[whaler]

My tank has been running for about 10 days. For now I have one live rock seeding some base rock (will be adding more live rock). The live rock right now is covered in long, stringy algae. Is this a normal process for a new tank? I also have a sort of brown dust covering some of my sand and some base rock.

Hair algae on live rock:

Brown dust on sand and rock:

One of the nicest surprises has been this base rock; it is quickly getting coraline algae and I think there is even a coral of some type growing on it. This was dry, dead coral rock I bought at my local LFS (Rochester's Reef, Grand Haven) for $1.99/lb:

This is an overview shot of the tank and a closer shot showing the refugium:

 

[E-quality]

Yeah, that's normal for a new tank. Water changes and some cleaners will help it.

 

[Gillis]

Ask the fellow reefer 'sean' about hair algae.

I think he is an expert!!!

There are some water parameters that promote hair algea, I believe phosphates are one of them.

Hopefull he can chime in here.

Good Luck!

 

[JimmyTheJeweler]

Are you using RO/DI water? I started with city water on my first tank and the hair algie was crazy. Keep doing the water changes with ro/di and good luck.

 

[whaler]

I am using RO/DI water. Will do a water change tonight. Thanks.

 

[mameloot]

Never underestimate the need for RO/DI water!

When I set up my tank it was completely overrun with hair algea (after about 7 months) despite any treatments I tried. It ruined a lot of the live rock life.
I finally broke down and got a decent RO/DI water filter to take care of the phosphates. With the help of a large cleanup crew (hermits, turbo snails, emerald crabs) the hair algea was completely gone in less than a month, and hasn't been seen in my tank in over 6 months (except for a little on a wet/dry part of my filter, which I periodically harvest and give to the (now reduced) cleanup crew.

Though this took place a lot later in the cycle of my tank. Your reef is very young, so there will be lots of coming and going in your tank's environment. It looks like the hair algea is mainly on the only aged piece of LR in your tank. So if there was a high level of phosphate in the tank, and not much plant life... then BOOM... you've got the perfect setting for hair algea.

---------------------
RE: the brown dust. It's really hard to tell from the pictures.
It could be red slime, a bacteria that if it gets out of control can smother the live rock life.
I had a couple of outbursts of this when my tank was just starting. It's not hard to treat, and again, since the RO/DI I haven't had any problem with it.
Not sure that this is what it is. Mine was usually more visible on the glass, not the rock, but your rock is pretty white, so it may stand out more. If you start seeing it on the glass (looks like red/brown algea) Then you may want to ask your LFS about a treatment for red slime. Otherwise, it'll probably lessen as your tank matures.]

 

[sean]

The brown dust your seeing, just looks like brown algae to me, it usually occurs in everyones tank at the beginning of the cycle, it is usually gone in anywhere from 2 weeks to 2months, depending on water quality.

For the hair algae, the way that stuff grows it looks like hair algae, but it hard to tell from the pic, if it is either lite or dark green its definity hair but it doesnt really seem like it from the pic, all i see is a light brown color, and purplish color growing on it. Anyway if it is hair, this is something that normally occurs at the beginning of a cycle, theres probably something wrong if it is hair. I can give you a lot of advice that people gave me, and i learned from it. If it gets worse, but the water coming in your tank isnt always the case. I tested my r/o water before it was put in the tank, to see it the filter was letting it through, and it read zero, and it still grew like mad in my tank. But phosphates is from my experience the main nutrient hair feeds off of.

 

[johnnypal]

I dont see a skimmer in the whole tank picture. Are you running a skimmer on the tank?

 

[tikki50]

Oh the days of a nice new Maxi. Very strange that it only grew like that on the one piece of rock. Did you get that piece from somewhere else? I wouldn’t worry too much about the alage proper care and it will clean right up. You could introduce some snails and hermits that wouldn’t hurt. I didn’t see any in the photos. The red hair almost looks like cyno but its too stringy for that.

I use a HOT magnum for my clean up. I hook it up and take the tube off my shipon and stick it in the intake of the magnum and you get a shop vac for you tank. It will suck that stuff right up and off the rocks. Just make sure you have a micron filter running so you don't spread the alage. Its really the easiest way without doing larger water changes.

 

[Mike]

the brown algea is likely diatomic and is pretty common is a new tank. Its usually from organics in the water such as phospates and silica. it will likely go away on its own.

In the past we here at MR always try to impose the importance of good make up water so an RO/DI is a must have piece of equipment in my opinion.

A great skimmer such as a euro-reef is next when it comes to nutrient export.

after that activated carbon changed every two weeks is good (use small amounts change more often)

water changes on a weekly basis

dosing Kalk to precipitate the phosphastes is another indirect nutrient control mechanism.

good luck and welcome to the reefing world!

NEO

 

[whaler]

The rock with all the hair algae is the only piece of live rock that I put in, the rest is base rock. I do have a RO/DI filter and am doing a 10% change tonight. I'm trying to go skimmerless, but may have to rethink that. I do not have any cleanup crew in there yet, so I will look into starting that. Thanks for all the comments.

 

[MCsaxmaster]

The "hair algae": is it filamentous or slimy? Can you siphon it off the rock? It looks like a cyanobacterium to me. When most people say "hair algae" they are referring to a filamentous chlorophytic algae (of which there are thousands) and this is almost certainly not one of those. From the picture I can't tell quite what clade it's in, though it looks to be cyanobacteria to me.

Cheers,

-Chris

 

[RedWinger]

Man, you hair algae is scary looking.

My tank is approx 3 months old but my hair algae was a lot cuter.

A lawn mower blenny, 3 turbo snails, and occasionally pulling it out by hand took care of mine.

 

[PaintGuru]

Just because it is a new tank does not mean you should have hair algae.

 

[heavensent58]

My first month was horrible the green algae looked like carpetting on the ENTIRE back of my 55. I turned off the lights a bit sooner and and added some cleaners now all i have to worry about is the aptasia !!!! WOOHOO. Anyone have a CBB for me yet ?

todd