Brown Algae

[Mickie]

Are you using tap water? Chloramine gives a false positive reading for ammonia, sort of.

No, I get RO water from my LFS

 

[Mickie]

Try to use Red Sea test kit, it would be more accurate, brown algae will go away if your tank is getting stable, but it would take a long time. Make sure there is absolutely no ammonia, and you can add sand sifting snail, it will turn your sand bed to white within a week, that's what I did when I started my tank.

I'll see if my LFS has one! It's all over my rocks too...kind of annoying. My ammonia is lowering...between 0 and .25 now.

 

[Mickie]

Stir ur sand a lil with fingers or sand sifting starfish & other things that sift sand will help imo. & what are ur lights set to if set to strong it can help it grow more . But it is normal & impossible to avoid with a new tank & relly a tank cycles for a year in some cases so don't get discouraged slow & stedy wins the race good luck

I have no idea really...lol. I set them to what Hydra suggested as a good starting point...

 

[Maggie96521]

I'll see if my LFS has one! It's all over my rocks too...kind of annoying. My ammonia is lowering...between 0 and .25 now.

You have to make sure your ammonia and nitrite is 0 then you could add any live stock, otherwise, you only could make things even worse. In my experience, at this moment, add little bit bacteria each day is the only thing you could do, and wait until ammonia and nitrite down to 0. Don't worry about the brown algae, it is the stage for every new tank, when you tank is ready, add sifting snail for sand bed, and Halloween helmet crabs for rocks, even yellow tang will eat the brown algae later on. So just wait....

 

[Maggie96521]

Wait...you turned on your light? No wonder, that's the reason you got algae bloom. Please read this first, it might help you to start your reef tank.
http://saltwateraquariumhobby.com/saltwater-aquarium-cycling/nitrogen-cycle/

 

[Mickie]

Wait...you turned on your light? No wonder, that's the reason you got algae bloom. Please read this first, it might help you to start your reef tank.
http://saltwateraquariumhobby.com/saltwater-aquarium-cycling/nitrogen-cycle/

Thank you for that link. I was following my LFS 's directions...so I'm a bit off from the article. I didn't have much of a cycle, I'm assuming from the already cured live rock...so I have no nitrites....and my ammonia peaked to about .5. My nitrates though, as of yesterday, were 40ppm. My skimmer is at the LFS so I'm going to pick it up on Saturday (they're an hour away). I may do a small WC to bring the nitrates down.

Sigh.

Lol.

Thank you again!

 

[Mickie]

Here are my stats this morning:

PH: 8.2
Ammonia: 0 or dang close to 0
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: 20ppm

 

[Mickie]

It censored me. Lolol

 

[Matthew T coral]

I have no idea really...lol. I set them to what Hydra suggested as a good starting point...

Some times leds can be a lil intense they were for me had to find a forum to find what to set to & i still had to lower intensity. Not sure if that is even part of problem but its worth checking in to im sure there is a forum on here to find if the factory suggested setting are good for u.