Algae issue

[KevinR840]

Hey everybody, I currently am living away from my tank and having someone take care of it for me. However, I do get to check up on it weekly, and since I've been checking up on it the algae problem has been getting worse and worse. The algae that I am having problems with is this brown and green film that grows on the sides of the tank. Also, I'm having issues with brownish red and brown algae(maybe diatoms?) growing on the sand.

some parameters:
KH: 10
PH: 8.3
PO4: .5ppm (problem?)
NO3: 10ppm

 

[AdeptMrSniffles]

If its a new tank then that's a common algae cycle. Just keep up with water changes and you'll be fine.

 

[Bifferwine]

Like Evan said, diatoms are normal. They won't hurt anything -- they are just ugly. You'll have to wait for them to run their course. Diatom outbreaks will become less and less frequent as your tank matures.

As for the film algae, you should think about getting more snails for the glass. And in the meantime, keep up with water changes.

 

[KevinR840]

I figured out the problem, the timer the lights were on has been tripped and was on for 2 weeks straight. I think this is the problem, and it's also a fairly new tank so that's also part of it. Anyway's thanks a bunch for the tips.:D