Confirm as cyano

fisherdonk · Apr 23, 2022

Hello,

I was wondering if someone could confirm that this is cyan. Brown stringy.
N/P are under control (<10, <0.03 ppm)
Thank you.

Lavey29 · Apr 23, 2022

How old is the tank? Rocks are still pretty white. Does the algae go away at night or is it easy to blow off and siphon? Cyano usually more reddish but hard to tell with pics.

monkeyCmonkeyDo · Apr 23, 2022

Diatom

vetteguy53081 · Apr 23, 2022

Looks like the start of diatoms. Blow loose with a turkey baster and net the loose matter and then reduce white light intensity. See if it returns in the morning when lights are on a few hours. Then post another pic

fisherdonk · Apr 23, 2022

New tank (1m). Rock is definitely white, though under white light some green algae coloration can be seen on it.
Algae does not disappear at night. Easy to blow off, though a little sticky to rock. Forms strings.

fisherdonk · Apr 23, 2022

vetteguy53081 said:
Looks like the start of diatoms. Blow loose with a turkey baster and net the loose matter and then reduce white light intensity. See if it returns in the morning when lights are on a few hours. Then post another pic

It's been 2 weeks (the picture is less dramatic because I cleaned the sand bed yesterday). I have now started a 3 day black out period.

Lavey29 · Apr 23, 2022

fisherdonk said:
New tank (1m). Rock is definitely white, though under white light some green algae coloration can be seen on it.
Algae does not disappear at night. Easy to blow off, though a little sticky to rock. Forms strings.

Then it's just diatoms which will go away on their own in the course of several weeks.

Lavey29 · Apr 23, 2022

fisherdonk said:
It's been 2 weeks (the picture is less dramatic because I cleaned the sand bed yesterday). I have now started a 3 day black out period.

This serves no purpose now. You already started this part of your ugly phase. It is prudent to leave lights off the first 4 months before adding coral and light to allow your tank to develop biodiversity. This makes the ugly stages more manageable in the months after.

vetteguy53081 · Apr 23, 2022

fisherdonk said:
It's been 2 weeks (the picture is less dramatic because I cleaned the sand bed yesterday). I have now started a 3 day black out period.

No need for blackout. Spme accept it while others dont like the appearance. Diatoms are a brown algae that typically appear in a reef tank that has just completed its cycle but they can also appear in an established reef tank. They can cover sand, rock, pumps, glass, you name it. Diatoms look ugly but in most cases they are harmless so the key is to not panic when they appear.
Diatoms feed mainly off of silicates but also consume dissolved organic compounds, phosphate and nitrates. Unfiltered tap water can contain silicates and is a good way to jump start a bloom if you use it to mix salt or to replace water that evaporated from the tank. The best way to prevent this from happening is to filter water through a RODI unit, although you can still get a diatom bloom when using RODI if the cartridge that removes silicates expires.
Diatoms are typically harmless to a captive reef and can be beaten once their food source expires. Once you put the kibosh on the source, the outbreak should last a couple of weeks so just be patient and it will pass.
For major outbreaks you may want to consider the three day blackout. Diatoms are easily wiped from the glass with a mag float, a turkey baster or a toothbrush can access other areas of the tank. Be prepared for them to re-establish themselves quickly, they are likely to be able to resettle and have exponential growth rates.
To prevent their return, practice good aquarium husbandry by doing regular water changes, keep the substrate clean, don’t overfeed the fish, ensure your skimmer is running at an optimal level and rinse out filter socks and sponges on a regular basis. For now, I would not fret
Some cleaner crew to help control it are : Cerith snails, Nerite snails and Trochus snails and also Astraea snails are effective at removing diatoms.