# Algae?



## jellis (Aug 7, 2013)

Hello all, Its been a while since I've been on the forums, but I have a question......does anyone know what this is? Algae? Why does it look like rust? I have scraped it off every time I do a water change, but always comes back. The aquarium lights (LED) are only on a couple of hours a day, but I keep a small blue light on at night.

This particular tank is a 20 gallon with 6 Demonsoni. However I have a 55 gallon with Labs, Rustys and Acei's that doesn't seem to get the same growth in it.


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## oyster dog (Jul 2, 2013)

Those are diatoms, and they are typically the first algae to colonize an aquarium. They are harmless.


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## jellis (Aug 7, 2013)

Great, thanks Oyster....so, should I just let it grow or what?


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## oyster dog (Jul 2, 2013)

I would let it grow. Typically, as the tank matures, the diatoms will be replaced by green algae that your cichlids can graze on.


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## jellis (Aug 7, 2013)

Okay, thanks so much for the info!


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