Brown diatom algae cure??
 

Hello all . I was at the pet store today and I was asking about a cure for brown diatom algae (which is turnning into a slime algae). they told me to use this stuff called Erythromycin has anyone else use this stuff before and if so what was your results . They say it is reef safe But before I use it I would like to hear from all the reef geeks out there :lol: The bottom ofour tank is turnning brown really fast and i am starting to get concern about it . Thank you for your imput folks :D

Andy, it will kill cyanobacteria and other good bacteria in the tank. It won't fix what is causing the problem and the cyano will be back in a week or so. It also won't kill diatoms. If you do a search on RC, you'll find thousands of threads on how to deal with this problem.

Brown algae, and red slime are just a function of a new tank. Both will go away when conditions for their prolification no longer exist. You can sit and worry, or wait. Conches like to eat it, and if you really can't wait or get a conch, there is a product called Chemiclean that works very well on slime algae, and is reef safe. I have used it, and have never had adverse effects.

If your tank is a new setup-not to worry, as brown diatoms are part of your cycle. I would stay away from any antibiotics in a reef tank :!: Instead use bottom cleaners such as hermits, a few types of snails, cowries, and conches will clean up the stuff naturally :D A bottom dwelling fish such as a goby for example are also good, as they stir up and clean your live sandbed.

Goodluck and Happy Reefing
cheers, Rich

Thank you
 

Thank you for your replys I will check out RC And leave the stuff alone for now . I do have a sandsifting star fish.he does move the sand around abit . thanks again for the imput guys :D

One really bad thing about using antibiotics is that you will end up with resistant strains of algae. Make sure your water is filtered as diatoms live off of silicates, and give it a bit of time.

I just picked up the Sprung book on algae and I tell you there is alot of good information. Does your brown diatom slime have bubbles? if so you may have another problem all together. If you don't have the Sprung book I highly recommend it, J&L sells it for a song.

Yes my brown algae does have bubbles quite a few of them . They break away and raise to the surface all the time . some are large and some small .

Like I said to your wife in PM it sounds like dinoflagellates, the sprung book says let it run its course, try to limit nutrients including silicates. Hope it works out well for you, btw, I am battling a Ick problem in my tank so at least you are not alone in the struggles.

If it's any comfort, I'm having the same problem now :cry: After the bubbles appear, the sand bead starts to turn black, and hair algae and slim algae seem to grow. My brittle star has helped keep it under control and I think the better water circulation has helped also. I agree with the others, and am going to get some more hermit crabs and sand sifters.
BTW, has anyone ever had bumble bee snails.? I saw them on JL's website...they look neat, and seem to be good sand cleaners.

Michael

[quote="Michael_newbie"]I have about 8 of them. They are scavengers and aren't algae eaters. Often I see them come out of the rocks to feast on a dead snail.