I am now 8 - 10 weeks in and my cycle is complete...lost a couple clowns but now everything is settled down and I have 2 green chromis that eat like pigs and are very active and seemingly happy...water tests great, no ammonia or nitrites, nitrates run about 20 ppm...problem now is a brown/orange algae that is beginning to cover my rocks, shells and 3d foam background walls...when I used to keep tanks years ago I would remove all the rocks and dead corals, siphon the substrate and rub down the walls every month as part of my water changes so I would begin to see this coming, but then I would head it off...I would like to leave the rocks and shells I have in the tank now but my tank is quickly becoming orange/brown...
after some research I believe it is diatoms and I have read everything from
1.) I need to turn the light off for two weeks and do a 50% water change with RO water and/or using algae killing chemicals
to
2.) it is natural and the only thing I need to do is wait as they will run a course and die off on their own
my tank is a 54 gallon corner with a wet/dry filter...a Quiet One 2200 pump which pumps about 450 GPH at 4' of head although it isn't running wide open...
any thoughts on wether this a natural part of the process which will clear up on its own or if I have a significant problem? and if I do how best to deal with it will be greatly appreciated...
thanx,
Shep