# Strange algae color



## Burns412 (Apr 1, 2013)

Any ideas why my algae is not green?


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## Nave (May 28, 2013)

Looks like diatoms to me. Is your tank newly set up (less then a year)?


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## Burns412 (Apr 1, 2013)

Nave said:


> Looks like diatoms to me. Is your tank newly set up (less then a year)?


Yes it's less than a year old its been cycled for about a month. It seems like it started when I started using Marineland LED Double Bright Aquarium Lighting System. Are diatoms harmful?


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## pineappleswordies (Apr 13, 2013)

They aren't harmful, just annoying. I just started having this problem too. Some people say if you leave it alone they will exhaust all of the resources they are using to grow and die out. I think it looks ugly and recently took out the top layer of my gravel and all my plants and washed them off in a bucket. Its starting to come back.... I have also started doing a water change everyday to keep the nitrates down cause I saw somewhere this is what helps it grow. Also, it is pretty easy to wipe off but if you do, take out the rock and rinse it off somewhere else. Otherwise, you are just re-releasing it into the water


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## Burns412 (Apr 1, 2013)

Okay as long as its not harmful. Is that type of algae called diatoms?


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## SantaMonicaHelp (Sep 29, 2012)

How's your tank now? Have you tried to cut down light hours?


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Definately diatoms.They should have ate themselves out of house and home by now.They usaully deplete their nutrient supply(silica) an die.


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