brown fungus/mold

Question
I acquired my live rock in october, cured it, and waited for the ammonia and nitrates to end at zero. They are still at zero. My salinity is a constant 1.0235 (i keep trying to lower it, it won't go down). I have a turbo snail along with a different one that I cannot locate the name, a coral banded shrimp, a brittle star, and a blue mandarin. My animals are doing well, and my shrimp and star are taking food by hand. However, I have a dirty moldy look accumulating on my glass. I keep scrubbing it off, but it is winning. I have a 20 gallon tank, and am at a loss. The temperature is a constant 72 as well. The water looks clean, and I do change the filter. Is is only the glass mold I have an issue with right now.

Answer
hello laurlee,

It is normal to have alage growth onthe glass, rocks, sand, plumbing, and equipment...

nothing will ever make it go away.. although after some time, it does get better... but, you should expect to clean the glass every 2-3 days if you want the sparkling crystal clear look that you miight see in aquariums and public displays...

but, on those systems, they dont tell or show yo uthe maintenance that was performed prior to your visits...

I would check for phospates and silicates if you can... the source of those elements are usually from unfilttered tap water that is used for mixing saltwater or for replacing water that evaporated...

to get the salinity to drop, take out some tank water and replace with filtered ro/di water... start with one gallon at a time, then when you get close to where you want it, then replace smaller quantity of water...

Once you get the correct salinity, make a mark on the tank or sump, where the correct water level is, then only add fresh water daily to replace the water that evaporated...

only use saltwater when doing 'water changes'...

your temperature is a bit on the  low side btw... although it isnt 'bad' or harmful, it is on the low end of the scale... my tanks run between 78-81 throughout the year...