I have considered this... And even doing a complete blackout for 3-4 days in case this is an algae bloom.... I was told by mustafa to keep the lights at the regular 12 hours cycle, so that's what I am doing.hardware_failure wrote:I dont have much exp with brackish tanks yet (do have a bit with freshwater)
It looks like you have too many nutrients and lights on for too long.
Mustafa is right that you cant grow things on light alone, but it certainly appears that you have enuff biological... "stuff" in there for things to use and then take advantage of lights.
On the first page you mentioned changing the light cycle from 12 to 10 to even 8 hrs. Sometimes even this is too much. If your lights are too bright you get too much growth of everything, and if they are not bright enough leaving them on for longer is the worst thing you can do. Plants (and some macro algae) need a proper repository cycle with lights off. When you leave them on past 8 hrs (I have found that often even just 6 is better) you only help algae and other muck out compete plants and plant like (macro) algae. I know this is pretty common knowledge among aquarists, but sometimes we overthink things. Very little of that "gunk" is gonna grow if it cant get the energy (light) that it needs.
Since theres way more than enough for shrimp/snails to eat I say go on a limited-only-4-hrs-on cycle for a while and see what that does.
Like I said, the tank hasn't been fed since January, and before that, not much, really.... But.... Here we are.
Thing is, I never had this brown cloud in this tank.
This cloud was on my other tank, and was killing my livestock. I decided to transfer, very carefully my shrimp and snails to this tank in order to save them..... A couple of days later.... BAM! The same brown cloud that was in the other tank was now in this one. And growing rapidly.
I don't know what it is, and how to get rid of it. It's a beast. I had to completely get rid of the other tank and start from scratch. The other tank is now going through cycling, and I am trying to figure out how to save this one without transferring the livestock.... As I did it once and this thing was carried along. The last thing I want is to go through it again.... And again... And again...