What is this taking over my tank?

[Pleco]

At first i thought that it was dye from the tetra color flakes that i gave the fish, then i realized that its spawning around the tank and now i see small dots on the glass. Is this something to be worried about? I was able to easily get some off with my net so its not stuck or hard to remove like algae. The only thing i can think of that i did in the past is dig around in my substrate when i was messing with a bubble bar that i took out now.

The tank is going on 5 months old, it might be a bit older but well i have a hard enough time remembering last week I'm obviously not planted

Any help would be appreciated

-Pleco

 

[QTOFFER]

Brown algae; aka diatoms.
Nothing to worry about - it's a normal development in a properly ageing aquarium.

It feeds off dissolved silicates from the substrate. When they are exhausted (could take months), it will go away. In the meantime, it can be removed by wiping or rinsing in flowing water.

 

[hc8719]

the brown stuff? diatom like algae? im not sure what your pointing to.

i have that same cave though

 

[JohnPaul]

Or, if you have a lot of it and you don't want to just wait for it to go away, pick up a couple otos (oto catfish), they love the stuff.

 

[Pleco]

While i would LOVE to a otto or two, i think im on the fringe of being overstocked (i think)

40 Gallon
8 Beacon Tetras
8 Neon Tetras
2 Dwarf Blue Rainbows
1 Australian Rainbow
1 Mystery Snail
1 Golden Nugget Pleco
12 Red Cherry Shrimp (some may have been eaten and i didnt realize it)

 

[shayfish]

Do your tetras nip at your snail?

 

[Pleco]

Do your tetras nip at your snail?

The neons dont, the beacon tetras try to nip at the shrimp at times.

 

[hc8719]

Do your tetras nip at your snail?

most tetras are nippers like they they are, most fish ignore snails, except for chomides and loaches. (although half of the people here have no idea what a chromide is)

 

[Pleco]

Is the light making the diatoms/brown algae come out? i have less than 1w per gallon, the lights run for 6 hours a day (more on weekends) and are in the line of no direct sunlight and minimal indirect light.

So this will just go away over time? it was funny, everything was smooth then poof this stuff appears

Ill also try to feed the fish less as i know that feeds some algae. I usually do as much as they can eat in 1 min, but today got way out of hand and needless to say she isnt gonna feed the fish anymore And i cant vacuum the gravel for fear of sucking up a shrimp that i cant see since they are still tiny...

Ill break out the mag safe and clean off the glass tomorrow

-Pleco

 

[toddnbecka]

Diatom's don't require light to grow, the best way to eliminate them is a bristlenose pleco.

 

[Burks]

One or two Otos would not cause a huge problem in the tank. They would produce less waste than a pleco would.

Just be sure to drip acclimate them. Doing the "floating bag" thing never worked well for me with Otos. Two of them cleaned out two of my tanks in a matter of days. They are worth it.

 

[Pleco]

One or two Otos would not cause a huge problem in the tank. They would produce less waste than a pleco would.

Just be sure to drip acclimate them. Doing the "floating bag" thing never worked well for me with Otos. Two of them cleaned out two of my tanks in a matter of days. They are worth it.

So given my stock above you think i can support 2 ottos? I am going to the fish store tomorrow maybe ill take a look around then

-Pleco

 

[Devilishturtles]

All of my fish pick at snails. Angels, Silver Dollars, Loaches, Black tetras. Mean lil things.

Diatoms are common. IMHO, you'd be best served just being patient and letting them go away on their own (which they will), instead of buying fish to fix the problem. Otos are really very sensitive and don't have the best survival rate.