New tank blackout: dry rock turning brown

[neopode]

Hey all!

I'm biome cycling my new BB tank and my rock is turning brownish with what I assume is diatoms? I'm waiting for my last fish to finish quarantine and then I'm going to turn on the lights slowly increasing the intensity but my questions are: is this diatoms? Is this normal for a 'blackout'? Is sunlight reflecting into the tank causing a bloom/maybe making its way from the sump?

-Week 10
-Lights off
-Cardboard blocking the L/R sides (with small square holes for the MP10 pumps). L/R facing windows ~10FT away, Front facing a wall
-Chaeto Refugium running in bottom sump
-Seeded with Aquabiomics rubble and TSA established rock in sump; AF life mud dosed weekly
-seeded with copepods
-Low flow UV for parasites

 

[MoshJosh]

I can't answer all your questions. . . but love the scape!!!

 

[homer1475]

Could be diatoms, but it also looks like you have quite a bit of detritus on the bottom of the tank and PH. Might also be that. Either way just take a turkey baster and blow it off.

White, dry rock, you'll have all kinds of stuff growing on it before long.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Have to say, the aquascape does look very nice!!!

 

[RedoubtReef]

If this is a new tank, you just have to go through the natural ugly phase. It's just going to happen. Add snails, crabs, and urchins to deal with the algae that will grow.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hey all!

I'm biome cycling my new BB tank and my rock is turning brownish with what I assume is diatoms? I'm waiting for my last fish to finish quarantine and then I'm going to turn on the lights slowly increasing the intensity but my questions are: is this diatoms? Is this normal for a 'blackout'? Is sunlight reflecting into the tank causing a bloom/maybe making its way from the sump?

-Week 10
-Lights off
-Cardboard blocking the L/R sides (with small square holes for the MP10 pumps). L/R facing windows ~10FT away, Front facing a wall
-Chaeto Refugium running in bottom sump
-Seeded with Aquabiomics rubble and TSA established rock in sump; AF life mud dosed weekly
-seeded with copepods
-Low flow UV for parasites

No worries- these are diatoms which 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.