Help brown diatoms or cyno???

[Droberts0724]

How do I know the difference? My rock and sand bed is turn brown even my snails!! My tank is crystal clear and 10 months old. Just decreased my light with Kessil A160 we tuna blue 25/50 and I have a 32 gallon biocube. Have a refugium that's chaeto grows like a weed. All water parameters seem good...only kept playing with the lights....any suggestions??

 

[lapin]

Cyano is usually red or green.
Diatoms usually go away when silica is used up in a system.
How do you know its not algae?

 

[Droberts0724]

Cyano is usually red or green.
Diatoms usually go away when silica is used up in a system.
How do you know its not algae?

I don't....it's just quick growing...gonna post pics...actually I have green too so maybe it's algae. I also have coraline growing too so I am so confused what my tank is doing

 

[Droberts0724]

My flow seems good too! Just cleaned my pumps and the chaeto had flow a little decreased. Gonna keep the lights here and not increase them again...as this seems when all the brown started