What is this brown crap?

vanmo92 · 08/25/2006, 06:39 PM

My tank is new and i think its normal but i wanted to make sure. There is brownish orange stugg covering the sand and some of the rocks. I think that these are like diatoms or something but I'm not sure. My new tank is a 72 gallon tank with a 20 gallon sump.

mg426 · 08/25/2006, 07:00 PM

Hard to say without a Pic, but if I had to geuss that would be it.

boomsticks · 08/25/2006, 07:12 PM

either diatoms or cyano

KDodds · 08/25/2006, 07:27 PM

New tank = diatoms. Enjoy them while they last, I'm sure you'll lament their departure when they dissipate on their own.

vanmo92 · 08/25/2006, 07:49 PM

so they wil go away by them selves, should i do some waterchanges to speed it up?

KDodds · 08/25/2006, 08:07 PM

Depends, not if your water contains silicates, that'll just keep them around longer.

outy · 08/25/2006, 08:38 PM

the reason you have diatoms is because there is no benificial bacteria on the substrate, the fastest thing that can grow will and thats diatoms.

xtrstangx · 08/25/2006, 09:29 PM

Diatoms.. they are part of a new tank, just a phase in the maturation process. They'll go away on their own, just keep up the water changes according to a good schedule (10%/week is a good starting point)

Marinemom · 08/25/2006, 09:36 PM

Diatoms is part of the natural process of a new tank and it will go away on its own. It is a sign that your tank is healthy and doing exactly what it is supposed to do. Eventually it goes away and there will be other stages that are normal for a new tank, but in a time span of about six months to a year your tank will settle down and it will be truly amazing.

Marinemom

08/25/2006, 06:39 PM	#1
vanmo92 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Silverthorne, CO. Posts: 2,045	What is this brown crap? My tank is new and i think its normal but i wanted to make sure. There is brownish orange stugg covering the sand and some of the rocks. I think that these are like diatoms or something but I'm not sure. My new tank is a 72 gallon tank with a 20 gallon sump. __________________ PBITAWA Current Tank Info: 72 gallon bow Mixed Reef 1 fw tank

08/25/2006, 07:00 PM	#2
mg426 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: maryland Posts: 6,923	Hard to say without a Pic, but if I had to geuss that would be it. __________________ I found a way to make a small fortune running a reef tank. Start with a large fortune. Unofficial President of the SEACLONE haters club Current Tank Info: 125 mixed reef 110 lbs LR, 1x250watt XM 20K MH 2x175watt XM 20K MH on Magetics 2X96 watt actinic PC, 220 watt VHO actinic, 30 gallon refugium, closed loop system powered by Sequence Dart MSX 200 skimmer 38 gallon sump, Oceansmotions squirt

08/25/2006, 07:12 PM	#3
boomsticks Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Good ol NH Posts: 547	either diatoms or cyano __________________ Don't take life too seriously, nobody gets out alive anyway. Current Tank Info: 55 gal reef, 24 cube

08/25/2006, 07:27 PM	#4
KDodds Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Suffern, NY Posts: 2,731	New tank = diatoms. Enjoy them while they last, I'm sure you'll lament their departure when they dissipate on their own. __________________ The sum of my knowledge is great, the sum of my ignorance greater still Kieron Dodds Administrator Inside Aquatics Current Tank Info: 450 Reef/180 FOWLR/125 ARLC/40 Seahorse/12 Planted/12 Planted

08/25/2006, 07:49 PM	#5
vanmo92 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Silverthorne, CO. Posts: 2,045	so they wil go away by them selves, should i do some waterchanges to speed it up? __________________ PBITAWA Current Tank Info: 72 gallon bow Mixed Reef 1 fw tank

08/25/2006, 08:07 PM	#6
KDodds Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Suffern, NY Posts: 2,731	Depends, not if your water contains silicates, that'll just keep them around longer. __________________ The sum of my knowledge is great, the sum of my ignorance greater still Kieron Dodds Administrator Inside Aquatics Current Tank Info: 450 Reef/180 FOWLR/125 ARLC/40 Seahorse/12 Planted/12 Planted

08/25/2006, 08:38 PM	#7
outy Moved On Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: auburn CA Posts: 4,021	the reason you have diatoms is because there is no benificial bacteria on the substrate, the fastest thing that can grow will and thats diatoms.

08/25/2006, 09:29 PM	#8
xtrstangx Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Shawnee, Kansas Posts: 4,568	Diatoms.. they are part of a new tank, just a phase in the maturation process. They'll go away on their own, just keep up the water changes according to a good schedule (10%/week is a good starting point)

08/25/2006, 09:36 PM	#9
Marinemom Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 534	Diatoms is part of the natural process of a new tank and it will go away on its own. It is a sign that your tank is healthy and doing exactly what it is supposed to do. Eventually it goes away and there will be other stages that are normal for a new tank, but in a time span of about six months to a year your tank will settle down and it will be truly amazing. Marinemom