Is this my ugly stage?

[Auphoenix43]

My tank is 5 months old now and I have never had a huge ugly phase. I have had the light on super low for a month now no more than 6 hours per day on 25% and have 2 clowns, 4 turbos, 4 Cerith, 2 conchs, and 2 trochus snails in the tank.
Is this just my ugly phase? should I let is work itself out or add more CUC? I do a weekly water change of about 30% to lower nitrates. I vary the food for the fish and do not over feed. My parameters are below:
Ph: 8.0
Temp: 79
Salinity: 1.025
Amm: 0.1
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 4
Mg: 1300
Ca: 338
Phos: 0.1

Thanks everyone

 

[Auphoenix43]

I have been running UV for about 12 hours every few days and I have not been running a skimmer yet.

 

[Freenow54]

I don't see anything going on on the rock. I had way more things happening from beginning till now. I am in the ugly stage lights on after

4 months. On now for 2. First picture at the beginning. Last 2 Now so it may get worse don't sweat it

 

[glb]

Looks like diatoms to me. When I added lights after my tank had been up for a year, it went through another “ugly” phase of algae. Hang in there, it eventually goes away.

 

[Reefdiculous22]

I don't see anything going on on the rock. I had way more things happening from beginning till now. I am in the ugly stage lights on after

4 months. On now for 2. First picture at the beginning. Last 2 Now so it may get worse don't sweat it

I like the aqua scape

 

[Reefdiculous22]

My tank is 5 months old now and I have never had a huge ugly phase. I have had the light on super low for a month now no more than 6 hours per day on 25% and have 2 clowns, 4 turbos, 4 Cerith, 2 conchs, and 2 trochus snails in the tank.
Is this just my ugly phase? should I let is work itself out or add more CUC? I do a weekly water change of about 30% to lower nitrates. I vary the food for the fish and do not over feed. My parameters are below:
Ph: 8.0
Temp: 79
Salinity: 1.025
Amm: 0.1
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 4
Mg: 1300
Ca: 338
Phos: 0.1

Thanks everyone

I’m about 2-21/2mo in

 

[Jake4727]

I’m about 7 1/2 and I got it super late. Looks like the uglys to me. Looks super clean and your numbers are good

 

[Jake4727]

I’m about 7 1/2 and I got it super late. Looks like the uglys to me. Looks super clean and your numbers are good

Just keep checking your numbers, no reason to change anything unless something goes out of wack.

 

[FoolishWizard]

I have been running UV for about 12 hours every few days and I have not been running a skimmer yet.

I recall hearing / reading that running a UV during the cycle could potentially kill beneficial bacteria as well... Others may know more but just wanted to mention.

 

[AydenLincoln]

Definitely diatoms which should disappear soon! And umm you have not seen what a true ugly stage looks like brace yourself or get some tangs or dose live pods!

 

[vetteguy53081]

You have diatoms and coralline present.
While harmless, Diatoms are a brown algae that typically appear in a reef tank that has just completed its cycle but they can also appear in an established reef tank. They can cover sand, rock, pumps, glass, you name it. Diatoms look ugly but in most cases they are harmless so the key is to not panic when they appear.
Diatoms feed mainly off of silicates but also consume dissolved organic compounds, phosphate and nitrates. Unfiltered tap water can contain silicates and is a good way to jump start a bloom if you use it to mix salt or to replace water that evaporated from the tank. The best way to prevent this from happening is to filter water through a RODI unit, although you can still get a diatom bloom when using RODI if the cartridge that removes silicates expires.
Diatoms are typically harmless to a captive reef and can be beaten once their food source expires. Once you put the kibosh on the source, the outbreak should last a couple of weeks so just be patient and it will pass.

For major outbreaks you may want to consider the three day blackout. Diatoms are easily wiped from the glass with a mag float, a turkey baster or a toothbrush can access other areas of the tank. Be prepared for them to re-establish themselves quickly, they are likely to be able to resettle and have exponential growth rates.
To prevent their return, practice good aquarium husbandry by doing regular water changes, keep the substrate clean, don’t overfeed the fish, ensure your skimmer is running at an optimal level and rinse out filter socks and sponges on a regular basis.
Some cleaner crew to help control it are : Cerith snails, Nerite snails and Trochus snails and also Astraea snails are effective at removing diatoms.