If brown algae=healthy tank, does that mean my tank isn't healthy (before it got infected with ick, i mean)?
Brown Algae=Healthy Tank?
- Thread starter CaitxSith
- Start date
Brown algae feeds off silica from new tanks. If your tank has been running for a while then you will not have brown algae, so I would guess your tank is probably fine.
I had brown algae like the type you described shortly after my tank was finished cycling. I think it's quite normal. Brown diatoms or something it's called.
I find brown algae a pain in the a$$ (diatoms- usually present in newer tanks silica is used by the diatom to form it's shell or with phosphates .)
in time you will have algae..it's almost inevitable
in time you will have algae..it's almost inevitable
in fact, diatoms (brown algae) has nothing whatever to do with the health of a tank. diatoms grow as a result of low light conditions and the right nutrients present in the water. why low light? simply because green algae, a higher order plant, doesn't grow very well without sufficient light to facilitate photosyntheses. when present, green algae outcompetes brown algae for growing surfaces and thus the latter has a hard time making a living. moreover, the silica required for diatoms to grow are leached out of the glass of new aquariums over time and assuming they're not replaced by sand or gravel substrates containing silica, eventially die off.