Brown algea!!

[Kristina99586]

My tank is pretty new. Like 3 months old. All my levels are stable during every water check. Nitrates and nitrites both at 0.
We battled High levels for a few weeks. And contacted my local salt water guy and got some stuff for my filter and we haven't had any issues sense.
But now we have brown algea. First noticed it almost white on the glass. Then it turned brown quickly. And now it's starting on my rocks. What can we do to get rid of this from our tank. It's a 60 gallon tank.

 

[Gravadlax]

Im having the same issue, im installing a GFO Reactor tommorow and then a UV Sterilizer if that doesnt resolve the issues after like a month... The typical responses around here seem to be: nutrient control, nitrate levels? Phos levels? What kinda lighting, tank, live stock? "Oh this is normal for a new tank".... "Do some water changes!" .........anyway. My thinking is: GFO absorbs phos (#1 contibutor to algae). UV kills algae spores in water. Keep nitrates 0 (#2 contributor).

 

[40B Knasty]

Algae is a plant. What do plants like? Light to feed from photosynthesis(especially the red spectrum), CO²(The higher the pH. The more O² and less CO²), and nutrients(pellets are very condensed and made of 10% water vs frozen foods frozen in 80% water).
Now when you are applying that knowledge. The algae is dying off making more nutrition to feed more algae. Awesome right hahaha
Protein skimmer helps pull it out.
Sponge in your filtration rinsing in tank water when doing a water change.
RO/DI water providing the least amount of impurities that feed algae.

Now you said you have brown algae. Is it diatoms?
Diatoms are very natural for a new tank and will last a good month. Don't sweat them. If you want some help with that. Get a fighting conch. I have a 40B. It has been dubbed the DD for the Diatom Destroyer. 2 weeks all of it was gone. Astrea snails did the rocks.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

You don't want zero nutrints if you want to have corals.
But it's not unusually for a young tank to make a lot of crazy swings in the first several months of its life. Sometimes it's because the bio filter is immature and can't keep up with processing extra nutrints yet. Or it's because the new rock is nutrint rich. In organics and minerals. A common mineral is silicate. It's something that feeds diatoms. A common thing during the ugly phase of a young tank.

So it's helpful to see what the stuff is to know if it's something to worry about or something that will go away or i the slim chance it's a baddie.

But yes keeping nutrints low. On some occasions gfo , as it absorbs both phosphate and silicate can be pretty handy.