Orange algae

[haigyfish]

Hey y’all I BELEIVE it’s diatoms and I will send a updated picture soon however my seahorse tank has been crisp clean for 2.5 months. Finally I’m running lights from 10+ hours a day to a previous 2-4 hours. I have baby dwarf seahorse fry and keep lights high to help them catch bbs which is already very hard to ensure in my 9 gallon even though there is great volume of bbs. I’ve begun to see dead coral Skelton and my dry rock turn parts of orange and can tell it’s getting a little worse. Any thoughts. Sand bed is clean, with no crew, just a spotted mandarin 9 dwarf seahorses and 1 bumble bee snail. I want to add a sand sifter starfish this week but am worried about the baby fry.
appreciate any thoughts

 

[blaxsun]

Would really need to see a picture under (mostly) white light.

 

[haigyfish]

Would really need to see a picture under (mostly) white light.

 

[blaxsun]

Almost certainly diatoms. They should green/brown, then eventually turn purple (coralline).

 

[haigyfish]

Almost certainly diatoms. They should green/brown, then eventually turn purple (coralline).

Is there anything I can do besides lowering lights

 

[blaxsun]

Is there anything I can do besides lowering lights

No, and you don't really want to. This is part of the natural "ugly" stage when the tank transitions. It will turn into lovely purple coralline before long!