum the sand tomorrow and do a small water change. I will look into a few snails but won’t get many. Thanks

EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal · Oct 6, 2023

vetteguy53081 said:
My guess too is diatoms and film algae. is this tank at or near a window?
Diatoms are a brown algae that typically appear in a reef tank that has just completed its cycle but they can also appear in an established reef tank. They can cover sand, rock, pumps, glass, you name it. Diatoms look ugly but in most cases they are harmless so the key is to not panic when they appear.
Diatoms feed mainly off of silicates but also consume dissolved organic compounds, phosphate and nitrates. Unfiltered tap water can contain silicates and is a good way to jump start a bloom if you use it to mix salt or to replace water that evaporated from the tank. The best way to prevent this from happening is to filter water through a RODI unit, although you can still get a diatom bloom when using RODI if the cartridge that removes silicates expires.
Diatoms are typically harmless to a captive reef and can be beaten once their food source expires. Once you put the end to the source, the outbreak should last a couple of weeks so just be patient and it will pass.

For major outbreaks you may want to consider the three day blackout. Diatoms are easily wiped from the glass with a mag float, a turkey baster or a toothbrush can access other areas of the tank. Be prepared for them to re-establish themselves quickly, they are likely to be able to resettle and have re-growth rates.
To prevent their return, practice good aquarium husbandry by doing regular water changes, keep the substrate clean, don’t overfeed the fish, ensure your skimmer is running at an optimal level and rinse out filter socks and sponges on a regular basis.
Some cleaner crew to help control it are : Cerith snails, Nerite snails and Trochus snails and also Astraea snails are effective at removing diatoms.

I guess you're stealing from Reefbum now... smh

How To Eliminate and Prevent Diatoms in a Reef Tank - ReefBum

Diatoms are a brown algae that typically appear in a reef tank that has just completed its cycle. How do you eliminate and prevent diatoms in a reef tank?

www.reefbum.com

Reef Devils · Oct 6, 2023

EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal said:
I guess you're stealing from Reefbum now... smh

How To Eliminate and Prevent Diatoms in a Reef Tank - ReefBum

Diatoms are a brown algae that typically appear in a reef tank that has just completed its cycle. How do you eliminate and prevent diatoms in a reef tank?

www.reefbum.com

Whoever made it knows what they are talking about!!

Miami Reef · Oct 6, 2023

vetteguy53081 said:
My guess too is diatoms and film algae. is this tank at or near a window?
Diatoms are a brown algae that typically appear in a reef tank that has just completed its cycle but they can also appear in an established reef tank. They can cover sand, rock, pumps, glass, you name it. Diatoms look ugly but in most cases they are harmless so the key is to not panic when they appear.
Diatoms feed mainly off of silicates but also consume dissolved organic compounds, phosphate and nitrates. Unfiltered tap water can contain silicates and is a good way to jump start a bloom if you use it to mix salt or to replace water that evaporated from the tank. The best way to prevent this from happening is to filter water through a RODI unit, although you can still get a diatom bloom when using RODI if the cartridge that removes silicates expires.
Diatoms are typically harmless to a captive reef and can be beaten once their food source expires. Once you put the end to the source, the outbreak should last a couple of weeks so just be patient and it will pass.

For major outbreaks you may want to consider the three day blackout. Diatoms are easily wiped from the glass with a mag float, a turkey baster or a toothbrush can access other areas of the tank. Be prepared for them to re-establish themselves quickly, they are likely to be able to resettle and have re-growth rates.
To prevent their return, practice good aquarium husbandry by doing regular water changes, keep the substrate clean, don’t overfeed the fish, ensure your skimmer is running at an optimal level and rinse out filter socks and sponges on a regular basis.
Some cleaner crew to help control it are : Cerith snails, Nerite snails and Trochus snails and also Astraea snails are effective at removing diatoms.

Copyright infringement is not cool…