Brown Algea Invasion

[Aysvin]

Ok, so I have a 45 gallon tropical tank. It's cycled, has a good filter, and had LED lights. When it's not taken over by algae it is beautiful...but it's hardly ever like that. I'll clean it as best I can, scrub the decor with a toothbrush, clean the walls of the tank, clean the gravel as best I can without disrupting the cycle. It takes about 4-5 hours each time. After a month it's totally coated with algae again. I'm wondering if this normal. I don't think it is...

anyway, the fish are:
2 powder blue gourami
3 oto cats
5 gold barbs
5 serpae tetras

If anyone has any advice on how to control this stuff, please, tell me?

 

[Rare]

How much are you feeding them each day? How often do you do PWC? And how long is your lights on? After you do 4-5hrs(**** that's a lot) when does it start again?

 

[Aysvin]

How much are you feeding them each day? How often do you do PWC? And how long is your lights on? After you do 4-5hrs(**** that's a lot) when does it start again?

I feed them 10 crisp flakes twice a day (I grind them up with my fingers so there are more pieces so that the barbs don't take all of it).

Partial water change? That could be the problem. I'm responsible for feeding and cleaning the tank. Everything else my dad is in control of...or at least he's supposed to be. He used to get annoyed when I messed with the water, but I may just have to suck it up.

The lights used to be inconsistent since no one but me would turn them on and I wouldn't come down stairs to the living room where the tank is at regular times. I now have a timed power strip. It's on from 7 am to 9 pm, but I can easily change that.

After I clean it algae will slowly show up after a week but will speed up until everything is brown.

 

[Aysvin]

Anyone have any tips?

 

[Thumper828]

definitely reduce your lights from 14 hours on to 7-8 hours.

 

[Rivercats]

Can you post a picture of the algae so we can verify what it is? How long has the tank been set up? If the tank is fairly new it's most likely diatoms which are self limiting and will go away on their own once the excess silicates are used up. But again without seeing the algae it's just guessing that it's diatoms. Also when having algae issues you only want to run lights 6 hours to keep a lot of algae from forming. Now lastly is the tank planted? If not and it is diatoms (a lot of "if's" here) you can use a phosphate remover in the filter as that will also remove silicates from the water and cause the diatoms to clear up.

 

[Aysvin]

Can you post a picture of the algae so we can verify what it is? How long has the tank been set up? If the tank is fairly new it's most likely diatoms which are self limiting and will go away on their own once the excess silicates are used up. But again without seeing the algae it's just guessing that it's diatoms. Also when having algae issues you only want to run lights 6 hours to keep a lot of algae from forming. Now lastly is the tank planted? If not and it is diatoms (a lot of "if's" here) you can use a phosphate remover in the filter as that will also remove silicates from the water and cause the diatoms to clear up.

I have pictures on my phone, but they didn't want to upload. I'll try a different way to get them up.

The tank has been up for a few months now, so not that long. It's brown, but after a while there's just a few patches of green.

The tank is not planted, I wish it was since real plants tend to look nicer.

I'll definitely reduce the light exposure to 6 hours.

If it is diatoms, about how long would it take? What phosphate remover would work best?

 

[Rare]

As noted your lights are the first big piece of the puzzle. If me, the next big thing on your list will be your PWC. How often is your dad doing it? Maybe it's time you do it yourself. I will do at least 50% every week. If the tank water is the problem, and has high nitrates & you also have phosphates Is why at least a 50% PWC will help.

What kind of substrate do you have?

More down the line will be to test your tap water for phosphates. If you do then PhosBan or Rowaphos pretty much anything that will remove phosphates.

 

[agrasyuk]

perhaps not a complete solution , but i really like my Malaysian Trumpet snails
I didn't have full scale algea invasion, but some of the anubias leaves were quite brownish, and some had what i think black hair. purchased 20 of the little bugger, introduced to them tank in the evening and woke up to all the brown stuff licked clean! now after couple of days the black leaves also seem much cleaner. so far i'm quite happy

 

[candymancan]

Don't get The trumpet snails... they will breed like crazy...

