Algae?

B

bettabuddy

AC Members
Nov 9, 2010
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Hey guys,

A few weeks ago I switched to sand for my 3 gallon betta tank. This week I just noticed there are brown spots in the sand. I figured that it's algae but I'm not 100% sure. Any help?

Thanks!

algae.JPG algae 2.JPG
 
It's been running for 3 weeks to a month now.

And I know i'll get scolded for this but I dont think its cycled. I get too impatient... and I put him in just 24 hours after I set it up :huh:

On the other hand my betta is looking better than ever and hes making a bubble nest right now as i sit here haha. I think its his 3rd or 4th since the new tank?
 
Yeah, your tank is probably not cycled yet, but may be nearing the end of the process. The only way to really know is to test for Nitrites/Nitrates. The sand substrate leaching silicates into the water also contributes to the presence of diatoms (They need those to grow).

I've been going through a cycle in my 7 year old tank after I corrected some water problems that I had, and I have some diatoms also, but not too big an outbreak. It should correct itself in time.
 
what are diatoms? and how do i get rid of them? lol
should i suck them up with my tube thing? :nilly:
 
Diatoms are a single celled type of algae that have cell walls made up of silica (which is one of the major ingredients of sand, and it leaches into the water when you have a sand substrate-giving diatoms the environment that they like. Check this out if you want to read up on them:

http://www.aquariumslife.com/headline/brown-diatom-algae-control/

You can suck them up, or wipe them off with your finger if they are on a rock or something, because they don't attach to things like other algae that is hard to remove.
They will probably keep coming back until your tank is finished cycling, and you have no more nitrites.
 
Hey again, I know my questions were answered but another one came up today. I'm in the middle of cleaning his tank...for the third time this week lol. Since hes got sand, theres no way i could have sucked up the brown spots unless i took the sand along with it. Because I did get the top layer of sand out of there, will it be harder for the beneficial bacteria to grow/regrow?
 
Most of the bacteria live in the filter, although they are on every surface of the tank,plants etc.

When vaccing a sand tank just swirl the vac in tight circles just above the sand and the poo and other debris will be lifted off the sand without taking the sand with it.
 
I tried that :/ the algae made the top layer of sand clump together... i might not have been patient enough though. The siphon goes really fast and its a 3 gallon so there isn't much to take out
 
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