Brown algae problem!

Turbo snails make short work of alot of algae. However you may wish to address the source of you problem which i would sugest would be you tap water, you could use a filter known as a RO (reverse osmosis) filter to treat your tapwater prior to putting it into the tank

how long has it been up and running

RO/DI is the best way, yes, but not the only way and they are very expensive! I use something called PRIME which is a liquified agent which takes out all the silicates ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, etc... out of the water. This stuff is cheap, and works great, and 1 drop cures 2 liters. Get some of this and if it dosn't work then something else is probebly needed. GOOD LUCK

I had the same problem in my tank. It was showing up on some live rock, and back wall, but mainly on the substrate. The best thing that worked for me was to limit the amount of time the light is on in the tank. I only turn it on for about 5 hours a day at the most. I used to leave it on during the day while I was at work, but no one sees it anyway. Also over feeding could cause it, and direct sun light too.

kobeSumo said:

I've heard about R/O units, but I am at loss to figure out what size and brand I should get.

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Do a search on ebay for ro/di. You will find some good units there at great prices. I was using tap water for about the past 9 months or so and I just recently bought a ro/di unit off of ebay. It should be here within the next 3 days. I have heard that other than a skimmer and live rock these are one of the best investments you can have. I paid $130 for a 6 stage, 125g per day ro/di unit with extra filters. That includes the shipping and handling too. You might want to check one of these out.

Bradd

there is an easier solution, which can be more hnady aswell. Get rain water tank, or no someone who has one. i have i person i know who has one, i take 2 buckets every 2 weeks, for top ups and use natural sea water for water changes. all you have to do is aeriate it for 1 hour before you use it and it removes the chlorine is there is any. i have had no problems with this and is also cheaper.

That is an option, but depending on where you live there could be chemicals in the rain water from an industrial area or chemical plants nearby. I would feel much better using a ro/di unit or getting the ro/di water from a grocery store.

Bradd