View Full Version : Ugly brown algae taking over my tank
sandl215
12-20-2002, 7:41 PM
I post this on General Marine also, in hopes of getting a few replys.
I have this brown algae on my rock, glass and sand. I just awful.
I do not know what eats it, (I have a couple of conches but they eat to slow)
How do I stop it from growing?
I hate it.:mad:
slugstheone
12-20-2002, 9:11 PM
i had the same problem.first don't run your lite so long it(algea)thrives on it.second if you are still cycling the tank its a good thing it means your almost done.just clean it all off and keep the lites on for only a few hours a day.ever since i did that its been all good.one more thing i did was stop feeding everyday and you will see the fish feeding on some spots.well,give it a shot and good luck.one more thing yellow tangs love algea.
slugs
sandl215
12-21-2002, 5:52 AM
My tank is over a year old. Tangs doin't eat brown algae. Nothing does to my knowledge, except maybe conches.
From what I expect that alegea is red alegea. It can come from too much light, waste, not enough water changes and not totally sure but I think nitrates play a big role creating red alegea.
The best way I know how ot control it safely and cheaply is buy several hermit crabs. I would go with the scarlet hermits, since they seem to be more duriable and are fairly cheap, like 2 bucks. The blue hermits are another option and are usually more cheap but never seem to live long for me.
Hope this helps!:p
Twilight
12-28-2002, 9:08 AM
If you don't have algae eaters then you may be able to use an algae remover product. But use wisely and carefully since you are adding chems to your tank. I once had brown algae very badly in a 20 gal and eventually just ended up removing everything {but reserving the same water from the tank} and cleaning it all. You may lose fish. And it was a good chance that my fish would have died either way since the algae was so bad but I lucked out and didn't lose any much to my amazement. I have heard that if you cover the tank and leave it in total darkness and add no food for a couple days it may kill the algae. Fish can go a day or two without food. Good luck.
FishBait
12-31-2002, 11:06 AM
It's most likely diatoms. VERY VERY common in new tanks. Bascially it's an algae that utilizes silicates to build a glass shell around itself. Once the algae dominates and "sucks up" all of the available silicate, it just starts to disappear as fast as it came. Give it about 2 weeks and the bulk of it should be history. You can wipe the glass daily if ya wish, but it will just keep coming back.
sandl215
12-31-2002, 5:31 PM
I still have it. It;s been 2 months. I HATE IT.
I put Macro algae in the tank but it did'nt do anything except plug up my maxi jets.
99RedSi
01-06-2003, 1:05 PM
Originally posted by sandl215
I still have it. It;s been 2 months. I HATE IT.
I put Macro algae in the tank but it did'nt do anything except plug up my maxi jets.
Well how long is this garbage supposed to last? I for one HATE algae with a passion!
Does anyone have pics of what this looks like? I'm only now considering a FOWLR SW tank and my previous experience has been FW.
Thanks
rift-n-reef
01-08-2003, 7:04 AM
Ahhhh.....love that marine algea. The brown stuff if very common in newer tanks as fishbait said, and normally will clear up soon as they use up their food sorce, however, it will only be replaced by another color...:D The best way to combat being over grown with it, is to keep up on the water quality. I've recently set my 125g back up with nothing more than live sand, a couple bits of live rock, and the bottom of my tank is a lovely shade of accorn brown, and it showed up in less than a week!! At any rate, one of the best critters I've found for keeping the bottom of the tank looking nice are dragon gobies. They dont eat it all, but they churn it up enough that the substrate stays mixed, and lookin' good. HTH
"J"
99RedSi
01-08-2003, 8:28 AM
Originally posted by rift-n-reef
Ahhhh.....love that marine algea. The brown stuff if very common in newer tanks as fishbait said, and normally will clear up soon as they use up their food sorce, however, it will only be replaced by another color...:D The best way to combat being over grown with it, is to keep up on the water quality. I've recently set my 125g back up with nothing more than live sand, a couple bits of live rock, and the bottom of my tank is a lovely shade of accorn brown, and it showed up in less than a week!! At any rate, one of the best critters I've found for keeping the bottom of the tank looking nice are dragon gobies. They dont eat it all, but they churn it up enough that the substrate stays mixed, and lookin' good. HTH
"J"
But this stuff DOES go away, correct? After a certain amount of time? Even if you use tap water instead of RO/DI water?
rift-n-reef
01-09-2003, 7:13 AM
It always has in my tanks. During the first 6 weeks or so of your tank being up(while it cycles), different algea will come and go. Then, as your tank matures, the aglea will change. The brown will go away, then some green, then some red, then some brown again, then some coraline, ect... lol (perhaps not in that exact order) My point being, by the time your tank has matured in a year or so, you will see pretty much every color of the rainbow in algeal growth. Just keep up on the water conditions, and it will stay in moderate amounts. HTH.
By the way....most of the time having algea in the tank is not really a bad thing....just look out for red slime and such....good indications of a problem in water chemistry.
"J"
Laviathon
12-01-2009, 1:06 AM
By the way....most of the time having algea in the tank is not really a bad thing....just look out for red slime and such....good indications of a problem in water chemistry.
"J"
:help2:Im new to Salt Water. I set up a 10 gallon just to get the hang of things. I had 2 fish which lived in there for about 2 months. Algie began to grow and I decided I was going to set up my 70 gallon tank. My 2 Rocks I had in the small tank began to develop the red slime algie in them the last week or so. I didnt change the water, I moved them over to my new larger tank and it has began to spread now. I have a few mushrooms and they are thriving and still no fish fatalities. Is there anything I can do to get rid of it. I have taken water samples to 2 local pet stores and they say it is great! Any ideas?
FishManMoe
12-01-2009, 1:15 AM
A few species from the Otocinclus Genus should take care of brown algae.
cam191919
12-01-2009, 1:17 AM
otos are freshwater fish, they'll die in saltwater...
laviathon, you should start your own thread with all the details of your tank and any questions you have
FishManMoe
12-01-2009, 1:21 AM
otos are freshwater fish, they'll die in saltwater...
laviathon, you should start your own thread with all the details of your tank and any questions you have
Sorry didn't read the thread details that it was saltwater I just saw Algae problem.
greech
12-01-2009, 6:41 PM
I really think this is diatoms too. Very common and will last until silicates are depleted and they starve out. Is the algae like a powder or does it grow in a thick mat that you can actually pick up and it doesn't really fall apart? The former would be diatoms, the later could be cyano bacteria. I have had my tank up and running since June and I still get a dusting of diatoms every once in a while. You can expect on and off diatom spotting for the 1st year. If it doesn't get any better check your water source if you can. High TDS (total dissolved solids) and/or PO4 will continue to fuel diatoms and algaes. Assume you are using RO/DI water? Your LFS' or you personal RO/DI filters may need replacing.