Brown Hair Algae/Diatoms Problem HELP!!

[BlackGhost]

Ok my tank has been set up for 3 weeks with fully cured live rock and just recently I got 2 clown fish, 4 hermit crabs, and 3 snails. My ammonia is 0, Nitrite 0 and NItrate is 0 and I just looked and the walls of my tank and they are filled with this brown hair all over. Its also on the sand a little. How to I get rid of all of it and is it dangerous if it grows too much?

 

[Joe Fish]

It will come and go with a young tank. It's pretty normal actually. It will bloom then eat up all the nutrients then it will go away only to come back. If you are using tap water that is your biggest culprit, but with a young tank it's very common for the first couple weeks at least. Just scrape it off.

 

[BlackGhost]

Scrape it off and then what suck it off the bottom? or can I just get a big clean up crew?

 

[saltwater4life]

i just scaped it off the walls and kinda ran my hand through the sand and left it for the clean up crew

 

[BlackGhost]

So once I SCRAPE IT OFF ITS DEAD? or will it grow on the sand if i don't have enough clean up crew?

 

[Joe Fish]

If you have a lot then it wouldn't be a bad idea to suck from it up. I believe astrea snails are known to eat diatoms. I just left mine go.

 

[Lorna]

Diatoms are not hairy.......can you get a pic of it.....it could be cyano....which can be just about any colour......increase your water flow will help and get some astrea/nerite snails as they will help eat diatoms.....if that is what it is....is it like a brown dusting? or solid and slimy?

what ever it is it is to be expected and you will probably have a few different outbreaks while your tank matures and nutrients etc balance out.......this is part of the setup and maturing that we talk about on here.....slow as you go

 

[BlackGhost]

its small brown hairs all over the glass

 

[Joe Fish]

Astrea snails should eat that stuff up very nicely. They did for me.

 

[darkfishy2690]

You could run some chaetomorpha which will suck up the nutrients that the algae is taking in and will stun the growth of algae and the algae would probably die off

 

[KahluaZzZ]

chaeto, ro/di , polyfilter pads willd do the trick

 

[BlackGhost]

Now its getting really bad but only on the bottom half of the glass and the sand a little but its brown and they look like little trees. How should i clean it and get rid of it. What kind of algae or is it Diatoms. Its also growing all over my powerhead intake and my long filter tube and it really looks bad. All my Ammonia, Nitrate and Nitrite are 0ppm so it should be fine and my lights are only on 8 hours a day. Please HELP

 

[Lorna]

get a cleanup crew in there......snails, crabs.....they should help get rid of it....also increase your water flow that will also help.

 

[KahluaZzZ]

also lower your lighting time slowly

 

[BlackGhost]

Ya they look like little brown trees or bushes that have branches. I'm not sure if my snails are eating it now but I only have 3 so what kind should I go buy? The Algea is big long branches