Are these diatoms?

ipubby · Wednesday at 4:51 PM

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My dry rock doesn’t have this brown stuff accept accept for my only live rock.

slingfox · Wednesday at 4:57 PM

Hard to tell from the photos. If you post pictures under white light people can more confidently make an ID.

Tank is very young so you have a lot more adventures ahead!

EnterName · Wednesday at 5:05 PM

Even if it's not I would consider it being part of the "ugly phase"

Don't worry if it turns out to be something else. Within the first few months a whole lot of stuff can start to bloom but it usually also disappears on its own again. I think @slingfox said it beautifully:

"[...] you have a lot more adventures ahead!"

ipubby · 2026-09-24T17:45:25-0400

slingfox said:
Hard to tell from the photos. If you post pictures under white light people can more confidently make an ID.

Tank is very young so you have a lot more adventures ahead!

20260924_174517_C3B45C83-1DAC-418E-9072-DB0998A19E9D.png

slingfox · 2026-09-24T20:32:55-0400

ipubby said:

Looks like diatoms on the sand. Hard to tell what is on the rock without a more zoomed in photo or image from a microscope. May be one of or a combination of Dino’s, algae, and/or diatoms.

ipubby · 2026-09-25T10:01:28-0400

slingfox said:
ipubby said:

Click to expand...

Looks like diatoms on the sand. Hard to tell what is on the rock without a more zoomed in photo or image from a microscope. May be one of or a combination of Dino’s, algae, and/or diatoms.

If I put a couple CUC what should I put in there?

slingfox · 2026-09-25T11:14:25-0400

ipubby said:
If I put a couple CUC what should I put in there?

Your tank looks very new. I would probably add fish and feed them first and not add CUC until you start to see some algae growth. Alternatively, you can add a variety of snails and blue leg hermit crabs but you would need to add some nori or something similar periodically so they have something to eat.

ipubby · 2026-09-25T11:22:23-0400

slingfox said:
ipubby said:

If I put a couple CUC what should I put in there?

Click to expand...

Your tank looks very new. I would probably add fish and feed them first and not add CUC until you start to see some algae growth. Alternatively, you can add a variety of snails and blue leg hermit crabs but you would need to add some nori or something similar periodically so they have something to eat.

The algae is spreading fast. I may go to my LFS and get some today.