My tank has been up and running for around 2 months maybe a little bit more. I recently added 1 clown, 1 watchmen goby, 1 firefish goby, 1 damsel(regrets that), 3 crabs, 1 cleaner shrimp, and 1 condy. Water conditions are fine up to that point I will retest when I get home. I also added 2 mushrooms and 2 kenya frags....since I put in these items everything in my tank has a brown tint on it including the rocks, sand, and glass. It rubs of easily but it is spreading. I did a bit of googling and it seems that brown algae fits the description. Once I get home I will take pictures and will test my water. But untill then will getting magnets help clean the glass and how can I stop this from spreading more. Thanks Stroid
Brown Algae? Maybe?
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Well it might be diatoms because it is a new tank. I definatly would have added everything so fast. The rock that the kenya tree and the mushrooms are on might have already had some algae on it and it just spread to your tank. Magnets will help for the glass but nothing else. I would everyday take a brush to the rocks or just use your hand and swish the algae off the rocks then let it settle and siphon it all out. Or you can leave it alone and use some Chemi Clean. Like I said it might be diatoms and if thats the case leave it alone and let it take its course.
well i didnt add everything at once the damsel was in there for few weeks then the shrimp and crabs and then the firefish, about a week later i got the clown and the goby. I didnt add anything until about 1 1/2 months of cycling...and yeah i did a bit more research and I was thinking maybe they are Diatoms. I am going to grab some magnets to keep the glass clean and will using chemi clean kill or affect any of my fish or coral?
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Ok it the way you said it in the first post made it sound like you added it all at the same time. Chemi clean will not hurt anything in a reef.
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It will go away eventually. I mean when you do regular water changes then you can siphon some out but no need to go out of your way to get ride of it.
I agree with Bryan. Diatoms are a common to new tanks. Wow! When did you add the clown and goby? I remember you saying you had a damsel, then you bought the firefish.
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Luckily i've never experienced this in any of my tanks. Knock on wood for my new tank. I've definatly learned to take it slow when adding fish because it can add more nutrients to the tank is used to and cause a algae bloom.. But if you didnt add them to fast then its defiantly Diatoms.
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Good thinking I didn't catch that one. Also I would cut back on feeding.
Give your tank some time to settle before adding more livestock. The diatoms shoudl go away in a few weeks to a month. How often and how much are you feeding? How often are you doinhg water changes?
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yeah def. Diatoms Just leave it alone.
<span style="color: black;">You should wait about 2-3 weeks before you add more livestock to your tank. Considering the amount of livestock you have added you should wait a couple of weeks to make sure everything levels out in your tank. One thing you will always hear people tell you in this hobby is to take it slow. It's easy to throw all the fish and coral you want in a tank over night, but the problems that may arise or the stress you may cause to you livestock isn't worth the risk.
<span style="color: black;">You should wait about 2-3 weeks before you add more livestock to your tank. Considering the amount of livestock you have added you should wait a couple of weeks to make sure everything levels out in your tank. One thing you will always hear people tell you in this hobby is to take it slow. It's easy to throw all the fish and coral you want in a tank over night, but the problems that may arise or the stress you may cause to you livestock isn't worth the risk.</span></span>
<span style="color: black;">You should wait about 2-3 weeks before you add more livestock to your tank. Considering the amount of livestock you have added you should wait a couple of weeks to make sure everything levels out in your tank. One thing you will always hear people tell you in this hobby is to take it slow. It's easy to throw all the fish and coral you want in a tank over night, but the problems that may arise or the stress you may cause to you livestock isn't worth the risk.</span></span>
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You may not want anymore fish at all. I would give it 6 months before you consider another fish and see what your bioload is like.
Check out this article on
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Here's a good saying--> Nothing good ever hapens fast in a reef tank. I've been waiting for the right moment to say that!!
I'm sure the diatoms will phase out on their own as your tank matures.
I think the issue that everyone is addressing, and perhaps offending you by doing so, is to move at a slow pace. However, that means different things to different people. For example, I let my tank run for about two months before I added a cleaning crew, and another 1-2 months after that before adding my first fish. Then I only added 1 fish every 1-2 months after that. Now, my tank is nowhere near perfect. Please don't take this as my way of saying that. I'm just trying to point out where some of the disagreement may be resulting. Some would argue that having four fish in a tank that has been set up less than 4-6 months is moving quickly. For what it's worth, diatoms are a common occurrence in a cycling reef tank.
I think the issue that everyone is addressing, and perhaps offending you by doing so, is to move at a slow pace. However, that means different things to different people. For example, I let my tank run for about two months before I added a cleaning crew, and another 1-2 months after that before adding my first fish. Then I only added 1 fish every 1-2 months after that. Now, my tank is nowhere near perfect. Please don't take this as my way of saying that. I'm just trying to point out where some of the disagreement may be resulting. Some would argue that having four fish in a tank that has been set up less than 4-6 months is moving quickly. For what it's worth, diatoms are a common occurrence in a cycling reef tank.
