Killing Brown Algae

[MJMiller]

I am hoping somebody can give me some advice on some nasty algae problems...

I'm still pretty new at this (6 months) and except for some struggles with cloudy water, I have had pretty good luck with the tank. Now, however, I have a bad algae problem. I've got both green and brown algae. The green I'm not so concerned about because it doesn't look bad, but the brown stuff is horrible. It's all over the plants and gravel (after a week or so without stirring it up the gravel looks brown instead of blue), and nothing that I have tried to this point does anything for it. So, my question is this: What are my options?

1. a fish to eat it (no room!)
2. some chemical to kill it (no luck with the Tetra product)
3. change to how I'm maintaining the tank???

The tank never gets any direct sunlight, and I wouldn't say that it gets bright it the room either... I can't move it though.

Thanks for any suggestions!

[Cearbhaill]

Assuming that your tankmates and water parameters are favorable to this little darlin'- otocinclus will eat the brown algae.

There is a pretty good discussion on brown algae (actually diatoms) on The Skeptical Aquarist. (http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/algae/diatoms.shtml)

[scott]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong (and I'm sure they will;) ) but isn't brown algae from lack of light and to many nutrients.

Skeptical aquarist is an invaluable resource.

[DarthV]

I'd say cories or a bristlenose pleco... or if you want to try to somehow reduce the amount of silicates in your water or invest in a diatom filter...

[125gJoe]

scott, you are right about the low lights..

Here's a link: Brown algae (http://freshaquarium.about.com/library/series/blalgaebrown.htm)

[MJMiller]

Thanks for the info...

If too many nutrients can cause this, it wouldn't surprise me. I don't think that I have really zeroed in on the right amount of food yet, and I probably err on the side of overfeeding.

I actually have a pair of bristlenose plec's that don't seem too interested in the brown stuff. I don't know what their appetite is like - but they are still pretty small.

Help me understand this about the light though. I have a flourescent light for the tank which is on about 12-14 hrs a day. Is it the tank light or lack thereof which encourages the algae or is it more of a sunshine thing?

Thanks again...

[scott]

Okay, here is my limited understanding (and I stress limited).

The average home aquarium kit comes from the store with, shall we say substandard lighting. Although it seems bright to our eyes it is usually less than or right at one watt per gallon which is negligible as far as encouraging photosynthesis in all but a few plants. It is also not in the prefered spectrum of most green plant life. Therefore the brown stuff grows more abundantly. The following quote is taken from skeptical aquarist.

Low light levels encourage diatoms. They can photosynthesize at light intensities even algae can't use. Often diatoms become less of an issue as an aquarium matures.

My recommendation is to scrub off as much as you can, do a forty percent water change vacuuming the gravel to get up the extra food and poo and don't feed for two days. Keep up regular maintanence and eventually the system will mature and balance and you will be in the clear. Remember it is easier to add more food than to pull it out of the water. HTH.