Brown dusting on sand and rocks help

hawk82 · Mar 1, 2022

I had really bad green hair algae, so for the past 6 weeks ive been using Vibrant. It has done away with all the GHA, and even some bubble algae. But now Ive got a brown dusting all over my sand and rocks. I can blow it off with a turkey baster, but next day its back. It dosent have bubbles in it, and its not stringy or slimey, so Im pretty sure its not dinos. What could it be, and how can I get rid of it? At this point Id rather have some of the GHA back then looking at brown sand all day. I guess you cant win for losing lol.

rmorris_14 · Mar 1, 2022

hawk82 said:
I had really bad green hair algae, so for the past 6 weeks ive been using Vibrant. It has done away with all the GHA, and even some bubble algae. But now Ive got a brown dusting all over my sand and rocks. I can blow it off with a turkey baster, but next day its back. It dosent have bubbles in it, and its not stringy or slimey, so Im pretty sure its not dinos. What could it be, and how can I get rid of it? At this point Id rather have some of the GHA back then looking at brown sand all day. I guess you cant win for losing lol.

Diatoms? How old is your tank? size? flow? can you post a picture of your whole tank? parameters?

i cant think · Mar 1, 2022

hawk82 said:
I had really bad green hair algae, so for the past 6 weeks ive been using Vibrant. It has done away with all the GHA, and even some bubble algae. But now Ive got a brown dusting all over my sand and rocks. I can blow it off with a turkey baster, but next day its back. It dosent have bubbles in it, and its not stringy or slimey, so Im pretty sure its not dinos. What could it be, and how can I get rid of it? At this point Id rather have some of the GHA back then looking at brown sand all day. I guess you cant win for losing lol.

Photos?

hawk82 · Mar 1, 2022

Tank is 2 years. 40 breeder, Jebao sow 4 wavemaker, reef octopus bh100 hang on skimmer. Ph 8, salinity 1.025, nitrate 10-15, Just soft coral tank, and fish. Some pictures you can see the brown on the sand.

Unitylover · Mar 1, 2022

looks like cyano bacteria. Chemiclean can work if you have an airstone and pump. Red Cyano RX also helps.

i cant think · Mar 1, 2022

hawk82 said:
Tank is 2 years. 40 breeder, Jebao sow 4 wavemaker, reef octopus bh100 hang on skimmer. Ph 8, salinity 1.025, nitrate 10-15, Just soft coral tank, and fish. Some pictures you can see the brown on the sand.

Looks more like cyano to me, is it a reddish brown hue? Somewhat like this?
The red is cyano the brown is diatoms. Both of them have just vanished out of nowhere.

i cant think · Mar 1, 2022

Unitylover said:
looks like cyano bacteria. Chemiclean can work if you have an airstone and pump. Red Cyano RX also helps.

I have found these to not work and it to just die off ovet time. Constant water changes and something to predate on them are best for them. I would recommend staying on the safe side and going for Cerith snails, and if you have room then one of the Koumansetta gobies are excellent eaters (I own Hectori)

hawk82 · Mar 1, 2022

Kinda, but it dosent have those stings in it like your picture. I have a pump airstone, and I have chemiclean on hand.

Unitylover · Mar 1, 2022

hawk82 said:
Kinda, but it dosent have those stings in it like your picture. I have a pump airstone, and I have chemiclean on hand.

ah, chemiclean should work then. It looks brown because its not thick, its spread out. when its thick and slimy, it turns red

rmorris_14 · Mar 1, 2022

+1 one that in the photos it does kind of look like cyano. How long since you have discontinued vibrant? I would be careful throwing in more chemicals to deal with it just yet. It could lead to other issues. Can you try vacuuming it up with a water change? Do you know what your phosphates are?

SlugSnorter · Mar 1, 2022

if they "disappear" at night a UV filter can zap em up pretty fast. you can get a HOB or submersible one if you cannot plump it into the sump

SlugSnorter · Mar 1, 2022

hawk82 said:
I had really bad green hair algae, so for the past 6 weeks ive been using Vibrant. It has done away with all the GHA, and even some bubble algae. But now Ive got a brown dusting all over my sand and rocks. I can blow it off with a turkey baster, but next day its back. It dosent have bubbles in it, and its not stringy or slimey, so Im pretty sure its not dinos. What could it be, and how can I get rid of it? At this point Id rather have some of the GHA back then looking at brown sand all day. I guess you cant win for losing lol.

remember, Vibrant is NOT bottled bac, its just algicide. be careful with it.

hawk82 · Mar 1, 2022

They do disappear at night, I stopped Vibrant a week ago. I cant keep the tiny cerith snails, my wrasse eats them. I vaccumed a layer of sand the other day, and it worked for about a day then came back.

i cant think · Mar 1, 2022

i cant think said:
Looks more like cyano to me, is it a reddish brown hue? Somewhat like this?
The red is cyano the brown is diatoms. Both of them have just vanished out of nowhere.

Actually I think this is when my 20g tank was being attacked by every unwanted algae/bacteria you could name all at once. I mean the photo shows Diatoms, Cyano, GHA, I was also suffering a strange green algae/bacteria aswell as a huge film outbreak in the back wall with something else. The whole lot just vanished out of nowhere one day, I think the hectori worked its magic on the algae/bacteria but all I know is the Cyano DIDNT stand a chance on the sand Ed with that guy in the tank.

SlugSnorter · Mar 1, 2022

hawk82 said:
They do disappear at night, I stopped Vibrant a week ago. I cant keep the tiny cerith snails, my wrasse eats them. I vaccumed a layer of sand the other day, and it worked for about a day then came back.

UV filter will help, in the meantime does Microbacter7/clean or Dr tims eco balance/waste away

SlugSnorter · Mar 1, 2022

i cant think said:
Actually I think this is when my 20g tank was being attacked by every unwanted algae/bacteria you could name all at once. I mean the photo shows Diatoms, Cyano, GHA, I was also suffering a strange green algae/bacteria aswell as a huge film outbreak in the back wall with something else. The whole lot just vanished out of nowhere one day, I think the hectori worked its magic on the algae/bacteria but all I know is the Cyano DIDNT stand a chance on the sand Ed with that guy in the tank.

hectors and jesters pick at cyano, I don't think enough to completely purge a tank though