Persistent brown... stuff

[jake865]

Hello everyone. Looking for some advice from the experienced!

This is my first reef tank, which I have had for 6/8 months or so. So forgive the descriptions and apparent lack of knowledge.
It has cycled correctly, and all the levels are ok as far as I can test. The fish and the corals in there are all OK, behaving and looking fine. But... I keep getting this brown kind of fluffy algae or something all over the rocks. It brushes off, so thats what I have been doing for a while but Its getting pretty irritating. It doesn't seem to be harming anything in there though.
I've been to my local shop where all of this set up is from, including the fish and the corals. He has not come across it and isn't sure.

Anyone got any ideas what it is and how to stop it?

Set up details:
140l inc sump.
12hr light cycle
Red sea reef mat & some bio ball filter media with small protein skimmer in sump.
Rocks is manufactured reef rock.
Live sand

Contents
2 clowns
2 fire fish
2 bangai cardinal
Blue cheek goby


Clean up crew
6 hermits
6 turbo snails
1 sand sifting star
1 cleaner shrimp

Parameters
Sal 1.029
Temp 26
Nitrate 2
Nitrite 0
Am 0
Alk 7.5
Phos: fractionally above 0

 

[lapin]

Have you tried to vacuum it out instead of brushing it off?

 

[jake865]

Have you tried to vacuum it out instead of brushing it off?

Hi, it sticks better than the syphon can suck if you get my meaning, the vast majority of it goes gown the overflow to the reef mat, and then I syphon the excess off the sand bed after when I do a water change. Do that more or less every week.

It grows back pretty much within a week. The video is from a 2 week between cleans because I was curious if it would burn itself out or become obvious as to what it is!

 

[lapin]

I don’t have any idea. Never had that sort of issue
Good luck

 

[jake865]

I don’t have any idea. Never had that sort of issue
Good luck

Haha ive heard that a lot!
Thanks!

 

[Fish Fan]

I can't view the video, could you post some clear pictures or repost the video to YouTube and then link that back here?

Can you take a turkey baster and blast it off the rocks, then try to siphon it out?

From your description and your parameters, I would think this might be dinoflagellate algae. What do you have for a clean up crew like snails, hermits, etc.?

 

[jake865]

I can't view the video, could you post some clear pictures or repost the video to YouTube and then link that back here?

Can you take a turkey baster and blast it off the rocks, then try to siphon it out?

From your description and your parameters, I would think this might be dinoflagellate algae. What do you have for a clean up crew like snails, hermits, etc.?

Oh, odd. First post so probably doing something wrong. Hopefully these should be ok and clear enough.

i have 6 hermits, 6 turbo snails, a sand sifting star, and a cleaner shrimp. I have a blue cheek goby as well if he counts but he just chucks sand over the corals like a hooligan. They don't really touch this stuff though. I added some extra ones to curb this but its quite a small tank and I don't want to over stock it and things die.

I've not tried a turkey baster but I would think thats probably enough force to get rid of it from the rocks. I do siphon what's loose after brushing it off though and it just comes back.