Brown Algae......bad, good, can I get rid of it?

[TXFish]

Hi All....

My 20 gall has been up & running for just over 2 months now. All of the fish are doing great. I've noticed over the last couple of weeks that brown algae is coming up on the gravel, the silk plants, and the decorations. It's not severe.....but it's definitely not attractive, either.

I do weekly water changes of 50-70% and I check my nitrate levels weekly before the [acronym:15706e92f6="Partial water change"]pwc[/acronym:15706e92f6]--never seen them over 5 [acronym:15706e92f6="Parts per Million"]ppm[/acronym:15706e92f6].

I've read all sorts of varying things about the causes--including phosphate levels. Also heard it would go away on its own........

I'm guessing chemicals wouldn't be a good idea....but what can I do, if anything? Does it really disappear on its own, & if so, how long does that take?

My tank is stocked with:

1 Dwarf Gourami
5 Platies
1 Swordtail
8 Lemon Tetras

Would really appreciate some input on this......I love my tank but I'm a little discouraged with the not-so-attractive brown algae.

Thanks!

[Fishyfanatic]

If I recall correctly, phosphates should not be an indicator of brown algae. Green algae, yes, but not brown. It will go away on its own. In the meantime, just wipe it off. It won't harm your fish. The brown algae is a common occurence in new tanks.

[Bhunsucker]

I also have a tank that has been up and running for about 2 months and I'm having trouble with brown algae also. The tank in not in direct sunlight but it does get alot of outside light could this cause it? I'm tired of looking at the brown stuff. I've got another tank that has been up for about 8 months and I've not had this problem with it.

[Devilishturtles]

Is the algae slimy at all? Or does it look like dust, and come off easily with a finger?

You could be dealing with diatoms, or brown algae. Two different algaes, and two different treatments to get rid of it

[Bhunsucker]

Mine is Slimy. You have to scrub it off of the side of the tank and I soak the tank decorations in a 10% bleach solution about once ever few weeks to clean it off.

[Devilishturtles]

When you scrub it, does it come off in sheets? Is it thick? Any bubbles in it?

[Simpte]

Lighting? Filtration? Phosphates do not cause algae, despite what many people say. I have tested this theory time and time again. Diatoms can occur when lighting is insufficient or poor waterflow in the tank. I don't know of any other brown algae in freshwater aquariums.

[Bhunsucker]

Its thick and sort of comes off in sheets.

I've got a 29gal with a AquaClear 300 and 2 36in 40watts total.

[QTOFFER]

Brown algae is diatoms. It's normal, although annoying in a mature, low light tank. It looks absolutely terrible, but it comes off so easily with a simple rinse or gentle wipe. Increasing the light intensity helps reduce it, as does adding live plants, which probably soak up trace nutrients that would otherwise feed the diatoms. I haven't tried this myself, but I've read that a piece of live bamboo with about an inch sticking in the water will absorb the silicates that brown diatoms need to thrive.

[Emayex]

hi, this is my first forum post and i've only been keeping fish for a couple of years but i have been reading up about keeping them a lot.
I just want to offer some possibilities to what the problem might be.
One thing i've read is overcompensating on the water changes ie: trying to keep the water clean and fresh will only feed the algae with more nutrients. You shouldn't need to change more than 30% of the water if you're doing it weekly.
As far as resolving the problem, one way to treat algae is to introduce something to outcompete it. Something that lives on the same nutrients leaving the algae with nothing to feed off. Moss balls are good for this, easy to introduce and no maintenance. Or live plants.
If it's diatoms, then the causes are either insufficient light, oxygen deficiency or excess nitrate.
My first tank was a tiny 20 ltr one which i basically left to rot when i upgraded. The plants where covered with thick gluey algae, it was pretty gross. I hoovered up most of it and change 75% of the water and put in 4 shrimp. They loved it and cleaned the whole thing in a matter days. if the fish won't eat them, I highly recomend getting some.