Getting rid of brown algae permanently...

[The_Desacrator]

So I have had my tank for 3-4 months now and for about the past 2.5 months there has be algae covering almost the entire tank. I scurb and scrub and that [moderator edit] won't go away. I have 3 amazon swords, an anubias, 3 or 4 cory cats and 3 angelfish. What is the problem in this picture

 

[JustOneMore20]

How much light do you have? Sometimes too much light will lead to brown algae or the continuation of it.

Diatoms/brown algae (the filmy stuff that is easy to wipe off, but a pain) is normal in newer tanks and can last 4-6 months IME.

 

[The_Desacrator]

4-6 months?!!??!?!?!1//1
I was told it would only be like a month, longer was reaching.

 

[Dr. Scroggins..]

most likely due to over feeding.. that's what sparked mine i think.

 

[dora'sfishtank]

I just had a burst of it too. It's a newer tank, fully cycled, and now my ornament and one of my plastic plants has it. I didn't think I was overfeeding, but maybe I am. I'll back off. What causes it?

 

[mellowyellow]

I don't know what type of water you have in your tank, but I had an algae problem, still do but on a smaller scale, It turned out my well water has a lot of phospherous in it. Phospherous is like vitamins to algae.

 

[taylorodw]

Diatoms (brown algae) survive off of Silica. The only permanent way to get rid of them is to have them burn themselves out, or make sure you have no silica in your tank (often in the substrate) or water.

 

[Jason7894561230]

Cut down light time maybe?
But it will go away eventually burn itself out

 

[Dr. Scroggins..]

it's common in a newer tank i think.. most always due to over feeding. when i started my last tank i thought i was feeding properly, but was not. pulled back a lot on the amount i fed each time, and watched the algae slowly, slowly dissipate. i have tetras and rasboras in a planted tank, i now feed once every other day, only as much as they will eat in a few mins. i have a few other threads on my experience with it, probably find it in my stats section.

 

[mattrox]

Diatoms (brown algae) survive off of Silica. The only permanent way to get rid of them is to have them burn themselves out, or make sure you have no silica in your tank (often in the substrate) or water.

This is exactly right, if your water supply has silia in it the problem can be an ongoing one. Bn plecs can help. But installing an RO system is the best way to eliminate silica, but you have to re-mineralise the water before you use it. And from what I hear the phosphate removal pads also can bind silicates.... polyfilter brand comes highly recomended as it changes from white to black when it needs replacing and doesn't re-release stuff back into the water like carbon.