Newbie Algy Question

[4lti7ude]

Originally Posted by smallfish

Hey folks im fairly new to saltwater tanks, i've been running just under a year now and my sand is started to turn brown. I thought it was over feeding but i've changed my feeding cycle to every second day, but it dosen't seem to help. My tank is 46 gal. with 20 gal. sump. 2 chromis,1 manderin,1yellow tang,2 clowns, 1 sand siffting gobbie,cleaner shrimp and lots of lps.

Sounds to me like you need more sand sifters.
Most things that grow algae are from lack of water flow or movement.
Maybe one more sand sifting goby or something will help. (Avoid Sand Sifting sea star)

Another thing that could help is changing up your light cycle.
Before when I was running a bit to long of lights above my sand bed the sand started developing the brown algae also. A powerhead can also help with the algae problem if its directed towards the sand bed a bit.

If you dont want another goby, id highly suggest upgrading your cleaner pack if you have some extra algae.
Just slowly keep building up your cleaner crew in your tank, as the algae levels become controlled. The cleaners will also clean your rock also which is a big + compared to just the goby.