algae

[aerialdronemaster]

hi guys
so I see brown algae on my sand and glass
some green on the glass
red/yellow looking nice on the rock ( not too much)

it really doesnt bother me, I don't mind cleaning it, but should I ?

I have hermit crabs, snails and I want to keep copepods little population in my tank , I am worrying if I will be cleaning and remove it all, snails, crabs and copepoeds wont have noting to it, am I right?

 

[andrewey]

The green on the glass is pretty normal- you'll have to clean that regularly. The red/yellow could be coraline algaes, but a picture might help in case it's something different. As for the brown algae, it would be helpful if you could post a picture or description. It could be a brown algae, could be cyanobacteria, diatoms, dinoflagellates, etc. Many of those look similar, but they have different treatment strategies. It would also be helpful to know how old the tank is and if you do any testing, what your values are

 

[LxHowler]

hi guys
so I see brown algae on my sand and glass
some green on the glass
red/yellow looking nice on the rock ( not too much)

it really doesnt bother me, I don't mind cleaning it, but should I ?

I have hermit crabs, snails and I want to keep copepods little population in my tank , I am worrying if I will be cleaning and remove it all, snails, crabs and copepoeds wont have noting to it, am I right?

How old is your tank? Do you have a photo of the algae?
You say it is brown, does it look like a brown dusting or does it look like a slime covering.
If your tank parameters are all in line then I think it could be a sign you need a larger clean up crew, I'm not certain on that so might be worth others opinions. I clean all of my sided but leave a small patch in a area that isn't easy to see so I can be sure there is something for the clean up crew, you could try that if you are worried about clean up crew starving

 

[aerialdronemaster]

The tank is small, 24g
Replacing 5g water once or twice a week.
Tank is 3 months

 

[aerialdronemaster]

The green on the glass is pretty normal- you'll have to clean that regularly. The red/yellow could be coraline algaes, but a picture might help in case it's something different. As for the brown algae, it would be helpful if you could post a picture or description. It could be a brown algae, could be cyanobacteria, diatoms, dinoflagellates, etc. Many of those look similar, but they have different treatment strategies. It would also be helpful to know how old the tank is and if you do any testing, what your values are

Hi

For testing

Ph usually 8.0 to 8.1
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 20
Calcium usually super high 520 540
Alkalinity 8.4 usually
Ammonia 0

Testing daily

 

[andrewey]

So the stuff in the third picture is completely normal. It's part of the daily/weekly/monthly/whenever you remember cleaning chores

The purple spots in the first picture are coraline algae and are great!

Unfortunately, it's still a bit difficult to discern what the brown on the sand is. It could still be dinos, diatoms, cyano, or regularly algae. Does the brown stuff have any bubbles coming up from the sandbed/rock? Is it always in the same place or does it seem better in the mornings? Does it stick in stringy mats if you were to blow it with a turkey baster or disturb the sand? These are general questions that might help point one way or another, but they probably won't give an exact answer unfortunately.

 

[LxHowler]

Hi

For testing

Ph usually 8.0 to 8.1
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 20
Calcium usually super high 520 540
Alkalinity 8.4 usually
Ammonia 0

Testing daily

Kind of difficult to tell with the pictures but with a 3 month old tank I would be tempted to say diatoms but could also be other stuff, as andrewey says does it have bubbles. It could just be the ugly stage, I have found nassarius snails to help with this as they turn the sand over.
The purple looks like coraline algae which is a good sign your tank is developing.

 

[aerialdronemaster]

So the stuff in the third picture is completely normal. It's part of the daily/weekly/monthly/whenever you remember cleaning chores

The purple spots in the first picture are coraline algae and are great!

Unfortunately, it's still a bit difficult to discern what the brown on the sand is. It could still be dinos, diatoms, cyano, or regularly algae. Does the brown stuff have any bubbles coming up from the sandbed/rock? Is it always in the same place or does it seem better in the mornings? Does it stick in stringy mats if you were to blow it with a turkey baster or disturb the sand? These are general questions that might help point one way or another, but they probably won't give an exact answer unfortunately.

Thank you

The brown on the sand , has no bobbles it usually shows up when the glass is also brown
The brown on sand has tiny hairs. I see my blue tany eating it....

 

[andrewey]

Probably algae then. It's possible for it to be a combination, but if your tang is eating it, that usually removes the possibility of monocultures of dinos, cyano, or diatoms.

 

[aerialdronemaster]

Probably algae then. It's possible for it to be a combination, but if your tang is eating it, that usually removes the possibility of monocultures of dinos, cyano, or diatoms.

Ok

So, should I clean the sand and glass or leaving to for cleaning crew ?
I looks just but if this is good for cleaning crew and copupods. I don't mind leaving it

 

[andrewey]

I would clean your glass- you're growing enough for your CUC/pods, so they won't take the hit

As far as the sand is concerned, I usually don't clean it per se, but I usually have something in the tank to help stir it up (like nassarius snails). Between that and keeping my nutrients in line, my sand stays white and looks great. That being said, just be mindful that since your tank is still young, you shouldn't hold it to the same standard a one year tank is held- the populations of algae/diatoms/other are in flux right now, so keep that in mind. I would only really intervene if you notice your nutrients climbing up or you're starting to experience other pesky algaes (like hair algae or bryopsis).