Brown Algae Again

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Rocket2001

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Aug 25, 2004
Messages
369
Location
Massachusetts
I know questions about brown algae have been ask many times but the answers are always ..get a algae eating fish. I have no room for a new fish. So how do I deal with this type of algae...and i guess more importantly how do I prevent it from happening. I've had it on the tops of decorations and a pocket of it on my substrate.
 
i think its not an algae but like bacteria no err.. are you sure u cant fit like 2-4 more inches for like 1-2 otos? their a great fish. but if not id get an algae scraper or a magnetic algae scraper. thats like the only thing to get rid of it for a few days.
i think tankgirl said it was something else but i cant remember. i think either good water conditions or like really clean tank should get rid of it. (i think) since its not an algae then i dont think the no light thingy will work
 
I believe that this IS algae (as opposed to cyanobacteria, which is commonly referred to as Blue-green algae), and I know that it takes advantage of nitrates in the water. The best way to avoid it is really to get an algae-eating fish. These guys scarcely add to the bioload. I agree with Krap that you can probably afford to get one or two otos or a small pleco.

If you are really opposed to this idea, two options exist:

1) Do frequent water changes. If you change the water a couple of times a week the algae will have less nitrate to feed on.

2) Probably a better idea, get some low-light, fast-growing plants. Hygro (Hygrophila polysperma), Java Moss, Hornwort, Anacharis all count. These will outcompete the algae for the nitrates. However, if your tank contains aggressive fish, the plants may be "outcompeted" by the fish and become food. If you're housing cichlids, and possibly gouramis, this might work less well.
 
My tank is a community tank so there are no aggressive fish to worry about...it is about done cycling (5 weeks) and it has been my intention to introduce live plants once the cycle is complete. So in the next week I'll probably start planting live plants. I am against adding fish because the tank is a 30 gal and i have 17 fish in it already. (plus I belive I have a pregnant molly, which is a whole other issue). So unless I lose some fish I'm not going to add any more. But if space does become availble i will consider the otos (plecos get too big).

Thanks for the Advice..Madasa and Krap
I am still interested in anymore comments if anyone else cares to add to the thread
 
i have some brown algae forming...
i have good params but some nitrate not anything to worry to much about this is in the other ten i got. slow forming. i have plants, fake... uh... it's 36' long so wraps around to create hiding areas. anyway it only really grows up top.
anyway the point was i know its unsightly but it eats nitrates! and i have a bristle and rubber plec so... i'm not too worried
i just wondered like the MTS why hate the diatoms?
i
 
Brown algae is a part of new tanks breaking in. It is worse for some than it is for others.
I have read that brown algae grows better in a poorly lighted tank.
I had a bad brown algae problem for a month. The tank was poorly lit and had several plants trying to grow. The plants did grow very well for a month or so than just stopped. They didnt die but I saw no growth. This is when the brown stuff showed up. after a month of the brown crud growing all over everthing I happened to buy some plant supplement for the tank. The plants started to slowly grow again. At that same time the brown algae growth slowed. i was able to get a ahead of it during the tank cleanings. Then when I got a new light on the tank up from 36watts to 55wattsa few weeks ago the brown stuff slowed to the point I can hardly tell it is there. Now I have some green algae growing on the glass. I dont mind this as much. Easier to find fish that will eat the green stuff.
So what does adding fertilizer do to slow brown algae growth? Was the water lacking something because the plants sucked it all out? Could the lack of whatever it is in the water promote brown algae growth? Or was it just a fluke?
Having lighting of at least 1.5wpg can help retard brown algae growth?
 
omg i have almost too much light... weird. i was considering bringing it down a notch or two.
 
I was thinking my tank was getting too much light..its not in direct sunlight but the room in general is a bright room. I also noticed something else..the growth seems to be under the out flow from my canister filter. I have a spraybar and the growth seems to specificly under the outflow..i don't know if the "current has something to do with it. The growth also seemed to start higher up in the tank. On the top of the decorations is where it started and now its on the gravel.
 
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