Help on algae problems

[xsirrusx]

i just started a 20 gallon reef tank two weeks ago. i have 20 pounds of live rock, bio substrate(1pound per gallon), 4 snails and 6 hermits. for filtration i am running a protein skimmer big enough for a hundred gallon tank. I have been running a 50/50 compact for three days at 8 hours a day and there is already a large amount of brown algae growing on my live rock. so far i have done two 50% water changes since the rock is in. how can i stop this growth on the rocks before it destroys them?!

 

[ereefic1]

That's just a natural algea bloom that you get with a new tank. I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[k_thomas]

Sounds like diatoms. This will probably stabilize after a few months. One thing you could do is use distilled water for your water changes. It is probably not worth buying a RO/DI unit for the amount of water you need to keep up a 20 gallon tank.