Brown Algae Bloom

[topshotta]

I setup my nano a few weeks ago and about 1 week after setting it up one of the pieces of live rock started to develop some brownish hair algae. The sand substrate is starting to get some brown algae growth as well. This past weekend I added 5 margarita snails and they are helping to control the brown hair algae that is growing on one piece of the rock. The algae doesn't really seem to be spreading from the one rock and the algae on the sand seems to be diatom type brown algae. The rock is all cured rock that is in the tank and my water parameters from Ammonia - Nitrate are all reading 0ppm.

Any suggestions?

 

[sir_dudeguy]

give it time...diatoms always happen, just give it time to go away. The cleanup crew will help..get a few ceriths and take the margarita snails back. They will die relatively quickly as they're not a tropical snail. They live in more temperate (cooler) water. They are in warmer water for about 2-3 months of the year tho i believe, so they may last about that long.

 

[caliyoshi]

I had the Same Problem with Algae Growth

I had the Same Problem with Algae Growth

I have a Oceanic Bio cube and after 3 weeks my whole tank and sand area began to turn brown.

After asking questions, I learned brown algae can be wiped out be knocking down your phosphate or po4 levels I got a test and sure enough found my po4 levels were high.

Brown algae can be a good thing for your shrimp and snails to eat. I bought po4 reducing pellets which you only want to leave in an container for 4 days then remove the plastic bag with po4 pellets don't release them directly into your tank they work then remove them.

I decided to let my cleanup crew do the work, I have 4 cleaner shrimp and about 10 hermit crabs and 4 snails to clean the glass. They have done a great job plus its fun to watch them scrape off the rocks and fight over good algae spots.

If you want to remove all your brown algae get the po4 pellets leave them in for 4 days and pull them out, but I would suggest if you have dudes that are eating the algae for food you let some grow.

Good luck

 

[StunnaShadez]

astreas will also eat diatoms but i dont know if itll eat off the sand on the bottom. my tank is just starting to go through the diatom cycle also just one month after setting up.

 

[smketyr]

Blue legged crabs are doing the job on the sand for me. I have to keep putting them back on the sand, I am letting the astrea snails work on the rocks. I also run a phosphate remover.

 

[Butchdawg14]

smketyr- hey if i put a blue nuckle crab in a 6 gal with a red scarlet hermit....would the blue nuckle pick on the scarlet.