Brown Algae coming off of sand like a carpet

[AndyB4784]

My Brown algae is coming off of my sand like a carpet being pulled up. Should i remove or let my skimmer take care of this?

 

[sailfin]

I'd remove what I could and then try and figure out what is causing it. Is the set up new? If so then maybe you're just cycling. Please check your water parameters and post them here. Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, pH.

 

[Chris]

Its Cyanobacteria, check phosphate levels.

 

[tangboy]

Remove it. If some floats around in your tank after you vac it. use a net and play in the water awhile. Have fun. I have not had much of a problem with brown algae since I added a fighting conch and phosguard.

 

[AndyB4784]

thanks, the tank is only like a week old it's my first, LFS said that this is a normal part of the cycle and that next i'll have green algae. i'm doing frquent water changes with water from the store RO/DI, like 5g every 3 days only animals in the tank are snails and a huge bristle worm that the LFS said should be fine as it dosn't appear to be a fireworm.

thanks again for all the help

 

[bkv1997]

Check your phosphate levels.... a slight brown film is normal but a thick carpet type algea you can peel up isn't....

I would also do weekly waterchanges... if you can make sure the RO/DI you are buying has a low TDS. The store could have a bad filter and you are getting bad water.

Just some things to check into.
Brandon

 

[d.french]

got a tongan fighting conch and a queen conch that do wonders on a sand bed as far as moving and cleaning sand but i also have a sand sifting starfish and two sand sifting cucumbers so my sand is very clean. Had a little problem not much of one though with brown diatom algae but not anymore conchs are worth it.

 

[Chris]

Queen conchs get to be over a foot long. Just a warning.

 

[d.french]

they do but not usually in home aquariums from what i read and if it does get bigger than i would like it to be the lps pretty cool about trading livestock. plus i spend alot of money there so they don't have problems hooking me up. thanks for info though.

 

[margaritaville]

Queen conchs get to be over a foot long. Just a warning.

Arn't they also a protected species? Where did you get one?

 

[d.french]

don't know but they sell them at saltwaterfish.com, thatpetplace.com, liveaquaria.com. they sell them everywhere, you are talking about queen conch right.