Urgent New Tank Help!

[MermaidTail]

Hey all- I need new tank help here. New set-up. This month we’re at 3 months old.

I’m having insane break-outs of this brown/red/rust type buildup, guessing some form of Dino algae, that I haven’t encountered in my previous tanks so I’m becoming a little frustrated.

During days that I run my lights for their full time it’s particularly bad. I scrape/blow rocks and glass clean, siphon clean sand bed, do water changes, go without lights and it looks pristine, really great, for a day before exploding again. My nitrates consistently test in the 0-5.0 range.

Does this sound/look like Dino algae?

I’d just like some thoughts on this. How to fight it? Is it normal? Can I emerge victorious? I’m just fish only now, but eventually want coral, so having a difficult time imagining running my lights like this to satisfy corals but avoid algae growth? How can I enjoy the tank of every time I run the lights, algae pops up?

HELP PLEASE.

Set-up Details:

20g tall column here, 24” deep. 3 months old.

2 x circulation pumps @ max flow of 270 US gph.

1 AI Prime, sunrise at 8am with three hour ramp time to 40% capacity, sunset at 5pm.

HOB Filtration, running Chemipure-Blue in mesh bag (which gets very gnarly with same algae-stuff)

Started with live sand + BRS Reef Saver Dry Rock. Did not pre-treat/cure rock.

Doing one water change a week.

Today’s testing:

High Range pH: 8.8
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 5.0

 

[Jason mack]

It's probably not dinos but diatoms natural process in the cycling of your tank next will be green hair algae...get a decent clean up crew ....snails ..cut your lights back a bit too 8 hrs
And you never mentioned your other params ..phos ..

 

[MermaidTail]

It's probably not dinos but diatoms natural process in the cycling of your tank next will be green hair algae...get a decent clean up crew ....snails ..cut your lights back a bit too 8 hrs
And you never mentioned your other params ..phos ..

Thanks for your reply! I don’t have a way to test phos. But maybe it’d be good to get some phos remover.

 

[Jason mack]

Thanks for your reply! I don’t have a way to test phos. But maybe it’d be good to get some phos remover.

Please don't use phos remover if you can't test for it ...you have no way of knowing how much too use ..you could strip your tank of phos ..ok you have no corals yet ..but even so ...I would just let the tank do its thing ..get the test kits you are going too need ...and like I said in my earlier post get a good clean up crew ...and maybe do some research on cycling a tank and the nitrogen cycle ...your tank is going too go through phases as it matures ...but for the moment it's still very young ...I would also get some bacteria too and..dr Tim's...and maybe add some copepods ..all these things will benefit your tank in its early stage ....and keep asking questions on here if your not sure of anything or get stuck ..

 

[MermaidTail]

Please don't use phos remover if you can't test for it ...you have no way of knowing how much too use ..you could strip your tank of phos ..ok you have no corals yet ..but even so ...I would just let the tank do its thing ..get the test kits you are going too need ...and like I said in my earlier post get a good clean up crew ...and maybe do some research on cycling a tank and the nitrogen cycle ...your tank is going too go through phases as it matures ...but for the moment it's still very young ...I would also get some bacteria too and..dr Tim's...and maybe add some copepods ..all these things will benefit your tank in its early stage ....and keep asking questions on here if your not sure of anything or get stuck ..

Thank you for your help! I’ve just never encountered this before in my previous tank so I was worried!

 

[IslandLifeReef]

I agree with @Jason mack, probably diatoms. These feed off silicates in the tank and once they consume all of these, they will go away.

 

[lapin]

No need to worry. Diatoms or a bit of cyano. And I will second the dont strip out the phosphate unless its too high.