Re: brown stuff
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10722728#post10722728 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by abrahamcho
On my tank there are brwn things on my sand and on the glass and the wall of my nano. i have one big snail and i had hermits to clean it up but my mantis ate them all. so does anyone know how to clean this up? it is just like brown stuff everywhere.
Sounds like brown diatom algae. It feeds off phosphates and silicates in your water. I would suggest cutting down your feeding and light on top of all the other suggestions. Also, if you're using tap water to mix saltwater with, THAT is a good source for unwanted nutrients, which fuel the diatom flare...
What is your lighting like? Also, is the tank fully "cycled"?
Try to maybe feed once or twice a week, and cut your lighting down to around 5-7 hours a day. There's no real reason to keep a clean-up crew in there if there's nothing to clean up. Amphipods,copepods, and your bristleworms should take care of any detritus in the tank. Some chaeto or caulerpa would help also.
Here's a few choice blurbs from the
Wikipedia entry for Diatom :
"Diatoms (Greek: äéÜ (dia) = "through" + ôÃÂìÃÂåéà(temnein) = "to cut", i.e., "cut in half") are a major group of eukaryotic algae, and are one of the most common types of phytoplankton. Most diatoms are unicellular, although some form chains or simple colonies. A characteristic feature of diatom cells is that they are encased within a unique cell wall made of silica (hydrated silicon dioxide) called a frustule."
"In the open ocean, the condition that typically causes diatom (spring) blooms to end is a lack of silicon. Unlike other nutrients, this is only a major requirement of diatoms so it is not regenerated in the plankton ecosystem as efficiently as, for instance, nitrogen or phosphorus nutrients. This can be seen in maps of surface nutrient concentrations - as nutrients decline along gradients, silicon is usually the first to be exhausted (followed normally by nitrogen then phosphorus)."
Check your nutrient levels, especially nitrates and phosphates. Consider increasing your water change frequency, as well as adding PhosBan/RowaPhos/PhosGuard (I use the latter without incident) or an inline refugium to increase nutrient export.
