brown algea on glass.

[njfish77]

I have all perfect parameters, only one i cant test for is po4 but i shouldnt have phosphates considering im using a brand new ro/di 5 stage unit and have only used ro on this tank. Why am i still getting bad brown algea on the glass every day.

 

[bertoni]

Does the tank have any grazing snails? A few might be appropriate. Most likely, the alga is consuming nutrients as quickly as they are released into the water column, or in forms that our kits cannot detect.

 

[sir_dudeguy]

well how old is the tank? If its fairly new this is to be expected

 

[N-dog]

I had basically the same problem, and what I found out was that here was more nutrients in the tank than needed.

 

[njfish77]

yea it is new. 4 months old. I cant really figure out where its coming from. I dont feed much at all, i dont have to many fish, and i do weekly water changes every saturday. In a 56 i have a sunburst anthis, yellow tang, green chromis, sixline and a golden dwarf eel. I feed just about every other day, sometimes every 2 days.

 

[bertoni]

That's a rather heavy filtration load for those fish, depending on the sizes. How much food goes into the tank, and what type?

 

[njfish77]

(That's a rather heavy filtration load for those fish) im sorry i dont get what you mean by that. The tang is very small, the eel is about 8-10", the chromis and sixline are about 1 1/2" and the sunburst is about 2". I feed mysis, spirulina brine, and cycolpeeze for all the fish except the eel who gets a mix of jumbo mysis, clam, and silversides.

 

[bertoni]

That's too many fish for the tank, over the long haul. I suspect the problem simply is too much food for the tank's filtration capacity. A few snails might be able to help.

 

[njfish77]

i have a bunch of asterinas, nassarius, cerith, and margarits along with a bunch of hermits. All corals are very healthy and i have no nusiance algea, just this algea that keeps growing on the glass.

 

[bertoni]

Sigh, then I suspect the brown algae is cyanobacteria or something the snails aren't going to eat. A GFO reactor might help. Reducing the feeding level might be appropriate, too.