Diatoms or something worse?

[USMA36]

can anyone help identify this algae? 3 month old tank. Light bio load, about 10 assorted Snails, 1 magnificent foxface, 3 blue green chromis, and 4 small corals. Water is RO/DI with 1ppm tds. Ammonia 0 nitrates 5, not sure of phosphates as I'm waiting for tester. I am running carbon and GFO as well as chaeto in the refugium.

 

[USMA36]

Additional photos.

 

[USMA36]

Additionally I used live sand when I started. I would have thought that silica would have been minimal thus preventing diatoms. Very little on my sand bed. Most is on upper half of rock beneath lights.

 

[terri_ann]

Let us know what the po4 is. At this point, it looks like cyano. It may be some dinos but, don't worry yet. If it starts getting worse, more strands and bubbles...not good. What test kits are you using? For cyano, you can do a 3 day lights out.

 

[jah4good]

+ 1 on the cyano and p04 readings. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I think i see a bit of green hair algae too.
New systems have 2 cycles. That could be what's up too. Also check light run time and intensity.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Looks like new tank stuff.
Don't freak out.

Feed the tank healthfull and maybe a bit less. Add some bacterial boosters and it'll go away.

Or you can test like crazy and buy lots of stuff to put in your tank you don't really need but may seem to help. Or not.

Dr. It hurts when I do this.

Don't do that.


DR I have cyano in a tank with almost no established Biofilter to process nutrints so they can be skimmed out and other organisims seem to be becoming more dominant as they also fueled by additional available mineral nutrints that come from putting uncured aragonite in seawater.

Feed less.