what s this brown layer on my gravel ?

[JohnSmith]

bout 4 month maybe , but i had a huge evacutin and cleanin bout 2 month ago , i change 30% o water every week ...

I had, almost, never seen this in any of my tanks until about a year ago. Nothing has really changed; except, I now fight this in all but one of my tanks--it has been going on a bit over a year.

I have waited for it to go away. I have vacuumed until I have dropped. I have lowered light levels. I have juggled every tank/water/food/fert/etc. parameter I can imagine. I have starved the fish until I felt guilty, etc., etc., etc.

I envy those people who just say, "It will go away, and believe it!"

I like to keep a bit of salt in most of my tanks and this is hard on snails (I use 50/50 sodium chloride and potassium chloride, adjusting potassium chloride as necessary); I am at the point where I am going to give up the salt and grab some snails ... I am just tired of being tired ...

Regards,
JS

 

[Star_Rider]

Diatoms are usually directly linked to silicates.(sounds like something from a sci fi movie...lol)
but they use the silicates in their struture.

typically they will show up in newer glass tanks as the glass leaches silicates out. they usually are considered part of the NTS(new tank syndrome)
light may not affect them as limiting light does not always have a direct impact on their population. but in some cases it does impact them. usually a black out period of 3 days. but in most cases they wil come back.
sometimes they show up when a anew substrate is introduced..believed to release silicates from the substrate..again..they will leach over time and the silicates will drop.
just keep up on tank maint . they come off easily. they will eventually go away.
nerites seem to enjoy them tho

as to Otocinclus but oto's may starve when the diatoms are gone.

 

[NickD]

I got some amano shrimp and they just love it. They cleaned my tank of this stuff in no time.

 

[wataugachicken]

I had, almost, never seen this in any of my tanks until about a year ago. Nothing has really changed; except, I now fight this in all but one of my tanks--it has been going on a bit over a year.

I have waited for it to go away. I have vacuumed until I have dropped. I have lowered light levels. I have juggled every tank/water/food/fert/etc. parameter I can imagine. I have starved the fish until I felt guilty, etc., etc., etc.

I envy those people who just say, "It will go away, and believe it!"

I like to keep a bit of salt in most of my tanks and this is hard on snails (I use 50/50 sodium chloride and potassium chloride, adjusting potassium chloride as necessary); I am at the point where I am going to give up the salt and grab some snails ... I am just tired of being tired ...

Regards,
JS

yours is probably a water source issue. as far as i know, free silicates in the water are not something that can be tested for commonly.

 

[DrNo]

Diatoms are usually directly linked to silicates.(sounds like something from a sci fi movie...lol)
but they use the silicates in their struture.

typically they will show up in newer glass tanks as the glass leaches silicates out. they usually are considered part of the NTS(new tank syndrome)
light may not affect them as limiting light does not always have a direct impact on their population. but in some cases it does impact them. usually a black out period of 3 days. but in most cases they wil come back.
sometimes they show up when a anew substrate is introduced..believed to release silicates from the substrate..again..they will leach over time and the silicates will drop.
just keep up on tank maint . they come off easily. they will eventually go away.
nerites seem to enjoy them tho

as to Otocinclus but oto's may starve when the diatoms are gone.

Sweet information goodness. Chock full of essential vitamins and minerals as usual...

 

[JohnSmith]

yours is probably a water source issue. as far as i know, free silicates in the water are not something that can be tested for commonly.

That is most probable, I am thinking; as, one tank it is happening in is ~30 years old! I don't think much silica is leeching from it ... the gravel is nearly that old ...

There must me some salt or element which can be added which will neutralize (tie up) the silica and make it unusable to the diatoms--I am researching this, but finding little ... <frown>

Indeed, this is what is really needed for the brown algae problem, an aquarium additive which will render the silica un-usable to diatoms! I don't know what someone has not already come up with something, unless they are all like me and this is a fairly recent problem, only now demanding a "fix."

Regards,
JS

 

[caitylee]

We used something to get rid of algae in our 20long and the diatoms are completely gone (still have green algae though) I can't remember the name of it at the moment though. I am at work, have to look when I get home.