Brown Algae - dose or not to dose?

[Baigent87]

Hi everyone!

So I’ve had a spurt of brown algae slowly begin to form in my tank after installing a new light (Red Sea 250) in my Fluval Evo.

I asked my LFS for som advice and the first thing they advised was to reduce my blues from 100% to 70% and my whites from 100% to 40% (I’m a rookie, what can I say )

Secondly they advised to up my feeding from every other day to every day?

I’m now considering the dosing option for some faster results unless you all recommend something alternative? Should I just leave it and wait for all the silicates to be consumed or blast it with some dosing?

 

[elorablue]

Dosing what?
If it's diatoms they'll go on their own, or with help from some turbo snails.
You could even drop your whites further to 20%
I feed every day, I like my fish fat and healthy.

 

[elorablue]

Also, if you don't have any coral in there, you don't even need the lights on at all.

 

[Baigent87]

Dosing what?
If it's diatoms they'll go on their own, or with help from some turbo snails.
You could even drop your whites further to 20%
I feed every day, I like my fish fat and healthy.

I’m massively assuming this but feel it could be diatoms. I’ve attached a couple of pics on my post. The only reason it’s really bothering me is I’m itching to get some corals in I know the name of the game in this hobby is patience

Happy to send some more detailed pics if you think that will help?

 

[Theulli]

"whites from 100% to 40% (I’m a rookie, what can I say"

This is the problem. If it's a FOWLR you can run just whites on like 5%, get the same lighting to see your fish, and not be feeding algae growth. Even in my reef tank I never run whites > 10%. I would go much farther than your LFS advised.

 

[elorablue]

I’m massively assuming this but feel it could be diatoms. I’ve attached a couple of pics on my post. The only reason it’s really bothering me is I’m itching to get some corals in I know the name of the game in this hobby is patience

Happy to send some more detailed pics if you think that will help?

I'm sure it's diatoms too. Nothing to worry about. You can siphon it out if you like or get some snails but either way it'll take care of itself. When my diatoms hit I added a few snails and they were completely gone in 24 hours.

 

[Baigent87]

I'm sure it's diatoms too. Nothing to worry about. You can siphon it out if you like or get some snails but either way it'll take care of itself. When my diatoms hit I added a few snails and they were completely gone in 24 hours.

My clean up crew are absolutely loving life! I have 1x turbo snail 1x zombie snail 2x cleaner shrimp 2x hermit crabs and 1x emerald crab.

My filter floss in chamber 1 is absolutely coated within an hour or so.

 

[Theulli]

I'm sure it's diatoms too. Nothing to worry about. You can siphon it out if you like or get some snails but either way it'll take care of itself. When my diatoms hit I added a few snails and they were completely gone in 24 hours.

Agreed on the diatoms, but from my own experience making this mistake, if you don't tone down the whites considerably, the diatoms will simply make way for various forms of green algae. This is of course dependent on how close the light is to the tank and how long you have it on every day.

 

[Baigent87]

Agreed on the diatoms, but from my own experience making this mistake, if you don't tone down the whites considerably, the diatoms will simply make way for various forms of green algae. This is of course dependent on how close the light is to the tank and how long you have it on every day.

I’ve attached my schedule below and have reduced my whites to 20%. Any advice on the schedule or you think it looks ok?

 

[Baigent87]

I’ve also introduced a wave maker to try create my oxygen in the tank and disturb any algae attaching.

 

[Theulli]

I’ve attached my schedule below and have reduced my whites to 20%. Any advice on the schedule or you think it looks ok?

I am absolutely not a lighting expert but this is what I run in my reef tank. I have a fowlr in which I only turn lights on when I want to get a good look at something