brown spots on plants

[fishdud]

Not only is it on my plants but on everything! Glass, gravel, decor. Its on my swords, wisteria and anubias. It looks like dirt. What is it and how do I get it off?

 

[HalfMoon B]

Looks li,e diatoms. They will go away on their own. Is your tank newly setup/cycled? It's most common with new tanks

 

[fishdud]

My tank is cycled. Its been setup since September.

 

[HalfMoon B]

Could still be diatoms. Hw are your water params? Ay algae eaters in the tank?

 

[rich311k]

Does it come off quickly in a cloud of dust?

 

[fishdud]

Water parameters are good everything is at 0 even nitrates cause the tank is planted and no algae eaters

 

[fishdud]

Does it come off quickly in a cloud of dust?

When scrubbed off the glass it does

 

[jcolon]

When scrubbed off the glass it does

It's diatoms ... aka... brown algae and I have ALL over my decor and on the glass ... been like that for months. I just decided to leave it on the decor ... I think it adds a natural brown color. BA basically means your tank's water has silica's in it .. chances are it from your PWC source ... tap I assume? If so, and it's ground water, then chances are it has a silica in it. That's why my BA is still hanging around.

 

[fishdud]

So I how do I prevent it from happening and how do I get rid of it? It looks soo ugly on my plants

 

[undercutter]

it should go away on it's own eventually, it's common with new tanks because it feeds on silicates from the glue residue and such

I've had it in my tank really bad for about 4-5 months but it's finally going away, I'm not seeing any new growth

 

[fishdud]

it should go away on it's own eventually, it's common with new tanks because it feeds on silicates from the glue residue and such

I've had it in my tank really bad for about 4-5 months but it's finally going away, I'm not seeing any new growth

My tank isn't new tho. I think this is the second time that's happened. Will it do any harm to my plants?

 

[jcolon]

So I how do I prevent it from happening and how do I get rid of it? It looks soo ugly on my plants

See the link below for suggestions... although it's really about the silica level in the water. The silicone, glass etc can leach out silica's which is why newer tanks have the issue initially ... however after a few months ... if it's only getting worst ... it usually high silica in the tap.

Greater Washington Aquatic Plant Association » Algae in the Planted Aquarium

 

[undercutter]

My tank isn't new tho. I think this is the second time that's happened. Will it do any harm to my plants?

I would rub it off from the plant leaves once in a while so that they can get enough light. There is a lot of conflicting advice how to deal with it too. Some sources say that you actually want to increase the light so that the plants outcompete brown algae for nutrients, that is if your tank is heavily planted though

 

[fishdud]

See the link below for suggestions... although it's really about the silica level in the water. The silicone, glass etc can leach out silica's which is why newer tanks have the issue initially ... however after a few months ... if it's only getting worst ... it usually high silica in the tap.

Greater Washington Aquatic Plant Association » Algae in the Planted Aquarium

Thanks. This helps. I may look into getting some ottos

 

[fishdud]

I would rub it off from the plant leaves once in a while so that they can get enough light. There is a lot of conflicting advice how to deal with it too. Some sources say that you actually want to increase the light so that the plants outcompete brown algae for nutrients, that is if your tank is heavily planted though

I would say its somewhat heavily planted

 

[undercutter]

I would say its somewhat heavily planted

lol unless that picture was taken before the brown algae attack your tank looks positively pristine

in my brand new tank the brown algae would cover the leaves and portions of the glass in about two weeks and would still look ugly after cleaning

I just waited it out and it's finally going away after 5 months

I would say your tank is at least moderately planted, there are a lot of sources online that say you should increase the light, intensity or duration, to combat it, which is opposite for what you should do for green algae

I am not an expert perhaps somebody else here can explain it better

 

[fishdud]

lol unless that picture was taken before the brown algae attack your tank looks positively pristine

in my brand new tank the brown algae would cover the leaves and portions of the glass in about two weeks and would still look ugly after cleaning

I just waited it out and it's finally going away after 5 months

I would say your tank is at least moderately planted, there are a lot of sources online that say you should increase the light, intensity or duration, to combat it, which is opposite for what you should do for green algae

I am not an expert perhaps somebody else here can explain it better

Haha it was taken like an hour ago. I cleaned off the front glass but the back has more but its hard to see. These were taken just now

 

[undercutter]

Haha it was taken like an hour ago. I cleaned off the front glass but the back has more but its hard to see. These were taken just now

lol you have a very light case compared to mine

I almost gave up on cleaning the leaves because I didn't want to break them with my fingers, but finally it stopped growing back and the big rocks I take out and clean stay clean so I know it stopped growing

anyway from what I read the idea is that you want to saturate your aquarium with light because plants and green algae will always outcompete brown algae for nutrients, and once green algae takes over then brown algae will be gone for good, then you can deal with green algae

 

[fishdud]

Wow that is a lot to me it looks like they get on slow growing plants the most? And so what you're saying I should leave my lights on longer?


And also, how do I trim anacharis?

 

[undercutter]

And so what you're saying I should leave my lights on longer?

Brown Algae - Causes and Cures for Brown Algae