Get Nerite snails and get Seachem phosguard (remove phosphates and silicates) or API phoszorb... they don't breed in fresh water, and they will clean your tank walls and ornaments very quickly... For a tank your size I recommend getting 10-15 of them.. Half of them Horned nerite and the other half zebra and tiger nerite... Plus nerites look better then those ugly trumpet snails lol..

I had a big diatom problem in my Hexagon, and after getting 8 nerite snails they cleaned up the glass and plants and ornaments in like a week and its stayed clean since then.. I actually feed them algae wafers now because I have no more algae. My 30g had the same problem... I haven't had to clean my glass in over a month now using the phoguard and snails as a combo... I took my phoguard out like 2 weeks ago and I still haven't had anymore diatoms.

Simply cleaning things by hand only spreads the diatoms back into the water... If you get the snails to eat it, and the phosguard bag to remove the silicates the diatoms should be gone in a few weeks

 

[sobersteve323]

Hopefully it's mostly because your tank is newish. I have a tank with pool filter sand that's apparently been leaching excess silicates for the last 4 years lol. Tons of brown algae/diatoms! Luckily it's just a spare tank and not my main/display because it's not pretty to look at!

If you do go with getting nerite snails just know in advance they lay tons of eggs. They don't bother me but I know some people think its an eye sore. They're definitely a round the clock eating machine though. I only have 5 horned and 1 zebra in my 50 gallon planted but it's pretty spotless. I could definitely put more in if I wanted but I don't want to have to feed them since the few I have already do a good job. I haven't had to clean my glass in over a year.

 

[Rivercats]

The only good thing about nerite eggs is eventually they do dissolve. Ones on DW can be popped off with tweezers or a sissor end and one's on the glass easy come off with an algae magnet. They never really bothered me but some people do go spastic over them.

I've always used PhosGuard but other products work. Also be sure the filter is cleaned as needed. If you use PhosGuard they will go away fairly quickly.

 

[Aysvin]

Here are the pics of the tank. Thank you every one who has replied. I'll read everything and sort through opinions to decide what to do. I've already altered the lighting.

The bio load/space won't allow for much else to be added. It's at 97% on Aquadvisor, I believe.

 

[Aysvin]

Never mind, the stocking level isn't that high. It was when I was looking at putting a BN pleco in. 10 of those snails have it at 88%

 

[Rivercats]

Is that only on the glass? If it is I really think that is Green Dust Algae with some Diatoms mixed in. The good thing is GDA is also self limiting and will eventually run it's course and go away.

 

[Aysvin]

Is that only on the glass? If it is I really think that is Green Dust Algae with some Diatoms mixed in. The good thing is GDA is also self limiting and will eventually run it's course and go away.

Yeah, it's on the acrylic.

 

[candymancan]

Those snails will have a hayday with that stuff lol..

Btw take the aqua advisor with a grain of salt.. My 27g hex has always been near 170-200% and I haven't had a single fish die or what not in a very long time.. I simply do 50% water change every week or two and leave it alone

 

[Rivercats]

Yeah, it's on the acrylic.

You can do two things with the GDA... first you can leave it alone and it will eventually be eaten or peel off. If you leave it to peel off that is the end of it's life cycle. Second you can just use an algae magnet to keep the acrylic clean. The GDA will take a little longer to run it's cycle this way as you putting it back in the water while disturbing it's cycle. I've done both ways so it's your call if you want to look at it for awhile longer or keep it cleaned off. Either way it will eventually go away.

 

[Aysvin]

I got five snails: two tigers, two zebra, and one horned. They've already gone to work and are doing a great job.

 

[agrasyuk]

I didnt have anything severe, but after one week of 20+ MTS rummaging in my tank I can only say good things. Black stuff is almost gone and most anubias leaves are squiky clean and now they doing "preventive maintenance" I guess. Almost all dead yellow-white areas of the bare rhizom are eaten and it looks healthy. Multiply like crazy? Well they don't bother me so why not? As long as there food for them...