I have a salt water tank that is growing brown stuff on the sand. Is this normal? Am I supposed to get rid of it?
2007-03-09 02:48:24 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Fish
It is just brown algae. It won't hurt anything however easily removed when cleaning the tank. It is very normal.
You just don't want it taking over.
Remember good algae like your coralline's can start off brown, then turn to a beautiful pink or other color.
2007-03-09 04:09:21 · answer #1 · answered by danielle Z 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
What kind of sand is it? It's probably diatoms rather than a true algae, feeding off of nitrates and the silicates in either the sand or from the tank, if it's less than a year old. Reducing the light and keeping the water really clean will help curb the growth a bit, but it will die off on its own when/if the silicates run out. There are some snails and fish that love eating it, but I'm more familiar with freshwaterfish. Try a websearch?
2007-03-09 16:06:49 · answer #2 · answered by ceci9293 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is normal if your tank has not been running long.
Adding a mix of different types of snails and blue leg hermit crabs will help controle it but as your tank matures it should go away when it runs out of "Food".
Check out these pictures (You may have to log into the site)
and you will see the brown on the sand and back glass in a couple of early pics and you will notice it is gone in the later pics.
http://www.captivereefing.com/vbpicgallery.php?do=big&p=776
I just let it run its course and it will not come back as long as you don't overstock or overfeed.
It's wourth the time to sign up on this site if you're into saltwater.
2007-03-11 01:20:09 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
it is extremely regular for each new equipment to pass by algae blooms. upload a cleanser team and do water transformations with RO/DI water. it particularly is a nutrient concern reason from extra phosphates and nitrates. Do you run a protien skimmer on the tank? what methods of nutrient export do you utilize? As somebody else suggested including some snails alongside with some sandsifters/sandshifters, will help shop the algae in line. examine your phosphates and identity be keen to guess they're over 0.05. utilising RO?DI water for water transformations alongside with a cleanser team and a protien skimmer will help shop the situation in examine.
2016-11-23 17:16:48 · answer #4 · answered by goettle 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That brown stuff is algae. Some would argue that you need to clean it because it looks foul, dirty, etc. In reality, algae is a sign of a healthy tank. Your fishies, depending on species, will nibble on it. Sure you can clean it, if it gets to be too much. You can cut back the growth of it by reducing the amount of light in your tank a bit.
2007-03-09 02:58:26 · answer #5 · answered by CyberCop 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
sounds like algae.
2007-03-09 05:29:56 · answer #6 · answered by dtj_m 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
leave it it is algae it will be fine.
2007-03-09 06:44:27 · answer #7 · answered by douglas R 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
its alge. and yes, clean it.
2007-03-09 02:51:18 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