Anything else to be done about brown diatom algae?

[rebe]

(I can't attach images until later when I'm home.)
I have a lot of brown diatom algae sitting on my sand substrate and other horizontal surfaces like leaves and stones. I detest the stuff, it's a complete eye-sore! I remove all that I can see during my weekly 50-70% water change, and my water parameters are always perfect (0 ammonia, 0 nitrite and 10 nitrates, my tap water level). I avoid over feeding or leaving uneaten food in the tank.
During the week if I notice any on my plants I'll use one of those aquarium turkey basters and gently blow it off of the leaves. My hitchhiker ramshorn snails usually ignore it on the substrate and spend their time on the wood, plants and glass.

I add a small dose of Seachem Flourish comprehensive twice a week, and my lights are on the timer for 7 hours.
My lights are the Retrofit Day & Night (LED, 6500k (kelvin rating),14W). When the aquarium lights are off, there's still a fair amount of ambient light in the room during the day. Nothing crazy, just a standing lamp in my room and light from the window. (My tank is not near the window or in direct sunlight.)

Unless I'm missing something, could this algae just be showing up because it's a new planted tank? High silicates from the fresh substrate etc?
Do I just need to wait it out, or is there something else I could be doing?
Maybe I should make curtains for the tank (ambient light)
Thanks!

 

[Colin_T]

We need to see the pictures to confirm the type of algae then we can comment. So when you have a free moment, take a few and upload them here.

 

[Wills]

If it is a newly set up tank it will probably be caused by the silicates in the substrate, but also any new equipment can provide a source for them too. I've had 2 tanks go through this recently and it sucks! But it does burn itself out, one tank I scrubbed and scrubbed and it stopped the other I just left and it stopped, quick clean out and looks like I should be ok now but not 100%...

Anecdotally I've used the same substrates I've used now in another tank and that has Seachem Purigen in it and I didnt get the diatoms so I wonder if that could be a solution?

Wills

 

[rebe]

We need to see the pictures to confirm the type of algae then we can comment. So when you have a free moment, take a few and upload them here.

I've just taken some pictures now. I think it's been just over a week since I've removed the algae, so I'll probably do a thorough "vacuuming" ideally today but maybe tomorrow.
It's not a film, it's more like brown dust. I've always thought that it was diatom algae but maybe not?

 

[rebe]

If it is a newly set up tank it will probably be caused by the silicates in the substrate, but also any new equipment can provide a source for them too. I've had 2 tanks go through this recently and it sucks! But it does burn itself out, one tank I scrubbed and scrubbed and it stopped the other I just left and it stopped, quick clean out and looks like I should be ok now but not 100%...

Anecdotally I've used the same substrates I've used now in another tank and that has Seachem Purigen in it and I didnt get the diatoms so I wonder if that could be a solution?

Wills

Yes, the tank is still new. Brand new substrate, equipment ect
It was set up on August 11th, so it's 61 days old to be exact

 

[Colin_T]

The Cryptocorynes up the front of the tank, do they have a dark green film on them?
If yes, that is blue green algae (Cyanobacter bacteria)

The brown stuff looks like something gross that is often left in the bathroom. It could be blue green algae too. If it grows back really fast (within a coule of days) it's probably blue green. When the tank settles down it should go but not always. In stubborn cases you need a chemical like the one below.

Amazon.com

 

[rebe]

The Cryptocorynes up the front of the tank, do they have a dark green film on them?
If yes, that is blue green algae (Cyanobacter bacteria)

The brown stuff looks like something gross that is often left in the bathroom. It could be blue green algae too. If it grows back really fast (within a coule of days) it's probably blue green. When the tank settles down it should go but not always. In stubborn cases you need a chemical like the one below.

Amazon.com

I don't think so, but without much experience I can't be sure. When I google "blue green algae aquarium", it looks nothing like what I've got in my tank.
While it looks like it, I don't think it is fish poop. I only have 14 young hengeli rasboras in this 105L

 

[MattW]

I wonder if that brown stuff is from the wood? I used to get loads of it in my old tank. It was not a very nice sight but it was teaming with mini-organisms. I had about a half-inch layer in dead spots where there was no water flow. Kinda hard to see but it was bottom right underneath that broad-leaf plant

 

[Byron]

I think the brown on the substrate is organic mulm.

 

[rebe]

Thank you @Byron and @MattW3344 , it looks like it is your suggestion of mulm. On google images, it looks far more like mulm than brown algae. Thank you guys!