Salwater Aquarium Brown Growth?? Help?

Question

Im starting a salwater aquarium and have had live rock in for 2 weeks, after getting my lighting there is now brown growth all over my live rock and spreading to the gravel, what kind of growth is this and what should i do?? Please Help!

Answer 1

Don't panic, it is just algae. this is natural for start up and it means your tank is healthy.

You can suck it out when you are cleaning if you wish. It removes quite easily.

If it gets to be where you just don't like the look, try using a phosporus pad in the filter. These are great for controlling algae and are inexpensive and reuseable.

Remember in your salt tank, you do not want to eliminate all the silica or phosporus totally. Organisms in your tank rely on these for food. Silica should remain around 2 ppm in your salt tank.

Here is more on algae and how to control it should it get out of hand:

Algae are mostly-photosynthetic organisms that sometimes resemble plants but are not plants, having no true roots, stems or leaves. Algae grow in freshwater and saltwater. Saltwater algae are sometimes referred to as "seaweed." Like plants, algae require light and nutrients to grow. We supply plenty of both in our aquariums, with several hours of aquarium lighting a day and nutrients like nitrates and phosphates from fish waste.

Algae come in many forms. There are microscopic, one-celled algae, filamentous algae that resemble hair, algae that grow in sheets, and macroalgae that look like plants. There are even algae that live inside the outer integument ("skin") or calcium shell of some corals, anemones, and other sessile invertebrates called zooxanthellae. There are slimy-looking algae that are often not algae at all, but a colony of primitive photosynthetic organisms known as cyanobacteria. There are also very hard-to-remove little dots of green that sometimes grow on aquarium panels which also are not algae, but diatom or radiolarian colonies (microscopic, one-celled, animals with hard shells) with algae incorporated in their matrix. With all that said, let us answer some common questions right up front:

Algae growth is inevitable in an aquarium.
Algae consume nutrients in the aquarium that if allowed to accumulate, are harmful to fish. Algae can be a good thing.
The presence of green algae in an aquarium indicates a healthy environment for fish.
There is absolutely no way to completely prevent algae from growing in an aquarium, without killing the other life in the tank.
Chemicals should never be used to control the growth especially in a salt tank, of true algae in an aquarium, and should only be used in rare circumstances to control cyanobacteria.
Correcting a severe algae problem requires time and patience.
Natural methods of controlling algae are the best and most effective.

Algae removal from the tank panels can be done on an as-needed basis, but no more than once a week. Removing algae involves either correcting negative water conditions to control or slow excessive algae growth, or an age-old process known as "elbow grease" (scrubbing it off!). Algae removal in an aquarium should be done only when necessary. We have seen many aquariums where daily removal of algae resulted in fish that were so stressed, most had diseases and were dying. You should never remove all of the algae from your tank. Allowing some algae to grow in the aquarium can be beneficial to the aquatic environment.

When algae is removed from aquarium side panels, care should be taken to select an algae scrubber that will not hurt the finish of an aquarium. Be careful not to get gravel caught in an algae scrubbing pad where it can scratch the aquarium. Never use household cleaning pads to remove algae. They contain fungicides that kill fish.

First, test the water you are filling up your tank with. Many public water supplies (our homes) have a concentration of nitrates at around 7ppm or higher. (Bottled water is no better).
This could be the start of your problem.
Be sure your tank is not within direct or indirect lighting such as a window or in a room where the lights are on constantly. Is you tank near a heat source. Sometimes we do not take into consideration a fishtank is near a heat register which can and does add additional temperature changes to your tank.

be sure to clean the filter as well? Be sure the entire filter is cleaned and free of algae.

Use a razor or scraper and gently scrape all sides of your tank. Clean your gravel and return it to the tank as well.

If you have a stick on thermometer, get yourself a floating one. The stick on thermometers pick up ambient air temperatures from OUTSIDE the tank and can be up to 10 degrees off. DON"T trust them.

You can also purchase phosphorus pads for around $2.00 at your local pet store. These can be cut to fit with your filter and remove large amounts of phosphorus. These can be reused over and over just remember to rinse them out well when you clean your tank.

Test your water. You will want to scrape the sides of the tank and do a water change no more than 20% every other day. This should only be done if the algae returns in a heavy form.

If you need any more help, you can im or email me.

Answer 2

All that means is that your tank is working like it should, since it isn't the best looking thing to have in an aquarium I would recommend getting some small hermit crabs about 10 for a 30 to 55 gallon setup they will help get the brown algae out of your tank within a few days or so.

Answer 3

salwater aquarium brown growth

Answer 4

It's probably algae. Take the rock out and gently scrub it under running water, no soap or any other cleaner. Use a new veggie brush or similar tool. Vacuum rock, and do a 1/4 tank water change. Put the rock back after you are done with the rest. This should help, no guarantee the it will stay away.

Answer 5

This sounds like a problem with diatoms, or "brown algae". These have an outer shell of silica, so you need to find out your source of this and eliminate it, as well as using lighting and nutrient controls.

A common source is when actual sand is used for a substrate, rather than crushed coral, shells, or aragonite (calcium) sand. It may come in your water source, or your salt mix as well.

Cerith and trochus snails will eat this (among other algaes): http://saltcorner.com/sections/guest/algaepage/algaepage.htm

I've put some other info below for diatoms and methods of control. This is a common phenomena in new marine tanks.