Hair Algae? Or something else?

jira · Jul 1, 2019

Have a little layer of this growing on my rocks. It's a but hard to rub off and has no defined structure. Looks brownish under the blue/white light.

Big G · Jul 1, 2019

How long has your tank been up and running?

jira · Jul 2, 2019

Big G said:
How long has your tank been up and running?

Going on 2 months I believe.

Big G · Jul 2, 2019

You are probably experiencing part of the "new tank uglies" that will continue for a few months. Do you have a sump under your tank? If so, you can rig up an easy siphon/cleaning system as your tank matures: take a piece of hose to use as a siphon. Attach a toothbrush to the end that will be going into the tank to scrub a bit on the various algaes that will be coming. The other end goes into your sump for the water to drain into. Place a filter sock to catch any debris you siphon from the tank. You can endlessly clean your tank this way. The key is to siphon/scrub very, very slowly so the maximum amount of algae is siphoned away. You can also use this same rig to siphon out dirty sand to be cleaned and then returned to the tank.
This is very normal during the new tank syndrome. Lots of "elbow grease" to keep the tank looking beautiful. Frequent, cleaning is the key during this period.

jira · Jul 2, 2019

Big G said:
You are probably experiencing part of the "new tank uglies" that will continue for a few months. Do you have a sump under your tank? If so, you can rig up an easy siphon/cleaning system as your tank matures: take a piece of hose to use as a siphon. Attach a toothbrush to the end that will be going into the tank to scrub a bit on the various algaes that will be coming. The other end goes into your sump for the water to drain into. Place a filter sock to catch any debris you siphon from the tank. You can endlessly clean your tank this way. The key is to siphon/scrub very, very slowly so the maximum amount of algae is siphoned away. You can also use this same rig to siphon out dirty sand to be cleaned and then returned to the tank.
This is very normal during the new tank syndrome. Lots of "elbow grease" to keep the tank looking beautiful. Frequent, cleaning is the key during this period.

Thanks for your insight as well as the idea! I'm actually in the process of upgrading this tank already to a 40 breeder with a sump. It's only a 20 long. I've got the sump and most of the other stuff, just waiting for the petco sale to grab the tank. I will definitely use this trick!

Big G said:
You are probably experiencing part of the "new tank uglies" that will continue for a few months. Do you have a sump under your tank? If so, you can rig up an easy siphon/cleaning system as your tank matures: take a piece of hose to use as a siphon. Attach a toothbrush to the end that will be going into the tank to scrub a bit on the various algaes that will be coming. The other end goes into your sump for the water to drain into. Place a filter sock to catch any debris you siphon from the tank. You can endlessly clean your tank this way. The key is to siphon/scrub very, very slowly so the maximum amount of algae is siphoned away. You can also use this same rig to siphon out dirty sand to be cleaned and then returned to the tank.
This is very normal during the new tank syndrome. Lots of "elbow grease" to keep the tank looking beautiful. Frequent, cleaning is the key during this period.