Brown algae - critter recommendations and other solutions

champion6sigma

champion6sigma

New member
Hello,

I've had my tank running for about 2 weeks now, and brown algae has covered all rocks and is starting on sand, and glass. I only have four fish, a clown, two chromis, and a damsel.

I've tried researching this here, and it seems its a common thing with new tanks, and that it may turn green or switch to green algae soon. I'm going through a cycle/establishing phase.

Is there a certain test I should do or is it best to wait until this goes away on its own?

Can I get some recommendations of snails or other creatures to help as a clean up crew? I originally planned on holding off a while before adding any more fish, other than the ones I had to move to their new home, and holding off longer than that before adding coral. I don't mind adding some of the cleanup guys or inverts? maybe thats the right term.

Is the brown algae also a problem with my lighting ? too little or too much? I've read both....

Thanks for everyones help.

50 gallon tank, cube 24 x24.
 
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2 weeks in and you have 4 fish in the tank already? Your setting yourself up for failure. Have you tested the water at all? the reason I'm asking. I would suggest reading the setup stickies at the top of this forum.

The brown you see is diatoms, they are totally expected in a tank that new. They will eventually go away on their own with proper husbandry practices.
 
homer1475 said:
2 weeks in and you have 4 fish in the tank already? I would suggest reading the setup stickies at the top of this forum. Your setting yourself up for failure. Have you tested the water at all? You posted no water parameters, the reason I'm asking.

The brown you see is diatoms, totally expected in a tank that new. They will eventually go away on their own with proper husbandry practices.
Click to expand...

I had to move our fish from our old tank which was breaking down and looking like a swamp. The fish are in a much better environment now, they are diehard fish.

I used nutri sea water, live rock, live sand, chemicals, to help ease the transition, as long as a slow acclimation process. They had to move.

My tank started cycling immediately, but at two weeks the brown algae is ridiculous. I did want to add clean up crews, I figured now is not a bad time, and wanted some smart suggestions. I don't mind buying more chemicals to get the water cleaner, or changing my lights power.

I've got a thread started. cad lights new build 50 gallon cube.

thanks for help.
 
To my knowledge nothing eats diatoms. Proper flow, and time is all it takes.

I still stand by comment of reading the stickies. CUC is a part of the stickies.
 
I have not tested the water at all except for temperature, salinity. I dose with a pH solution to get it to 8.2 or 8.3 without ever exceeding that.

My apex is managing temp, monitoring pH, and I haven't calibrated my apex salinity module yet, i'm using a refractometer.
 
Nothing will clean the diatoms nor would I suggest adding any fish. in fact I'd say to remove the fish and bring them back to your store because they shouldn't be in a tank if it's still cycling.
 
I've read a lot, but its never enough and I can't remember it all. I've read pages and pages of skaters tips on new tanks first setup. I had to disregard the fish addition ...I did read about expecting green hair algae by the droves, and to pull it by hand, etc... using turkey basters, etc...

Don't dose with anything you dont have a test for.

some stickies take you to places outside reefcentral...show pics of algae.

I also did searches to find info on people talking about clean up crews, phosphates, nitrates, possible bad live rock excreting stuff, hermit crabs supposedly eat it according to one poster...

So my best thing is to do nothing, it should go away in a few weeks....
 
reefbroao said:
Nothing will clean the diatoms nor would I suggest adding any fish. in fact I'd say to remove the fish and bring them back to your store because they shouldn't be in a tank if it's still cycling.
Click to expand...

What does the CUC crew do? Just eat fish waste and leftover food that falls?

The fish were bought 2/3 years ago and have survived hell. If they were going to die...wouldn't it have happened already..? from a severe change of environment?

Some intelligent people have written here that the absolute most important thing for fish transfer is the salinity...temp and everything else is not the biggest worry....

What goes on in a cycle that can kill a fish? What can i do to prevent - other than removing the fish?
 
Ammonia will kill in an almost instant. Nitrites will kill also, but not as quick.

I understand all the reading can be overwhelming, but we are trying to help you.
 
yes I understand it may seem as though we are bashing you but think of it this way. Ammonia is an irritant this is created during a cycle before the nitrification process can complete. It irritates and burns a fish's skin/ gills and can even cause their gills to bleed.

That is inescapable for them, they are surrounded by it.

I would think of it as being trapped in a gas chamber with tear gas.
 
Rereading your last post, you should be testing for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates intially, otherwise known as the nitrogen cycle. When food breaks down, when fish poop and pee as well as just breathe, bacteria die, and when micro life within the rock die they all produce ammonia. Ammonia is deadly to fish. Ammonia is consumed by bacteria and turned into nitrites(which is also deadly). Another bacteria then consumes the nitrites and turns them into nitrates(the end process of the nitrogen cycle, also deadly but not at any levels we see in a hobby tank). There are various ways to export nitrates.

Your CUC not only eats any leftover food(should be very little to none), they also eat any dead, eat algae(different species eat different algaes), and eat detritus. They are a very important part of the life cycle in a tank.

