Help ID-ing this algae

Uzair Aiman

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Hi guys my tank is around 2 months old. Ive got a pair of oscellaris, hammer coral and a frag of GSP in my tank.

Im not sure if these are diatoms or something else so I would like to ask to ID these and how to remove them? Some sort of brown algae just started popping up in my aquarium since maybe last 2 days.

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Sorry for the poor lighting. Ill try to give more photos if needed
 

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It’s diatom algae. I had it when I first set up my tank. While you have it, it will become a pain and very ugly as it covers EVERYTHING. However as the tank gets older it dies off naturally. If the presence of it is issue for you than astrea Snails will eat it.
 
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Uzair Aiman

Uzair Aiman

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It’s diatom algae. I had it when I first set up my tank. While you have it, it will become a pain and very ugly as it covers EVERYTHING. However as the tank gets older it dies off naturally. If the presence of it is issue for you than astrea Snails will eat it.
I've got one turbo snail in the tank. Its a 20 gallon display tank. Is there any media I can use to remove it? Such as Seachems Phosguard? Ive heard people use it to tackle diatoms. If I were to leave it, how long will it take for it to die off naturally?
 

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I've got one turbo snail in the tank. Its a 20 gallon display tank. Is there any media I can use to remove it? Such as Seachems Phosguard? Ive heard people use it to tackle diatoms. If I were to leave it, how long will it take for it to die off naturally?
I didn’t use any media cause that can mess all sorts of stuff up. Naturally it will die off in a few months and right before it does your whole tank will be covered. it basically kills itself by taking in all nutrients until there is none left and then it dies.
snails help make it look less ugly. Saltwater mollies also help, they tend to help with a lot of issues tbh.
up to you what you do tho.
 
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Uzair Aiman

Uzair Aiman

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I didn’t use any media cause that can mess all sorts of stuff up. Naturally it will die off in a few months and right before it does your whole tank will be covered. it basically kills itself by taking in all nutrients until there is none left and then it dies.
snails help make it look less ugly. Saltwater mollies also help, they tend to help with a lot of issues tbh.
up to you what you do tho.
I understand the fear of messing with the chemistry of the water by adding media to the aquarium. But! How does leaving the algae blooming til it "dies" off affect the aquarium while its there? Will it kill my fish when left untreated? Will it deplete oxygen? Will it affect corals?
 

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Normal maturing tank. Leave alone. It will be out competed. You are using RO water and not tap water, correct?
 

LAA

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Normal maturing tank. Leave alone. It will be out competed.
exactly. It will not harm your corals. It will not harm fish if anything your fish will benefit from it. And it will not effect oxygen levels. Just let it be. If you are worried get some more snails.
 
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Uzair Aiman

Uzair Aiman

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Normal maturing tank. Leave alone. It will be out competed. You are using RO water and not tap water, correct?
Yeap Im using RO water. I guess Ill just let it be seems everyone seems to emphasize on that
 
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Uzair Aiman

Uzair Aiman

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exactly. It will not harm your corals. It will not harm fish if anything your fish will benefit from it. And it will not effect oxygen levels. Just let it be. If you are worried get some more snails.
Alright then. will any snail do? what about hermit crabs? Is there any way I can "decrease" the intensity of this algae?
 

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Alright then. will any snail do? what about hermit crabs? Is there any way I can "decrease" the intensity of this algae?
Hermits will help if it starts growing In the sand. Nothing to make it less intense really, how much grows depends on each individual tank. Astrea snails are best at eating it And are cheap.
 
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Uzair Aiman

Uzair Aiman

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Hermits will help if it starts growing In the sand. Nothing to make it less intense really, how much grows depends on each individual tank. Astrea snails are best at eating it And are cheap.
Alright. Thanks a bunch!
 
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