Brown algae from more plants

[drew81]

i recently upgraded from yellowish lights to new flourescents.

they have been in my tank for about a week and im starting to see a lot more brown algae. Is there any way of keeping the algae in control.

i needed the extra light for my live plants.

thanks

[jpappy789]

how long are the lights on?

how old is the tank?

*btw, if a mod sees this it would probably be best answered in the General FW or FW newbie section...

[DavidZ]

Get a pleco and you will never see brown algae again, try a bushy nose pleco.

Good luck

[drew81]

i put the lights on for about 5-8 hours a day.

its only a 10 gallon. I dont think i pleco would do too good in there.

current stock is: 2 cories,4 neons,2 gold barbs,2 dark barbs, 1 cherry

anything that would go good with that...i was thinking maybe an otto?
any suggestions

[DavidZ]

An Otto will also help, but I didn't have much luck keeping them for some reason 2-3 months tops, hard working fish and a lot of fun to watch.

[FtwayneFish]

I love ottos I have 5 in my 5g. Their always active roaming all around. They kinda school on the glass. And keep it clean.

[jpappy789]

I wouldnt recommend another fish, even an oto for that stock, its pretty much full.

Besides, otos are most comfortable in groups otherwise they are very timid.

How old is the tank? If it is fairly new than they will disappear on their own, or you may have excess silicates in your water...are you using tap?

Just wipe it off.

[mellowvision]

yeah, those gold barbs are going to get pretty big, no? it sounds really full to me. my 10 gallon has 3 cherry barbs and 4 rasbora, and maybe 15 shrimp, some snails... and I consider it full. a lot of people will tell you various things, but in terms of bioload, the algae in mine never starves!

I'd guess between the high bioload and extra light, the algae is going to take off for a bit, at least until the tank stabilizes with the new lights. it doesn't sound like you have them on for too long, but it does sound like you are using the irregularly. plants like a schedule, you should throw the light on a timer, the same every day, and try not to break the cycle. the plants will benefit, and anything that benefits the plants is a good thing.

I gotta ask, what and how many live plants do you have? it's possible you just don't have enough plants.

[drew81]

well i have had the tank for about 5 months.

Just started with the new lights maybe 1-2 weeks ago..

I just get in there and wipe it off every weekish now.
It is starting to accumulate right along my gravel line in my tank.

I have about 3-4 batches of some kind of swords and a dwarf lilly bulb, and a bamboo

[grannylvsfish]

I have brown algea to, I just wipe off, it used to take over the tank, now its slowed way down and I wipe once a month. my decorations plants and the whole bed of gravel was always getting covered, but in time it has stopped. yours will to, my tanks are just over a year old I believe.

[drew81]

ok thanks.

but it looks like every couple days its back.

Should i wipe it every couple days or every week or two?.

Im trying to get these lights on a schedule. I dont want to try a timer and its hard because im at college right now and classes are different every day.

Thanks though. I will get a pic soon.

[grannylvsfish]

when you do a water change, just clean things off. it will die down . ( mine did)

[mellowvision]

clean as much as you can BEFORE the water change, so that you remove more debris and spores with the dirty water.

[grannylvsfish]

clean as much as you can BEFORE the water change, so that you remove more debris and spores with the dirty water.

your right!! I forgot to say that :lol:

[drew81]

easiest method of getting it off?

i usually just get my hand down in there with a small rag...

[williedee]

i use an old credit card

[TETRALADY]

Hello drew81

Although, brown algae can be unsightly, it is not harmful. I’ve personally had brown algae in my 55 gallon tank for years. As others mentioned it can be removed quite easily with a scraper, aquarium magnets, etc…Plecos while young do keep brown algae in check however, as they age they become less interested. I have a 14 year old Pleco that could care less about the brown algae.

The causes of brown algae are not light levels but excess nutrients, including silicate. Test your water source for chloramines, nitrate, phosphate, silicate, and other algal nutrients. Should you find one or more of these, you may find using the following steps will help decrease the amount of brown algae in your aquarium.

*Protein skimmers: These remove dissolved proteins in your aquarium before they have a chance to break down.

*Chemical filter media: When placed in your filter, chemical filter media, such as Poly Filter and Phosphate + Silicate Magnet, will remove silicates, phosphate and organic waste materials.

*Reverse osmosis (RO) units: These water-purifying units will remove chemical nutrients directly from your source water.

Keep in mind water changes are necessary for a healthy tank however, if your water source is the culprit you will continue to see brown algae. Only the RO units will ensure brown algae doesn’t maintain the nutrients to survive.

Hope this Helps!:)

TETRALADY

[grannylvsfish]

Hello drew81

Although, brown algae can be unsightly, it is not harmful. I’ve personally had brown algae in my 55 gallon tank for years. As others mentioned it can be removed quite easily with a scraper, aquarium magnets, etc…Plecos while young do keep brown algae in check however, as they age they become less interested. I have a 14 year old Pleco that could care less about the brown algae.

The causes of brown algae are not light levels but excess nutrients, including silicate. Test your water source for chloramines, nitrate, phosphate, silicate, and other algal nutrients. Should you find one or more of these, you may find using the following steps will help decrease the amount of brown algae in your aquarium.

*Protein skimmers: These remove dissolved proteins in your aquarium before they have a chance to break down.

*Chemical filter media: When placed in your filter, chemical filter media, such as Poly Filter and Phosphate + Silicate Magnet, will remove silicates, phosphate and organic waste materials.

*Reverse osmosis (RO) units: These water-purifying units will remove chemical nutrients directly from your source water.

Keep in mind water changes are necessary for a healthy tank however, if your water source is the culprit you will continue to see brown algae. Only the RO units will ensure brown algae doesn’t maintain the nutrients to survive.

Hope this Helps!:)

TETRALADY

great info!!! I wonder if you have a pic of this poly filter and Phosphate + Silicate Magnet never heard of it. how does one use the poly filter ? I have HOBs on my tank. I would love to knwo about thsi stuff. I do not have a lot of brown, it does come back and I do keep up with cleaning it off, but would like to know bout these products you speak of. thanks much.

[grannylvsfish]

Also a RO unit? where does one see or get this? and is it expensive? is bottled water ( I go fill up 5 gallon jugs of it for my water machine ) is this RO water?