red algae? rust colored...

[mgkaelen]

tried to search the threads, guys, but i couldn't find anything that helped me... i see some rust colored red algae(?) on the top of a few of my tall plastic corkscrew vals --- is it really red algae? i do'nt suspect that anything in my tank will Eat it. should i just scrape it/wipe it off? what IS it?

[Scottw68TN]

Brown algae! this will help
http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/ma...algaebrown.htm

[QTOFFER]

I have the same thing growing in my tank. It's diatoms, as mentioned in Scottw68tn's link, and it is really harmlesss. However, it looks nasty, and I brush/wipe it off my rocks and plastic plants at each water change. I've been told that an oto catfish will eat the stuff for you.

[captainGregor]

Otos are not really eager to eat that stuff sometimes. Mine are turning their nose. They aparently are getting fat on something else. You can always remove a lot of diatoms with consecutive large water changes. Say 50% twice a week for 2-3 weeks. That way you have a chance to remove large number of diatoms from the water. That is how I battle mine. It seems that my plants have successfully competed for nutrients and with the combination of the above I am slowly getting rid of it

[madasafish]

I know you're thinking about getting otos, right?

Despite captainGregor's experience I, and many others, fully support otos for rust algae. They're one of the only species that will touch the stuff!! They've done a great job on my 10, but are outpaced by the *HUGE* amounts of algae produced in my 55 (3wpg)!

[PlatyLady]

hmm... I'm on the fence for this one. I have brown algae too, so after much reading went out and bought 3 otos. While they have certainly taken care of *some* of it in the 2 weeks I've had them, there is a LARGE percentage left over.

I'm holding myself back from cleaning it up myself, in case they suddenly develop a taste for the stuff!

[tabitha]

i have been told that that is the only kind of algae that ottos will eat.. i had the same prob in my tank and was told that it was caused by an excess of silicates in the water...

[captainGregor]

Do not take me wrong guys, otos DO eat it, they do. It's just I think they are so tiny that there might just not be enough of them to eat it all. I had to buy 3 more (to the total of 5) to keep the diatoms under control. Plus the large water changes

[mgkaelen]

my otos'are in my puffer tank right now, but maybe i'll throw them into my 30gal. they're just getting over an ick treatment though, so the tank is up to about 86 degrees, and i don't want to freak the oto's out due to the temp! i'll try to put them in when the temp is back to normal - thanks for the suggestions, guys

[deli_conker]

I've got a lot of that crap growing on my tank too.

I read in the link posted above that not enough light could be the culprit. I've got the lights that came with my hoods. I think they are 18" and 15 watts. How much more would I need?

I've been throwing around the idea of picking up a diatom filter for a while now to polish the water when I do water changes. Would using it to remove diatoms be best for prohibiting algae growth?

[fearlessfisch]

I've got red algae now, too. The good news is that it brushes off easily, and water changes do seem to help. My tank is relatively new (a couple of months), and I think I read that a red algae bloom is common after initial cycling.

I just increased the light in my tank from 30 watts to 80....I'll try to remember to post what happens.

Well....Off to do a search to find out what an oto looks like. )
fearlessfisch