Brown coating over gravel

[Robcurry12]

In my established 36 gallon bow front tank I have black gravel in my tank but for some reason there is this brownish coating over just the gravel in the tank. I have 3 separate air stones functioning fully, an LED light that gives at least 12-16 hours of light to the tank. I also have 6 Cories and 4 Ottos to "keep up" the bottom of the tank. The fish inside the tank look completely unbothered by this and the water is also crystal clear as well. Is this a brown algae bloom or something else?

 

[claudio1]

i think that your algae problem is because your lights are on for 12-16 hours a day,i have read in other posts that lights should be on for no more than 8 hours a day...


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[scrippin]

It sounds like you have diatoms. They are common in relatively new aquariums. From my knowledge, they will dissipate over time on their own in newer tanks. Although it could possibly be something else of your tank has been established for a while and you have the lights on for that period of time because usually leaving your lights on for long periods of time in older, established aquariums will get rid of diatoms.

On the brighter side of things, Otos love snacking on diatoms.


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[Robcurry12]

Thank you everyone for your input. I reduced the lighting time to only 7-8 hours and just after one day I already see the brown coating thinning. Thank you for your input!