They’re on almost all day, from around 9 am to 10pmHow long are your lights on? You don't have a very serious problem...yet
Way too much lights on time. I'd reduce it to ~8hrs/day. That little bit of algae or could be diatoms will probably wipe right off.
Looks like diatoms to me. Is this a newly set up tank? If so, it will hopefully run its course and be gone in a little bit. Are you using tap or RO water? If you're using tap, it might be worth testing your water for silicates.
I got myself a silicate test kit made by Seachem. I water change using tap water. Tested my tap water and found I had 7.8 ppm silicates. Those high numbers resulted in cronic amounts of diatoms, and NEVER would've resolved on it's own. I now pretreat my water with Phosgard using a canister filter and 55 gallon heavy duty totes I got from Home Depot. Haven't had diatoms since.
I just noticed you're in S.C. I live in Murrells Inlet, SC. We are a good distance apart but may share similar water qualities.
I’ll have to look into a timer then!I agree with FF, 8 hours of light max. You can also split the time lights are on, so when you're around they're on. Maybe a couple hours in am, then most in the evening.
It's also good to have the lights turn off 30-60 minutes before the room lights go off. It gives the fish a chance to ramp down before being in pitch dark. An inexpensive timer can be an easy way to achieve that without having to plan too much. I use them on all tanks, they cost $5 or 6. It saves on power bills too, although I have solar electric panels