Brown Spots on tank silicone

[splatsplatsplat]

Hi, new to aquariums, have tried googling the answer but always seem to get conflicting answers.

tank is 3 weeks old, and am getting these brown spots only on the silicon joints where the glass meets.......

bit of background if needed....

I have a 78ltr Corner tank (aqua one ufo 550), we filled the tank up and added some water conditioner, filter on & waited 4 days before buying some neon tetras. The day we bought them, the water was slightly cloudy, but the water cleared up after a few days and has since (3 weeks on) been crystal clear. waited another week, then bought some danios, mollies and a yoyo loach all 3-4cms.
The tank is kept at a steady 24-24.5, been feeding twice a day, a small pinch of flakes each time which all get eaten quick. havent got any testing strips, and have heard about ammonia/nitrites etc.

Are those spots good or bad?

I also have another question regarding changing water...do you have to get the fresh water to the same temp before adding it to the tank, or even let the water sit for a few days?

Thanks for any replies

 

[dkpate]

Well those are strange! Do you have a sand bottom? Snails?

When adding new water, as long as you use a good dechlorinator, you don't need to let the water sit. YES, make sure it is as close to the same temp as possible.

Don't get test strips, use a liquid kit. Cheaper in the long run, and much more accurate results.

You might want to read up on the aquarium nitrogen cycle to keep your fish healthy. What is your water changing schedule right now?

 

[splatsplatsplat]

No sand in the aquarium - and no snails, I have white gravel. Everything, tank, ornaments and plastic plants were new and washed before use. Fish seem to be happy and from the calculations of tank surface area, I have only stocked the tank at 50% capacity.

If the ammonia/nitrite nitrate levels get dangerous, does the water change in any way (cloudy?) Ive also seen an ammonia and nitrite reducing solution on amazon, again tried to find "reviews" for it and get both positive and negative comments.

 

[Randi]

Do you have any brown on the glass? Many new tanks have an outbreak of brown algae that will clear up on it's own, but those spots look, IDK, strange.

As for water temp, try to get it as close to the tank temp as you can. I just check the tap temp with my hand (make sure you are using a dechlorinator). If you are using an outdoor hose where you can not control the temp, let the water sit out till it reaches room temp.

 

[tropical-fish]

i had a problem with brown algae spots which were very visible on the silicone of my new tank. not something to worry about, it just looks a bit bad. i bought a small plec and 2 days later all the brown was gone and the silicone was good as new.

 

[splatsplatsplat]

dont have any other spots apart from the silicone joints. Ive got a yoyo loach (he's very sweet>my favorite! - i wanted a zebra plec until I saw the price!) and 2 mollies which are really good at cleaning, they are at it 24/7, but they dont seem to touch the spots.
They do come off easily when rubbed, only thing is the spots float away and all the fish try to eat them, but spit them out thankfully. just hoping they get sucked up the filter before spreading elsewhere.

 

[Mr. Limpet]

dont have any other spots apart from the silicone joints. Ive got a yoyo loach (he's very sweet>my favorite! - i wanted a zebra plec until I saw the price!) and 2 mollies which are really good at cleaning, they are at it 24/7, but they dont seem to touch the spots.
They do come off easily when rubbed, only thing is the spots float away and all the fish try to eat them, but spit them out thankfully. just hoping they get sucked up the filter before spreading elsewhere.

I'd suggest doing a scrubbing like that just before a PWC and try to vacuum it out. The more you remove the less there is to settle somewhere else and continue to grow.