Brown stuff on gravel & plants

Caretaker

Caretaker

Registered Member
Jan 15, 2007
4
0
0
Kansas
Yesterday morning I noticed some brown stuff on the 38G gravel in one spot. Then this morning it was all over the plastic plants. What is it and how do I make it go away?
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I have attached two pictures for your review.

http://www.geocities.com/fishcaretak...8G0005_2_1.JPG

http://www.geocities.com/fishcaretak...8G0006_1_1.JPG
 
Diatoms, aka brown algae. They will go away after a while, or you can rub them off. Is this tank relatively new?
 
Brown algae:
Forms in soft brown clumpy patches. In the freshwater aquarium, these are usually diatoms. Usually indicates a lack of light or an excess of silicates. Increased light levels will usually make it disappear. Easily removed by wiping the glass or siphon vacuuming the affected area.

http://www.plantgeek.net/article_viewer.php?id=9
 
MORE light gets rid of it? I thought algae blooms in excess light.
 
That is called diatoms and is fairly comon in new tank setups. It is caused from the silicates present in the glass of new tanks. It is part of the natural process and one of the phases that your new tank will go through as it matures and becomes more seasoned. Even if you do nothing about it it will go away on its own. Most of us think that it is unsightly so in the meantime you can remove it manually.

Marinemom
 
it is common in new glass tanks..it is also common if excess silicates are present also has been linked to excess phophates..I ha ve had some success with blackouts
the best success in a new tank for me was introducing otocinclus(oto cats)

they seem to love the stuff..

if you have room in the tank you may consider adding a few oto's..if not a little elbow grease works well.. brown algae rubs off easily.
once the tank gets balanced they should not be a huge problem.
 
I have this same problem, I am thinking of buying an otto tomorrow because it is all over my glass too. My tank has been set up for almost a month now.
 
Just remember that otos are very social creatures and like to be in groups of three or more to be happy. Also remember that once the brown algae is gone they will starve unless you suppliment thier diet with something else.

Marinemom
 
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