Cyano? Diatoms? Hair algae?

christa1421

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Hi there. I have a 6 month old tank and I’m not sure what is going on with the sand bed. It isn’t the pretty white sand anymore and there is quite a bit of brown growing over some areas. Not sure if this is hair algae, dinos, cyano, diatoms…or all of the above. Is this just part of the normal ugly phase or something more worrisome? I clean (syphon) part of the sand (in a different area each time) with every water change every 2 weeks, but it seems to be getting worse. I went 3 months without the light (before getting coral) in the beginning to try to minimize the ugly phase. Any advice would be appreciated. I included photos of parameters and the tank in question. Thanks so much!! Also, my phosphates did bottom out a few weeks ago to 0.0, so I fed heavy for a few weeks to get them back up a little. Not sure if that is helpful info or has something to do with what’s going on.

47BA81A7-064A-4812-9030-30384CAE580C.png 035F93C6-2853-4D78-9649-2757FD0B416C.png 55800CB0-0C7C-4403-88BF-95DCCFAF45A4.jpeg BFEB5983-F517-44B3-B4FE-97E60AF23A67.jpeg 8FEC13C8-98FE-4970-B535-CA3E5EE89168.jpeg 04717C64-8C30-48FF-9209-3492C7AC1507.jpeg 338FA69E-14E2-4CE9-9237-D0D374030D36.jpeg 78D825BB-4EEB-4CF7-96BB-67C88B2DA8C9.jpeg 58CDAF4D-B099-45CF-940F-1ADF20E6378A.jpeg 9099CAD8-AD1F-45CC-AEC2-0E871A8475AF.jpeg 1017B55C-C090-42D2-A9D2-08FFFD63F231.jpeg A877E814-EF76-4A5E-92DF-ABC1DCB98C8B.jpeg
 

vetteguy53081

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Hi there. I have a 6 month old tank and I’m not sure what is going on with the sand bed. It isn’t the pretty white sand anymore and there is quite a bit of brown growing over some areas. Not sure if this is hair algae, dinos, cyano, diatoms…or all of the above. Is this just part of the normal ugly phase or something more worrisome? I clean (syphon) part of the sand (in a different area each time) with every water change every 2 weeks, but it seems to be getting worse. I went 3 months without the light (before getting coral) in the beginning to try to minimize the ugly phase. Any advice would be appreciated. I included photos of parameters and the tank in question. Thanks so much!! Also, my phosphates did bottom out a few weeks ago to 0.0, so I fed heavy for a few weeks to get them back up a little. Not sure if that is helpful info or has something to do with what’s going on.

47BA81A7-064A-4812-9030-30384CAE580C.png 035F93C6-2853-4D78-9649-2757FD0B416C.png 55800CB0-0C7C-4403-88BF-95DCCFAF45A4.jpeg BFEB5983-F517-44B3-B4FE-97E60AF23A67.jpeg 8FEC13C8-98FE-4970-B535-CA3E5EE89168.jpeg 04717C64-8C30-48FF-9209-3492C7AC1507.jpeg 338FA69E-14E2-4CE9-9237-D0D374030D36.jpeg 78D825BB-4EEB-4CF7-96BB-67C88B2DA8C9.jpeg 58CDAF4D-B099-45CF-940F-1ADF20E6378A.jpeg 9099CAD8-AD1F-45CC-AEC2-0E871A8475AF.jpeg 1017B55C-C090-42D2-A9D2-08FFFD63F231.jpeg A877E814-EF76-4A5E-92DF-ABC1DCB98C8B.jpeg
Not seeing dino (thank goodness_ but possible early stage cyano. You can sure siphon the surfaces now and reduce white light intensity a little which is a food source for cyano. The first recourse is to identify what may be causing it.
Some of the most common causes include:
- Protein skimmer which fills water with tiny air bubbles. As bubbles form from the reaction chamber, dissolved organic compound molecules stick to them. Foam forms at the surface of the water and is then transferred to a collection cup, where it rests as skimmate. When the protein skimmer does not output the best efficiency or you do not have the suitable protein skimmer to cover the tank, the air bubbles created by the skimmer might be insufficient. And this insufficiency of air bubbles can trigger the cyano to thrive.
- Overstocking / overfeeding, your aquarium with nutrients is often the culprit of a cyano bloom
- Adding live rock that isn’t completely cured which acts like a breeding ground for red slime algae
- If you don’t change your water with enough frequency, you’ll soon have a brightly colored red slime algae bloom. Regular water changes dilute nutrients that feed cyanobacteria and keeps your tank beautifully clear
- Using a water source with nitrates or phosphates is like rolling out the welcome mat for cyano. Tap water is an example
- Inadequate water flow, or movement, is a leading cause of cyano blooms. Slow moving water combined with excess dissolved nutrients is a recipe for pervasive red slime algae development
 

Lavey29

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Numbers look good. I agree with Vettes assessment. Stay the course pretty much maybe increase flow slightly to the sandbed. Just some normal ugly phase during the first year. I would also add pods and dose phytoplankton daily. I also use PNS probio which is a natural heterotrophic bacteria that breaks down organic waste. I dose it once a week
 

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