Is this normal?

[nicky11]

So I've had my first SW tank going for about a month and a half now, it is a 60 gallon, with a wet/dry filter, coralife super skimmer....so far I have a Clownfish, Damsel, Blue Spotted Jawfish and a Clown Trigger (he'll be moved to a much larger tank soon) and I put in 3 kg of live rock and a bunch of dead rock to hopefully get it full of coraline algae. So in all this time the dead rock has started to get covered with brown algae, is this a normal process or should I do something about it??? I doesnt look bad in my opinion, but if it can cause damage to the fish in the long run then maybe it should be taken out. Also any ideas on how to get the coraline algae growing on the dead rock. Thanks a lot.

 

[Myteemouse]

Yes you should get a light coatin of brown algae (as long as it's not a thick blanket of it) they you'll get a bright green dusting of algae then your rock will take off with the darker colors and coraline..

 

[TheCanuck]

It is very normal. Your lucky your glass is not doing the same. Eventually if you keep good lighting and calcium levels, the rock will go purple

 

[nicky11]

Yes you should get a light coatin of brown algae (as long as it's not a thick blanket of it) they you'll get a bright green dusting of algae then your rock will take off with the darker colors and coraline..

excellent, yeah the brown algae is just a thin coat, and there is a small area of sand that gets it too, but every once in a while I just move it around....great, I was worrying it was a bad thing...thanks for the quick reply

 

[nicky11]

It is very normal. Your lucky your glass is not doing the same. Eventually if you keep good lighting and calcium levels, the rock will go purple

lol, my glass also gets some small spots from time to time, but im guessing those are spots where there isnt much waterflow from the powerheads...I hope it does go nice and purple, it would be great seeing as its my first try with saltwater...thanks for the reply

 

[FLESHY]

That is diatoms and it will never "go purple". Once your silicates are down in your water, it will die off, and that will leave open rock space for coraline to come in. That can take awhile on some kinds of rock though, especially just the store bought lava stuff for some reason.

 

[TheCanuck]

lol, my glass also gets some small spots from time to time, but im guessing those are spots where there isnt much waterflow from the powerheads...I hope it does go nice and purple, it would be great seeing as its my first try with saltwater...thanks for the reply

Buy purple up. Dose that and you should get purple on almost everything in the tank. Including pumps and power heads.

 

[nicky11]

That is diatoms and it will never "go purple". Once your silicates are down in your water, it will die off, and that will leave open rock space for coraline to come in. That can take awhile on some kinds of rock though, especially just the store bought lava stuff for some reason.

definately these diatoms will not go green, but as the tank is new in time the green algae should outcompete it right? and then little by little coralline should start growing I hope

 

[nicky11]

Buy purple up. Dose that and you should get purple on almost everything in the tank. Including pumps and power heads.

Good tip man, although I'm gonna have to wait until I know someone thats in the states and comes down here to Peru, the few saltwater equipment and stuff they have in fish stores here or are the cheap crap or outrageously overpriced

 

[FLESHY]

You take me around Iquitos, and Ill get you whatever supplements you want for your tank. I have some business down there, and the people that I need to contact dont like answering their phones.

That being said, the brown algae will usually go away all by itself when it runs out of silicates. You get silicates from new sand/rocks in your tank. Or from not washing either of the two well enough when first introduced.