While I'll agree with you on the transferring fish thing(salinity and temp matching), it is assumed that the tank your transferring them to has already cycled.
 
homer1475 said:
Rereading your last post, you should be testing for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates intially, otherwise known as the nitrogen cycle. When food breaks down, when fish poop and pee as well as just breathe, bacteria die, and when micro life within the rock die they all produce ammonia. Ammonia is deadly to fish. Ammonia is consumed by bacteria and turned into nitrites(which is also deadly). Another bacteria then consumes the nitrites and turns them into nitrates(the end process of the nitrogen cycle, also deadly but not at any levels we see in a hobby tank). There are various ways to export nitrates.

Your CUC not only eats any leftover food(should be very little to none), they also eat any dead, eat algae(different species eat different algaes), and eat detritus. They are a very important part of the life cycle in a tank.

While I'll agree with you on the transferring fish thing(salinity and temp matching), it is assumed that the tank your transferring them to has already cycled.
Click to expand...

OK. That sounds like a plan. I can test parameters tomorrow. If they are high...I do a water change? Do I add some prime? Reefcentral's answers are all over place. I can do a search for ammonia and brown algae and cycling...anything and I'm pulling up millions of hits, I open 10 links at a time....Solutions are thrown around, a lot of them.

The amount of live rock and the quality of live rock used in new tank makes a differences supposedly...to the point where its "like a tank change" rather than a cycle....

I have maybe 30 pounds of live rock from an LFS. I used 90 percent Nutrisea water from natures ocean, 60 pounds natures ocean #1 sand.

I also put a tiny bit of microbacter7 which one of our LFS's here in texas recomended - says its a complete bioculture for establishing biological filtration and establish nitroification denitrification organic waste degradation.

I do want to get a CUC...so i just need to wait until parameters are correct and then add them?
 
reefbroao said:
yes I understand it may seem as though we are bashing you but think of it this way. Ammonia is an irritant this is created during a cycle before the nitrification process can complete. It irritates and burns a fish's skin/ gills and can even cause their gills to bleed.

That is inescapable for them, they are surrounded by it.

I would think of it as being trapped in a gas chamber with tear gas.
Click to expand...

i'm reading that everyones dealing with ammonia and nitrates, or nh3 nh4, total ammonie , or TAN, or the other. One is deadly, one not really...i'm reading and still feel like an idiot :) but that problems with it happen or can happen at any stage of being an aquarium owner.

Feels like bashing...sure...but I want answers....b/c its difficult figuring out whats legitimately the best solution to handle my current situation, by reading about others problems.

I was going to just ride it out...and I instead thought maybe its best to just post a quick question for others thoughts on what our current situation is.

I bought 200 bucks of water and all live rock and sand for the purpose of a necessary fast transition.

I was well aware of the proper 30 day quarantine for fish and all subsequent new fish. Our old tank couldn't be in our home anymore.
 
I've read enough times of people with many many years of experience...which I don't have - say that they are not experts, everyone's learning. Compared to that I'm no where near their level.

I never new what I was doing with our old aquarium. Clean the skimmer waste thing in the red sea, change a light bulb, add food, occasional water change...thats what I did. I never tested water ever.

More than the bashing part, I think the thing that is interesting is the idea that I am being thought of as lazy or a moron.

I'm just a disabled first time dad who wants to give his wife and baby girl a beautiful tank. I messed up the last one during the pregnancy, which almost killed my wife. My health was declined. Our red sea was beyond repair. Pests took over the entire tank in extreme nature. The fish were about to die. I ordered cad lights. I spent days and nights reading on equipment. I needed help with moving things, setup because I can't physically do everything myself. The tank was delayed. Setup was tough. I've got a media reactor that needs to be installed one day, and my electronics need to be redone.
 
Really no ones bashing you or thinks your a moron, were just trying to help. It may seem like we are, but were just trying to hammer home(I think this is where the feeling of being bashed comes from?) what needs to be done for proper care.
 
I totally understand and do not think you're less than anyone on here. It's not an easy hobby and take tons of time/ reading. I've made catastrophic mistakes, as has everyone on here.
 
Thanks guys. Experience is the greatest teacher of all. More so, from mistakes. They hurt.

I did the water testing as I mentioned I would. No nitrates or nitrites. Ammonia 0.1 and my salinity was slightly elevated. pH was 8.1 slightly low. I need to buy the salinity calibration solution for my apex still. I also need to recalibrate the Ph probe, i bought that calib. solution today. I didn't do it that well the first time. I need to see if its my refractometer that was off or if I'm losing water through evaporation faster than what I realize. I have not done any types of logging of water loss, or day to day changes, and I'm adding water manually b/c the auto top off pump/resorvior is not installed yet, I don't write down yet what I add or when. I also need to see if my refractometer is bad somehow, fixable, or its time to retire it. Its about 3 years old.

I also bought two recommended aquarium books - on reefkeeping , and reef fish. Overpaid probably, but its always nice to have a solid book, being disabled and sitting on my computer chair long periods of time hurts. Plus, it should be legitimate info and provide great basics, which is what I need, a solid foundation.

I really am trying to make a beautiful underwater world....just was short on time for the aquarium initial setup b/c of the previous tank problem, lack of space in house, and other misc. reasons.
 
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