brown algae take over

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redchick2

redchick2

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Jul 21, 2008
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348
Location
Central Texas
I have moved my fish to a hospital tank to be treated for ich, they are progressing nicely. In the main tank, I have a chocolate chip star, a brittle star, pepermint shimp, fire shrimp, a snail, and a couple of hermits, and an insane growth of brown algae. I'm giving the scavengers 1 cut up silverside a week till the fish are back. Any suggestions on dealing with the algae? It's really ugly. The snail eats it, but he can't handle the whaole tank. I see the crabs picking on it, but not really making an impact. Please help.. any suggestions appreciated.
 
How long has your tank been established? To my knowledge sounds like Diatoms...
 
When you say brown are you talking dusty or looking snot like (pardon my description) or hairy?
 
My memory is crap these days, but I think I converted the 10g to the 55 about 4 or 5 weeks ago. It should have started up with a pretty good bacteria base, as everything in the 10 went into the 55. Initially, there was a minimal amount of the "dusty" diatoms on the glass, then they started fading away. Now they are back and brought the "hair" type algae with them. The diatoms seem to prefer the back glass of the tank, but the dark brown hairy stuff is covering the cc/sand substrate. It is also on the rocks and seems to not mind sharing the rocks with longer greenish hair type algae. The coraline (sp?) algae is growing a little bit, but the green hair is even growing over it. There is also brown algae that is more branched in structure, but it is not as predominat as the other types. I don't see any slimey stuff. I added more light about three weeks ago, but am only leaving it on about 6 hours a day...
 
Can you post some pics of the algae. You have described 3 different algaes and each one feeds on excess nutrients. Have you tested for Phosphates and Nitrates? I'm going to guess that you have high nitrates and may or may not show phosphates on a test but are probably there.

When you move the contents from one tank to another you stir up a lot of nasty stuff and that leads to algae outbreaks. I'm dealing with the same thing right now in my newly upgraded 120. The best way to combat it is to do frequent PWCs using RO/DI water to mix your salt with. Post some pics if you can.
 
I'll get some pics tomorrow, but things are getting better..
Cut down light time to 4 hrs a day, but noticed tonight that there are hundreds of "lice" thingys on the glass and swimming about. They are eating the diatoms. The hair algae is a lot better also. Don't know if it is the little white things or less light. Wondering what's going to happen when the fish go back in......
 
Have a look at this page and see if you can find what you are seeing when the lights are out.

My guess is copepods and amphipods, both of which will come out more while the lights are out.
 
It's really hard to say, but I'm guessing isopods. They are out with the lights on, though. There are hundreds of them, but too small for me to say for sure. Some of them stick to the glass, but twice as many are swimming about, or being pushed in the current. They are tiny and only seeable as white specks. If they are isopods, will they be dangerous in such large quantaties? Will they diminish as they eat up all the algae? Are they even eating algae, or is the tank just stabalizing? Geesh... At least still a while to the fish get to go back in the main tank.
 
I'm going to say what you are seeing is copepods and maybe some isopods. If they are the isopods listed on the site I gave you they are fine to have in the tank. Fish will eat them.
 
algae and pods almost gone..

Found the ultimate cleaner. It is almost 4 inches to the peak of its shell and eats like an elephant... Still has a bit to go on the back glass, but works constantly.
 

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The lfs said it was a coraline snail, but that really sounds like a generic name to me. It is a WHOLE lot bigger than my turbo and the shell sits on its mantle differently. If turbos can get huge, maybe it really is just a big turbo. My turbo's shell points straight up, the big guys shell points to the right.
 
More specificaly it looks like a Chestnut Turbo Snai, but I have never owned any of that specie, so I might be off.
 
I'll have to look into that. This snail came with bunches of coraline algae growing on it's shell, so figure the "hunter" just gave it that name. That is what it was called when purchased by the lfs. My little turbo is 'bout 2 inches in size. I'll try to "encourage" them to get side by side and get a pic for comparison.
 
I agree with Scott it is probably a Turbo snail. They can get rather large and have a tendency to knock things over in the tank.
 
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