whats this brown stuff?

[fishnplants]

i have this brown algae im assuming growing on my tank walls like crazy where im scraping almost every day( it is a month old or so tank) its now more prominant on my rock and a little on my coral, i also found this brown spot on my clown as well, im not sure if this is related. any help would be appreciated

 

[Cthulukelele]

Looks like diatoms. Is it dusty or more ztringy and mucousy? If mucousy maybe dinos. Dusty it's diatoms

 

[Cthulukelele]

It's very common for it to be diatoms in a tank of your age. It's essentially scavenging silicates from new rock, sand, and equipment

 

[vetteguy53081]

Its diatoms and while many call it normal and it somewhat is 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 end to 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.
Some cleaner crew to help control it are : Cerith snails, Nerite snails and Trochus snails and also Astraea snails are effective at removing diatoms.

 

[fishnplants]

@Cthulukelele im not to sure tbh my hermit crabs ate it up and thats all thats left is that layer on the rock. havent seen any stringy mucus more than just that stuff creeping on that top rock and on the glass. im thinking of reducing my light strength by half and reduce time on, is there anything else that i can do or use to help clear this stuff up?