Constant algae problem. Diatomes maybe?

[JLark]

Hi everyone! Newbie to keeping tanks and about 7 months in to owning! I love it and my tank is doing great except for this pest of an algae problem. I do weekly water changes and clean up the algae on the sand but it keeps coming back. Could it be diatomes? I’ve included 2 photos one with blue and one with white

Thanks in advance for everyone’s help

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Do you have it just in the sand, or is it also on the rocks?

 

[Troylee]

Looks like the dreaded Dino’s… I’d suggest a microscope to confirm..

 

[JLark]

Do you have it just in the sand, or is it also on the rocks?

This part is mostly the sand

But here’s a pic of what I get on my rocks
This is when I needed to clean my tank I’ve since scrubbed this away from my rocks and it’s very minimal in my tank now. It’s really only the sand now

 

[TopShelfAquatics Verified Sponsor]

As stated above it does look like it may be Dinos. What are your nutrient levels at? If you have an LFS near by that has a microscope they should be able to confirm for you. If it is Dinos once you know the strain you can determine what the best course of treatment is. While they can be a pain to battle it is definitely a fight you can win with some time and discipline.