brown algae vs green algae

[tamtam]

What's the difference?

I know some fish prefer one over the other but know little else other than that.

I have a pretty healthy algae growth in my tank, don't mind it at all. It's mostly green along the front/sides or the tank and decor but I've noticed I've got some brown in there too. Mostly it seems to be on the back and in the area near the intake for my filter.

Are there different conditions that these algae grow best in The areas that get the heaviest algae growth get the best light but the area with the brown algae doesn't get much at all. There is a backing on my tank which blocks all the sun from that side.

 

[fort384]

There are many, many types of algae. Simply differentiating between green and brown would be like boiling the animal kingdom down to fish and everything else.

Most of the brownish colored "algae" is actually diatoms, and is not photosynthetic. This is why you are seeing growth in lower light areas. If it is green, than it is a photosynthetic organism (for the most part) so more light will generally equal increased growth and survivability. Many other factors can also contribute to growth of algae, however. Nutrient imbalances, excess nitrates, phosphates, etc can all contribute.