brown film overlive sand

[James Matthews]

the is a brown film that covers my live sand almost looks like melted plastic over the top of it. Sucked it out and it stuck the whole top layer of sand together like a thin crust over the top. what is it and how do I get rid of it?

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

New tank?

 

[AllSignsPointToFish]

If it clumps together and is not easily dispersed like dust, it's probably cyanobacteria. What are your nutrient levels?

I've tried dosing peroxide for cyanobacteria in the past with marginal success. I used ChemiClean one time, and the cyano was history.

 

[James Matthews]

all my nutrients levels are in the proper ranges, the tank is about 9 months old now, all the pictures of cyano I've seen look like the have little hairs coming off it, but I'm new to this so it very well might be. Only thing I keep my calcium up around 450 trying to promote the coralline algae growth.

 

[AllSignsPointToFish]

What are the nitrate and phosphate levels in the tank?

 

[James Matthews]

phosphate is between 0 and .25

 

[James Matthews]

I have 80 lbs of live sand and 60lbs of live rock my filter are around 1200 gph. My power heads are rated for 1060 gph. It's a 100 gallon tank I have a 40 gallon refugium with chaeto. Only have a few fish 1 yellow tang, 2 cardinal fish, 1 coral beauty and 1 clown fish. I have an assortment of snails and 3 emerald crabs and a few different hermits, and a coral banded shrimp

 

[James Matthews]

here are some closer pics, and my tang being a butt head, also what is the green algae and how to get rid of it

 

[45ZoaGarden]

Try brushing the green stuff off the rocks. If it comes off easily, it’s cyano. If it doesn’t, it’s algae