There are several ways to do it.

1. use an algae killing chemical. I think most people on this forum would agree this is the worst method. Yes, it kills the algae, but it doesn't take care of the reason the algae exists in the first place.
2. reduce the amount of time your lights are on each day. Depending on what corals you have, this is probably the easiest thing to do.
3. reduce the amount of food you feed the fish. Of course you have to make sure the fish have enough to eat, but make sure it isn't too much.
4. more frequent water changes.
5. check your filter/protein skimmer to make sure they are working well enough for the size tank you have.
6. add a macro-algae like halimeda or caulerpa to out-compete the micro-algae. There are lots of problems with this solutions so you should research it first to make sure it fits your tank.

What the best solutions really come down to is reducing the bio-load. Waste builds up nutrients which the algae feed off of and in turn grow out of control. Find a way to reduce the bioload, or reduce the lighting and you pretty much have the trick.

Also, if it is a newer tank, this will just happen. Keep up on the water changes and it will go away.

That's pretty much it...can anyone else think of something I have forgotten?

 

Phosphates

What you are trying to reduce by the aforementioned excellent advice is reduce phosphates and nitrates, the food cyano consumes. Make sure you're using R/O water, and you might try as well a chemical phosphate remover. Tcamos is also correct in that you can get a spike in cyano when your tank first starts up, and it dies later as other organisms take up the slack. Your best course is to remove as much as you can on your weekly water change. I myself get a small amount that I remove with a fish net (along with the gravel it's attached to). I then thoroughly wash the gravel and return it to the tank. Don't let it get out of control or you'll have alot of work cut out for you!

A refugium with macroalgae (chaeto is my preference) helps alot too.

 

Sounds like diatoms to me, and it will go away on it's own. Buy some nassarius snails to stir your sand bed.

 

Two quick comments.
1. I really hadn't thought about washing the gravel and returning it to my tank. I suck it up and toss it. I like your idea much better.
2. Nassarius snails are awesome! They are like zombies rising from the ground whenever food is introduced into the tank. They don't actually eat the diatoms or algae but they do keep your sand bed turned over really well, are attractive, and have fun behavior all for a small cost. Not too many of them though as they eat food, not algae.

 

Vaccume your sand when you do a water change.

 

Diatoms. It is common and they will go away on their own. Diatoms thrive on silicates and as soon as the sponge population matures in your tank, they will outcompete the diatoms.

The way to reduce the length of duration:

Use high quality water, no tap, or well water. Only use RODI or Distilled in your tank for top off and mixup.

 

Thanks guys for all your suggestions. I think I will start making the following: Reduce the time that lights are on, reduce the amount of food (without starving the fish), use RO water, and I got a kind of sponge that goes on the filter that the guy from the store told me will absorb some of the phosphates and reduce the amount of brown algae. I hope all this will work in conjunction with my cleaning crew that they are doing a great job getting rid of the algae. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>

 

It is Diatoms. The only thing you need to do is wait. They will clear up in time. Diatoms feed off of Detritus (organic build up in the water). A good mechanical filter will trap most of the diatoms in the water column (brush the rocks and clean the glass). Clean it often (filter pad or whatever). A good protein skimmer will reduce the food source for diatoms by removing dissolved organic material.

 

i pretty much have the same problem with brown algae on my sand.how often and how much of a water change.thanx

 

To clarify... Diatoms use Silicates as part of their cellular casing and are photosynthetic and can uptake nutrients. But, when they are out competed for silicates, they will die off as they cannot sustain their reproduction and lifecycle.

To eliminate them, waiting it out is the key as sponges will soon out compete them for available silicates and they will go away.

 

Would adding some dry rock cause the problem ? I just added 10 lbs of rock to the 100lbs in my 90 gal and now I have the brown on the sand.

 

If you want a fish that will help keep your bottom clean you can get a goby. They turn over a lot of sand and are great to watch. Lots of personality.

 

Brown Uglies

I've been going now for almost a year. In that year I'm on my third tank, a 65 gallon custom. It kills me every tank i see is so beautiful and mine as much time, effort and money i put in looks like a trash bin. I'm almost ready to just quit. I'm just feeling that the work and stress are more than the enjoyment. Whether fish are acting up or some coral are not happy, I can't win. My inhabitants are worse than kids. But I do love them just the same. Anyhow, I just wish the ugly brown would go away. I thought RO would do it, so bought a unit and don't see any difference. Like suggested above, I got a goby (sleeper banded) and all he does is cloud the tank and dump sand all over everything. Corals hate him! Hermits walk all over and cause polyps to close. Flow is nearly impossible to get right. I either have a hurricane in their or sediment all over my coral. Please if anyone has some good words of confidence I could use them. I love the hobby but am at wits end. Thanks!

 

Sorry about your woes. It does take time to get everything dialed in. Sometimes we buy occupants that don't work out. Many people wind up with fish that are incompatible or corals that are too difficult to care for. You need to start nice and easy, then work your way up.

Is there anyone that lives near you that can see your tank in person and give you some solid advice? The forums are good for finding a cure here and there, but it sounds like you are just in over your head.

How have you found yourself on your 3rd tank in a year?

 

Thanks for the response and sorry for the hissy fit, lol. The day started out with me losing my first acropora frag and went down hill from there, mood wise anyway. It just bleached out completely over night after a water change. Was in there for only three days but didn't make it. Everything else is doing fine. I do have an acan that is small and will not fully open no matter what I do. Overall I am completely satisfied with my tank and it is only the nasty brown that grows on the sand that I hate. All in all this tank has only been going for about two months now. The reason for the three tanks is I started with a Fluval Edge 12 gallon, got bored. Moved everything to a 46 Bow Front and wanted a drilled overflow, so built a 65 gallon with custom overflow. That's where I'm at now. This hobby is extremely addicting and I'm never satisfied. My main parameters are all point on (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph 8.3-4) Calcium stays around 480 and phosphates are 0.25. Salinity I keep steady at 1.026 with a refractometer. That's all the test kits I have. I've got a whole series of videos on my build at the link below. Pt.3 shows my sump set up and Pt.5 is from last week. I moved the waving hand coral to the back as it was growing out of control and picked up a torch coral and clam this weekend. The girl I got them from through in the frag of Acropora that ended up dying. I'm pretty sure it was starting to bleach when I got it. Thanks for your feedback and let me know if I missed anything!

Oops!

Custom 65 Gallon Reef Tank Series

Thanks again!