My betta tank is a 5 gallon with a sponge filter. There are plants (java fern just added, water sprite and a floatin glily pad plant) and 1 snail other than the betta. I have been having a problem with brown algae for quite awhile. I thought it was due to low light levels, so I bought a flourescent fixture with a regular bulb at 15 watts (3wpg). That didn't seem to help and recently I have been getting a green biofilm growing on the rocks and some plant leaves. The plants aren't doing great in this tank but do well in the other tanks. I just switched to a coralife bulb, I have been adding an iron rich fert all along and I have recently upped my water changes to twice a week with gravel vacuum. Any ideas what is going on in this tank that doesn't affect my other tanks. It can't be the water. Any other info needed?
Bio film and Brown Algae problem
- Thread starter TKOS
- Start date
Ah...but it can be the water...what are the exact readings of your Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, and pH levels? If you do not have all of these test kits, BUY THEM! They are needed for tanks, smaller ones in perticular. Lighting, Feeding (overfeeding), and overstocking can all have an affect on the amount of algae you get. "Brown algae" isn't really algae to begin with and 95% of the time it is due to poor water quality of some sort.
Go HERE to read more on 'brown algae'.
Go HERE to read more on 'brown algae'.
Brown algae, diatoms, are algae. To quote the first line of the site referenced above:
"Diatoms are single celled algae, brownish in color."
It tends to be associated with lower levels of light and with silicates in the water supply. It wipes off glass easily. On plants it is boils down to nutrient control, just as with other algae.
"Diatoms are single celled algae, brownish in color."
It tends to be associated with lower levels of light and with silicates in the water supply. It wipes off glass easily. On plants it is boils down to nutrient control, just as with other algae.
Well it can't be low light as I have 3 watts per gallon in the 5 gallon tank. So somehow there must be silicates in the water. Maybe it is coming off the rocks that I use as a substrate. They are the only thing different between my three tanks. Of course my parents use the same rocks and their tank is clean.
Is there a silicate test available?
Is there a silicate test available?
Going on 6 months now. I just added more plants. There was some water sprite (5 small ones) but they were not growing. Now there are floating plants, some java fern and new water sprite.
My other tanks have HOB for filters. The betta tank has an internal sponge and bubble filter since it is just one fish. It is the same filter that was used by my parents before when they had the tank. After a year of being setup and with only incandescent lighting they never had diatoms. This one is very confusing.
My other tanks have HOB for filters. The betta tank has an internal sponge and bubble filter since it is just one fish. It is the same filter that was used by my parents before when they had the tank. After a year of being setup and with only incandescent lighting they never had diatoms. This one is very confusing.
Silicates (at least as found in water supplies) are all but insoluble - it takes geologic time. Your water utility will at least rate silicates as high/medium/low/not detectable. Call and ask.
If you water supply is low to moderate silicates, you are replenishing the silicate supply with water changes.
Phosphate removing resins are said to also remove silicates, some packages so specify.
If you water supply is low to moderate silicates, you are replenishing the silicate supply with water changes.
Phosphate removing resins are said to also remove silicates, some packages so specify.
I just can't really see silicates coming from the water supply since the same problem isn't happening in my other tanks and I change the water just as often (they are small tanks so it is just easiest to do them all at once). But I will check into the water supply.
I'm having a problem with brown algae in my 10 gallon fry tank. I also have a sponge filter and my little one seems totally inadequate for cleaning. The problem is that since I used marbles (3 layers) to originally save the eggs from being eaten by the parents, a lot of food, and waste has been building up below where the fish and filter cannot reach. I can't siphon because it drains half my tank in about 30 seconds, and as well sucks up a couple of fry in the meantime! I know the brown algae is caused by light and excess waste but how can I clean my tank? I have slowly been taking out the marbles, but when I do this it stresses out all the fry and they clamp their fins. I'm now down to one layer of marbles in 3/4 of the tank, and I hope to be down to one layer throughout the tank by the end of the month. If I do too much in one day, the fish do not recover as quickly. Any suggestions??