Brown algae..yuck.

[N8MAN1068]

1st, my specs:
20H tank, up for 4 months
Ammonia:0, PH:8.5, Nitrates:0, Nitrites:0, Iron (free/chelated) 0/0
Phosphates:0.5, calcium level:300, SG 1.023

I have about a 1.5" sand bed, 30-ish lbs of good LR
Stocked w/ 1 4" lawnmower blenny, 1 2"oscelaris, 1 3"bicolor psuedochromi, handfull of hermits+snailes

Previously, I had issues w/ green hair algae on my rocks. To combat this, I took out all the rocks, scrubbed them in freshly mixed saltwater, and placed them back in the tank. I ditched my single 18" 15" GE Aquarays hood setup for an AGA glass top, and 24" 130w CF setup from Odysea (10k+actinic03). Lights come on at 8am, off @8pm during which the night led's are on.
At this change, I also turned off my air pump and no longer use it 24x7. Extra filtration/water movement is provided by an AC30 and a XP3.

Also added to the tank was some frags of Galaxia, palythoas, red grape macro and another unknown macro.

Since this change, I no longer have issues with green hair algae, but I am having issues with unsightly brown algae all over the glass.
I need to get my calc. level up, but could that cause brown algae, which previously wasn't an issue?
All my levels look ok, so I can't really put a finger on what is causing the brown algae.

Any hints?

[phenom5]

got any pictures of the algae? i would guess, and this is just a guess...but i would guess cyanobacteria.

does it come up in "sheets" if you siphon it out?

what test kits are you using?

can you confirm the results using a second test kit?

how much/ how often do you feed?

i would maybe bump your lights down a few hours. depending on how much your feeding you might reduce your feeding also. along with that i would increase the frequency of water changes, and when you do water changes you can use some airline tubing to siphon out as much of the "stuff" as you can.

[N8MAN1068]

nope, not coming up in sheets. I did have a cyano issue briefly, right before this brown mess. The cyano was more of a purplish color...thought it was coraline at 1st. :rolleye1:
No pictures..camera died, and my cell phone camera wouldn't do it justice.
I feed once a day, sometimes twice. I'm using the Hagen master kit. No 2nd kit to confirm with. I could take a sample to a friends house probably, but he uses the same kit.

I'll bump down my light cycle by two hours. Going to pick up some calc. stuff this weekend and do a 30-40% water change.

[phenom5]

i definately don't think this is a Ca issue, although it won't hurt to bring your Ca up, just make the change slowly. you might be better off doing more frequent small wc's...maybe a couple of gallons every few days for a week (2 weeks would be even better, but this can get to be a PITA. the upside is that you can do 2 gallon wc's in ~15 minutes, so it's not too big of a job.)

maybe cut down your feeding to every other day. your fish will be fine, worth a try.

even though your friend has the same brand test kit, it might be worth it to confirm it with his test kit. that way you'll know for sure...you could also take a sample of your water to a LFS you trust, if you have a LFS you trust.

okay, back to the algae...

is it stringy, kind feel like snot, and have airbubbles in it...or if you take a turkey baster and blow on it does it blow around like dust?

[ckfazz]

My guess would be brown diatoms due to the tank only being set up for 4 months and is a natural process of the tank maturing. You do have a high amount of Phosphate which can be fueling the brown algae outbreak as well as the heavy bioload in your tank. I would suggest running a skimmer along with weekly water changes in this tank to help out with the algae issues. Is your source water high in phosphates?

[N8MAN1068]

air bubbles are showing in the brown spots, yes.
Looks like cutting back my light cycle to 6-8 hours, feeding every other day, and 10% weekly water changes will be my best bet.

I don't see my stock as a heavy bioload, and can't find a suitable skimmer for the tanks location (in my daughters nursery).
The phosphate levels should be coming down, since I added some pads in the XP3. My tank has probably been running for more like 6+ months, really. I just can't remember exactly so I try to think back as far as I can remember...which is about 4 months on good days. :)

thanks guys..I'll post back up in a few weeks.

[msman825]

you might want to check your RO/DI UNIT. Happened to me before

[ckfazz]

Sorry abou that. I read your livestock list wrong

[N8MAN1068]

Actually...I don't have an RO/DI unit.
Artesian well from a massive underground spring. Tasty water here.
Been thinking about getting one of the small units though. The wife is getting tired of my 5gal bucket always taking up space on the kitchen sink. I told her 'I guess I need a 15gal trashcan and some tubing....'
hehe

[Gundo5000]

Brown algae can be caused by not enough flow.

Dont know whether you need more flow or not.

Maybe add a powerhead.

[Chris13]

FWIW, Ive been told that 0.5 phosphates is REALLY high.
0.01 or less is the target. You have to use the salifert Phosphate tests at high resolution to really be sure. Even then, phosphates can be 'bound' and released...rather than the free phosphate that most tests measure.

Diatoms / brown algae can be sourced to silicates too. This may be leaching from rock, sand...but my guess is your water.

I used good well water for a while with LOTS of problems...then had RO give me a few problems. Eventually I added De-ionization to my RO and all is well.

Better flow helps, as does more aggressive skimming (skim wet to get all you can out of the water)

Still, RO/DI is absolutely required if you want long term success. Easier to not add things than to remove them.

[SNAKEMANVET]

I have the same problem. I have done 20 to 25 % water changes every week for about 5 weeks, didn't effect it none. My phosphates are around 0 - 0.1. I have a ro/di unit that is 3 months old, the only thing that has slowed it down is cutting my lighting back .I run my mhs only 4 hrs a day now.

[BaskingSpot]

did a water change helP?