Pennstate Reefer Posted December 24, 2019 Share Posted December 24, 2019 ok so my wifes biobube 32 has been set up since October 27 2019.. I have been struggling with this brown dusty like algae on the glass. so bad that I have to clean it off every day or sometimes twice a day... I am assuming diatoms but not sure and if it isant diatom what could it be and how can I alleviate this issue. thanks for the help everyone 1 Quote Link to comment
WV Reefer Posted December 24, 2019 Share Posted December 24, 2019 28 minutes ago, Pennstate Reefer said: ok so my wifes biobube 32 has been set up since October 27 2019.. I have been struggling with this brown dusty like algae on the glass. so bad that I have to clean it off every day or sometimes twice a day... I am assuming diatoms but not sure and if it isant diatom what could it be and how can I alleviate this issue. thanks for the help everyone Sounds normal for a new tank. They will go away once their food source has been exhausted. 2 Quote Link to comment
Pennstate Reefer Posted December 24, 2019 Author Share Posted December 24, 2019 ok so will it prolong it if we continuously clean the glass 1 Quote Link to comment
WV Reefer Posted December 24, 2019 Share Posted December 24, 2019 Just now, Pennstate Reefer said: ok so will it prolong it if we continuously clean the glass Go ahead and clean the glass. Just don’t do anything drastic to try to eliminate it. 1 Quote Link to comment
Pennstate Reefer Posted December 24, 2019 Author Share Posted December 24, 2019 ok thanks for the advise 1 Quote Link to comment
mcarroll Posted December 24, 2019 Share Posted December 24, 2019 Are you using tap water? Seems a little odd for a diatom phase to last (Oct, Nov, Dec) three solid months. In good conditions, they use up all the silicates (their usual limiting nutrient) in one bloom and it's done. If not tap water, did you just add lights more recently than October, or is there anything else to the story that would explain their hanging around for what seems like so long? 1 Quote Link to comment
Pennstate Reefer Posted December 29, 2019 Author Share Posted December 29, 2019 I use rodi water I did recently add a frag rack and a grow light on one back chamber to grow cheato opposite light schedule of main display. nutriants are in check.. I am out if town for the holidays right now but when I get home I will take a pic and post... Quote Link to comment
mcarroll Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 On 12/29/2019 at 9:37 AM, Pennstate Reefer said: a grow light on one back chamber to grow cheato opposite light schedule of main display. nutriants are in check.. I know this is going to sound weird, but setting up a chaeto fuge when it's not needed is a fairly common mistake and may actually be causing the issue in the display. Let's consider it. A tank this young should not need chaeto. What time has there been for "excess nutrients" to collect in the system? (None.) A tank this young should also have "plenty" of dissolved nutrients available. Numerous organisms from bacteria up through your corals require it, either directly or indirectly, to support their metabolism AND their spread across the tank. This is how a reef matures and becomes stable. This is IMO what is being delayed by the action of the chaeto.) Has there been any sign of green algae growth in the display? You should be growing "some" and you should need a cleanup crew to keep it in check. If green algae isn't growing, or worse won't grow, then there's a problem....and eventually it can become a problem for corals too. What are your test results usually like for PO4 and NO3? Have there been any big changes in the trend for either parameter since the tank has been running? 1 Quote Link to comment
Pennstate Reefer Posted January 6, 2020 Author Share Posted January 6, 2020 great point Mcarrol I haven't really had any excess nutrients and my nitrates 5.0 and phosphates 0.2 have steady at that. no I haven't had any other algae growing in the display other than the brown stuff. which if I don't keep clean actually grow thick. I don't have an issue taking out the cheato and turning off the grow light. I only started it because I took out the junk skimmer that came with the tank and wanted to get a good population of pods established. please reply I would like to continue this discussion. Quote Link to comment
mcarroll Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 Can you post a pic of the brown stuff under white light so we get accurate colors? I can't think of anything that's plain brown that should be able to grow "thick". Chrysophytes can do that, but they should have a greenish look. VERY slimy if you touch it, and it shouldn't be hard to remove from the surface where it's growing. Cyanobacteria can do that, but I'm not aware of any browns. (Seemingly every OTHER color though.) Until we get a pic, someone else may have other ideas. 4 hours ago, Pennstate Reefer said: my nitrates 5.0 and phosphates 0.2 have steady at that. Seems like that should be quite sufficient to grow regular green hair algae. Quote Link to comment
Pennstate Reefer Posted January 11, 2020 Author Share Posted January 11, 2020 Calothrix I think that’s what it is. I have left it grow out a little and now it’s turning hairy kind of. Quote Link to comment
Pennstate Reefer Posted January 11, 2020 Author Share Posted January 11, 2020 It’s on the rocks and sand bed to but that is the best pic I can get right now. The troubling this is it is in both my 12 gal the wife’s 32, but not the sons 29 and all three tanks use the same salt and run the same parameters same top of same rodi water. Just weird in my opinion Quote Link to comment
Pennstate Reefer Posted January 12, 2020 Author Share Posted January 12, 2020 Bump still looking for friendly advise Quote Link to comment
mcarroll Posted January 12, 2020 Share Posted January 12, 2020 What is your cleanup crew like right now? Quote Link to comment
Pennstate Reefer Posted January 15, 2020 Author Share Posted January 15, 2020 Reef cleaners 38 gallon package minus a few that died in shipping do to bring to cold Quote Link to comment
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