HELP! How to i address my algae problem?

[Mcass]

OK so here's the deal...I got alot of algae in two tanks and don't know what to do. In my 55 I have had a dark green algae growing for several months. I have in that a 9" pleco that can't put a dent in it.

In my 76 that I just set up two weeks ago, I have an orangish gold algae growing. I know where it came from but dont know what to do with it. When I set this tank up I had put all of my plants and filter media from my 30 gallon goldfish tank into the wet dry sump to get it to cycle the new tank quicker. It worked but it also transferred the algae.

Any ideas on how to get rid of the algae in both tanks would be greatly appreciated. I've included pics of both.

 

[Cichlid-dude]

The orageish is most likely diatoms and will go away in time. As for the green algae you can cut back on how long you leave your lights on and it may subside a bit. Overfeeding can also cause algae outbreaks i beleive.

 

[Jmedic25]

That algae looks good. Makes the tank look more natural

 

[Mcass]

It's getting worse. A lot worse. Wish I knew how to get rid of it.p

 

[Mumma.of.two]

The brown algae is probably diatoms. It will eventually burn out and go away on its own. It's ugly but trust me it goes away. You can manually remove it but it will come back.

 

[roydooms]

What kind of lighting do you have? How long do you keep your lights on? Also, it will help if you increase the water flow on the affected areas. Making it hard for the diatoms to attach to the surface. Although the 2nd pic looks like BBA. Too much light and unbalanced nutrients is oftentimes the culprit.

 

[Mcass]

Sorry I hadn't checked the thread in a few days. I do have an update though. The brown algae in the 76 gallon is miraculously GONE! Here's what happened. First I decided to do PWC in that one and the 54. When I did I cleaned the algae off the glass in the 76 but that was it. I didn't tough the rocks or the plants. At the same time I took my 10" pleco from the 54 and put him in the 76 with the brown algae. That was about 9:00 at night. Keep in mind by this time the rocks, plants, and glass had all been covered. Much worse than the pics. I mean covered. You couldn't even see the rocks.

When I woke up the next morning, all the algae was gone. I mean completely gone. On top of that there was fish crap ALL OVER! The pleco believe it or not had completely cleaned every bit of algae out of a 76 gallon tank in about 8 hrs. I mean this tank is now spotless. Absolutely amazing!

 

[CraigMac]

I hate to break it to you but I think the only thing you can credit that pleco with is all the fish poop you see. It was just a coincidence that the brown algae is gone shortly after adding the pleco. Brown algae is often diatoms and they disappear just as fast and miraculous as they appear. It was eaten it just goes away.

Sorry. But hey, congrats the tab is looking good!!

 

[Lady_Alia]

I've actually seen my plecos eating brown algae...

I'm glad ur tank is clear! Congrats!!

 

[rotorhead22]

I have got brown algae on my Holey Rock and my 3 BN keeps most of the Rock pretty clean, of course with the help of my Mbunas.