Rust color algae on sand bed

[WhiteTang]

Hi everybody!

I have a 16g nano that has been up and running for a little over a year!
By now my tank is supposed to be matured. I have been keeping up with my water changes every week with a 15% water change.
All params are in check and everything has been running smoothly.

BUT a few weeks ago I noticed something weird. A rust coloured algae covering my otherwise pristine white sugar sand substrate. This phenomena would occur when the lights go on and disappear when the lights went of. I am running a 7 hour day cycle with top intensity around 14.00 (not maxing out the LED thought).

I suspect that this is cyanobacteria but I think it is weird that I have em because at the moment I do not have any fish in the tank. Only corals, a cleaner shrimp, 2 sexy shrimp and a snail.

I feed ultra lightly. Spot feeding corals a couple times a weeks and throwing in a tiny tiny pinch of flake food once a day.

What could be wrong? Any thoughts?

I have siphoned out the top layer of my sand today. If it is indeed algae, that has taken up any phosphates and/or silicates they will be discarded and not leach back into the tank once the lights are off.

 

[cloak]

A rust colored algae sounds more like Diatoms to me. (picture?) I'm assuming you are using RO/DI water? Maybe it's time to replace your filters.

FWIW, my tank is a little over 6 years old and every now & then I'll experience this same problem. As soon as the lights come on in the morning the sand is nice & white, but as time passes by it takes on sort of a rust colored look. I do use tap water though, so...

 

[tjmcmanus]

Hi everybody!



I have a 16g nano that has been up and running for a little over a year!

By now my tank is supposed to be matured. I have been keeping up with my water changes every week with a 15% water change.

All params are in check and everything has been running smoothly.



BUT a few weeks ago I noticed something weird. A rust coloured algae covering my otherwise pristine white sugar sand substrate. This phenomena would occur when the lights go on and disappear when the lights went of. I am running a 7 hour day cycle with top intensity around 14.00 (not maxing out the LED thought).



I suspect that this is cyanobacteria but I think it is weird that I have em because at the moment I do not have any fish in the tank. Only corals, a cleaner shrimp, 2 sexy shrimp and a snail.



I feed ultra lightly. Spot feeding corals a couple times a weeks and throwing in a tiny tiny pinch of flake food once a day.



What could be wrong? Any thoughts?



I have siphoned out the top layer of my sand today. If it is indeed algae, that has taken up any phosphates and/or silicates they will be discarded and not leach back into the tank once the lights are off.

Did you ever figure this out? I have a similar situation. Rust colored algae that looks like diatoms but can get hairy. No bubbles.

It is only in the lit parts of the tank and doesn't appear to grow on coralline algae. In the shade they is no issues with the rust colored stuff. It looks like some sprinkled GFO around my tank. It seems to thicken over time the get a little hairy.

I have run a tds meter in my ATO. 000, so it's not that. Nitrates are 2ppm. Running GFO and chemipure elite . Rust concentrates on the substrate but is crawling up the rocks.

I had a torch and a hammer die of a brown hunk. Wondering if this is a continuation. Snails and hermits live just fine. Don't think is Dino's.

Tank has been operational since Aug 2017, thin layer of substrate.


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[Seasidenj]

Might be time to replace your bulbs in your lighting.

 

[Percula9]

I would stop feeding the corals and do some water changes.Hopefully it will disappear.Do you have a protein skimmer?